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TIL a popular Christmas decoration in the Nordics, the Yule Goat, is a tradition going back to pre-Christian days. A popular prank was to place a goat made of straw in your neighbour’s house without them noticing, and the victim would then repeat the act

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dDZRQ TIL that the top seven US currency demonimations in circulation, based on volume, are: $100, $1, $20, $5, $50, $10, and $2. For instance, in 2021, there were 17.7 billion $100 bills, but only 1.4 billion $2 bills.
ANY0w TIL about Chaicharn Harnavee, a Thai Special Force and POW in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. For assisting the American POWs who shared his captivity, Harnavee received the Silver Star and Legion of Merit medals from the United States and his picture is hung in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.
xVr40 TIL that during WWI (and briefly WWII) the British would shame men into joining the military by recruiting young women to call them cowards on the streets of their hometowns. These women would also pin a white feather on them to symbolize their cowardice.
jNAOj TIL about Sam Ballard, a 29 year old Aussie who died 8 years after eating a slug on a dare. The slug carried rat lungworm, a rare parasite that can penetrate the intestine, traverse the nervous system, and burrow into the brain’s outer lining. While most infected recover, the parasite can be fatal.
BgBnd TIL an analysis of Beethoven's hair found high levels of lead, arsenic & mercury. The high amount of lead in particular likely contributed to his deafness. One lock of hair had 380 micrograms per gram & a second one had 258 micrograms. A normal level of lead is around 4 micrograms or less per gram.