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TIL that Europeans traditionally swam the breaststroke, while Native Americans swam the front crawl. When two Native Americans won an 1844 swimming competition in England, newspapers criticized their barbaric, “un-European” form. Europeans refused to use the faster front crawl for decades.

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Jvdj TIL that a mysterious nerve disorder that hit some slaughterhouse employees with debilitating symptoms apparently was caused by inhaling a fine mist of pig brain tissue.
0w0Pp TIL of the St. Francis Dam disaster of 1928. Located in Angeles National Forest, the reservoir held 12 billion gallons of water. The dam failed before midnight on March 12th. A 140 ft flood wave swept debris and bodies 54 miles to the pacific ocean. Second worst loss of life in California history.
wrX8 TIL when the Beatles wrote the song “With a Little Help from My Friends”, the first line ended with ‘What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would You Throw Ripe Tomatoes at Me?’, but Ringo changed it so that fans would not throw tomatoes at him should he perform it live.
8errP TIL Admiral Yamaguchi of the IJN was a staunch supporter of the Pearl Harbor attack plan. When the initial plan left his carrier division out of the attack force, Yamaguchi got drunk, accosted Admiral Nagumo in his cabin, and got him in a headlock until someone broke up the fight.
woObY TIL that delta brainwaves are the most dominant frequency in babies, causing a sleep-like state where the mind isn’t usually too active and described as being on autopilot.