› added 1 year ago

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TIL that publications keep "advance obituaries" for notable individuals in order to have large well-written articles as quickly as possible. Not only do these regularly get published early in error, but P.T. Barnum requested his be published early so he could read them on his deathbed. They did.

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YpKBr TIL that both the penny and the nickel cost more to make than they're worth, and that up to 1982 the metal in a penny was worth more than the penny itself.
9YBkm TIL Chrysopeleas, or "flying snakes", are a thing. These mildly venomous snakes live in Southeast Asia and glide through the jungle by propelling off the end of tree branches. They are better gliders than flying squirrels.
BrPx TIL John Wilkes Booth was one of the most famous men in America and Abraham Lincoln was one of his fans
wpnE TIL Scientists have no clue how a species of seals found in Lake Baikal and the Caspian Sea originated, as these are landlocked waters hundreds of miles away from the closest ocean.
9YmEQ TIL Scientists were able to partially restore function to the legs of a paralyzed rat by implanting asparagus between the severed ends of the spinal cord