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TIL in 1848 Michel Faraday took Six lectures about the science behind candles

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v1N1r TIL when creeping dogwood flowers open, their stamens snap upwards at 24,000 m/s^2 (nearly 54,000 mph), which flings the pollen at an acceleration of up to 3,000 G's - one of the fastest plant actions on Earth.
R7NG6 TIL Of Frances Kelsey, the physician who refused to allow the deadly drug Thalidomide from entering circulation into the US in the 1960's, saving numerous American infants from disfiguration and birth defects
jNmmv TIL that in 1970 a grass roots organization known as the Committee to End Pay Toilets in America was launched by mathematician Ira Gessel due to his frustrations over public pay toilets'. He was largely successful in pressuring city councils, lik Chicagos to eliminate the condition to pay for relief
kJWvE TIL that after the death of Shemp Howard (The Three Stooges) in 1955, black comedian Mantan Moreland was offered the job of the new 3rd stooge by Moe Howard. But Columbia Pictures demanded a actor already under contract with them... and Joe Besser was one of the few comedians still working for them.
QJOV9 TIL my great uncle Michael Wilson, writer of planet of the apes, Lawrence of Arabia, bridge of the river Kwai, it's a wonderful life, and much more; was blacklisted by Hollywood for being a communist and uncredited for much of his work.