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TIL beaver dams saved a wetland in the Czech Republic. The government was planning to do the same thing, but the bureaucracy took too long. The dams saved $1.2 million.

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16xYO TIL Vanilla Extract can be used as a sedative
BrpNb TIL In 552AD two monks successfully smuggled silkworm eggs in their walking sticks from China to the Byzantine Empire, essentially ending the silk monopolies of China and Persia, and bringing silk manufacture to Europe.
grR9 TIL that after becoming associated with the catchphrase “billions and billions,” Carl Sagan had a unit of measurement named after him. One sagan is equal to at least four billion, since the smallest number that may be described as “billions and billions” must be two billion plus two billion.
d8YjB TIL During the 1920s and 30s, Chrysotile was used and marketed as "artificial snow". It was sold under the brand names of "White Magic", "Pure White", and "Snow Drift". Another name for Chrysotile is White Asbestos.
yQxk8 TIL that Jim Coleman, a sportswriter made up the 'curse of Muldoon' to meet an editorial deadline. The curse supposedly prevented the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League from finishing in first place from 1938 to 1967.