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TIL that ancient Japan had female warriors called Onna-bugeisha, who would fight alongside Samurai in times of war. They started to lose their importance by the 17th century, when roaring ideals of fearless devotion and selflessness were gradually replaced by quiet, passive, civil obedience.

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91ZQ TIL When a Canadian nuclear reactor melted down in the 1950s, Jimmy Carter was one of the Americans sent to help. His crew built an exact replica of the reactor on a Tennis court to practice disassembling it, and had to enter and take apart the reactor one piece at a time, 90 seconds at a time.
E1OJo TIL there is an evolutionary recent type of parasitic plant, some of which are orchid species, that cannot do photosynthesis anymore. Instead they grow underground for several years before emerging with stems and pale colorless flowers. They obtain all their nutrients by parasitizing mushrooms.
yVABa TIL in the Phoenix Metro area, the water utility still offers flood irrigation to homeowners. Twice per month, they will flood your entire property to 1 ft. deep for ~$0.0006/gal (homes with ~0.2 acre only pay $152.25/mo.)!
JY8j1 TIL Viruses kill about 25-30% of the living material in the oceans every day. When they infect and kill organisms, nutrients such as carbon and phosphorous are released into the ocean. This keeps microbes and phytoplankton thriving. If you take the viruses out of seawater, photosynthesis stops
LKyZ TIL that Bob Marley’s manager would take him and his other wailers to rehearse late at night in the local cemetery where he believed that if they could conquer their fear of ‘duppies’ (spirits), they could also conquer any stage fright.