› added 8 years ago

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TIL that scientists have discovered why some people can thrive on less sleep than others. A particular gene variant is responsible, and those with it can also handle extended periods of sleeplessness better.

XDmr TIL in 1973, a Libyan passenger jet having navigational problems wandered into Israeli airspace. When 2 Israeli F-4s intercepted the jet and instructed the crew to land, they refused because of bad Libyan-Israeli relations at the time. The jet was then shot down, killing 108 people.
PkAO TIL that the difference between American and British English is not due to American English diverting away from British, but rather British English changing while American English did not. American English is actually more similar to 1700s British English than the accents in the UK are today.
QNJ7e TIL about Joseph of Cupertino, a Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian saint. He was prone to miraculous levitation. He was deemed disruptive by his superiors and church authorities, however, and eventually was confined to a small cell, forbidden from joining in any public gatherings.
A4N4 TIL The town of Dull in Scotland has been twinned with the town of Boring, Oregon since 2012. In 2013 the town of Bland, Australia joined them in what has become known as the ‘Trinity of Tedium’.
78w8O TIL Green-backed Firecrown Hummingbirds Use a Rare Moss (Less Than 1% of Forest Biomass) to Make Up 97% of Their Nests for Its Antipathogen Properties, Boosting Chick Survival