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TIL Willem Kolff created the first dialysis machine in the Netherlands during WWII. Lacking materials, he used sausage casings, tin cans, a washing machine, and salt water. He also saved more than 800 people from the Nazis by hiding them in his hospital. And he later invented the artificial heart.

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xg0b TIL that Patrick Stewart signed a 6-year contract for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” because he, his agent, and others with whom Stewart consulted all believed that the new TV show would quickly fail, and he would return to his Shakespearean career after making some money.
Ooew4 TIL that the longest war in recorded history lasted 335 years and 19 days. It was between the Dutch and the Isles of Scilly, there were no casualties, and the Dutch actually forgot about the conflict until a Scilly historian contacted them about it in 1985. A treaty was signed between them in 1986.
R7RD4 TIL Groundhogs are edible and taste good when prepared correctly. Due to them being vegetarians, their meat is tender and tastes similar to squirrel or rabbit.
P1gZJ TIL that stock dilution is the decrease in existing shareholders' ownership percentage of a company as a result of the company issuing new equity. New equity increases the total shares outstanding which has a dilutive effect on the ownership percentage of existing shareholders.
x61Yo TIL of the field recordings of Alan Lomax, a folklorist. He travelled recording a wide spectrum of musical performances, stories, jokes and personal narratives for the US Library of Congress in the 1930s. His life's work is now digitally archived.