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TIL The first expedition by two members of the French Academy of Sciences to determine the circumference of the Earth (and thereby the length of the meter) was hampered by the French Revolution, and the second one by the Napoleonic wars

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Jy48 TIL a popular medieval sport was trying to head-butt a cat to death with your hands tied behind your back
Lkp79 TIL in 1909, the United States Government confiscated Coca-Cola products because the high caffeine content breached a food safety law. This case went all to the way to the Supreme Court, and the government won, forcing Coca-Cola to pay all court costs and reduce their product's caffeine content.
5YPvB TIL in the mandrill species, if a beta male wins a fight, then it gradually transforms into an alpha male - gaining larger testicles, more colorful skin, and the ability to produce offspring with females. If an alpha male loses a fight, then the reverse happens.
pYBON TIL that Fort Castillo de San Marcos is a fort constructed out of cannonball-eating coquina stone (sea shell rock).
1MYr TIL Statistical analysis of hockey fights confirmed what coaches have long believed, that sending a player out to fight can significantly shift momentum in a game. Researcher Terry Appleby found that 76% of fights resulted in a ‘momentum surge’ for one team and 23% ended in a surge for both teams.