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TIL that alchemy was illegal in many European countries from the Middle Ages to the early modern period because rulers were afraid of undermining the gold standard and corrupting the gold supply.

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oR9er TIL: The rectangular design of today’s modern tennis court began in 1875. Before that, tennis courts had an hourglass shape, wide at the ends and narrow at the net.
xV1Y1 TIL the Australian Lyrebird can impersonate practically anything he hears to catch the attention of a possible mate, even going as far as making a camera shutter noise or a chainsaw taking a tree down.
BrJOk TIL that Hook Lighthouse in Ireland is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the world. The current structure has existed since 1172
e0OeL TIL that the office of Vice Presidency was considered so insignificant that former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Daniel Webster turned it down twice from two different presidents. Ironically, both presidents (William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor) died while in office.
W7yp9 TIL that in 2021 former NBA center Shawn Bradley was involved in a bike accident that left him paralyzed. He has since described his height (7 foot 6 or 2.29m) as a hindrance to recovery since quadriplegia at that height has no medical precedent.