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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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xVDWb TIL During the Great Plague of London, the City Corporation ordered the killing of all cats and dogs, in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease. It's estimated that 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed, however it was the rats spreading the virus, not cats or dogs.
d8kad TIL A&W introduced a burger that was bigger and less expensive than McDonald’s Quarter Pounder, but it failed because customers assumed 1/3 was less than 1/4.
WoQB TIL That North Korea imprisons three generations of a Political prisoner’s family.
xOm1 TIL archaeologists had found a ring inside a 9th century Viking grave that is inscribed with the phrase ‘for Allah’.
4Lk6 TIL gay swans will form temporary threesomes with females to obtain an egg, before driving her away.