› added 6 years ago

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TIL that not everyone's kidneys are a pair located in their mid torso. It ranges from next to their lung (Thoracic Kidney), to next to their bladder (Pelvic Kidney). Some people's kidneys are fused into one giant kidney. (horseshoe kidney), and some people have both of their kidneys on the same side

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v1eWr TIL Wolves being reintroduced into Yellowstone demonstrates how crucial every member of an ecosystem is important to maintain balance. After 70 years without wolves, the reintroduction caused unanticipated positive change in Yellowstone’s ecosystem and even its physical geography.
wjG1 TIL In Japan, if you commit suicide by jumping in front of a Train, Rail Companies charge your family a fee.
J1mMQ TIL On top of being a sponsor and collector of fine art, King Ferrante of Naples also had a private "black museum", a collection of his dead enemies, mummified and dressed in the clothes they wore during lifetime. He would give his guests a tour of the black museum, likely as an intimidation tactic
8aLM4 TIL why "w" is pronounced double-u. The Roman alphabet did not have the letter"w" so when Latin was first used in Old English, they needed to invent a symbol for the sound made by "w" - so they made it "uu" (there was no "v" in Old English). 400 years later, Norman scribes conjoined it to become "w"
l4GN TIL in 1939 German health establishments were told to survey their patients for certain conditions. Believing it a prelude to a labor draft many overstated their patient’s disabilities hoping to protect them. It was really part of Aktion T4, a eugenics-based murder scheme with a 5-figure body count.