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TIL that it has been mathematically proven that every European currently alive is descended from Charlemagne

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rBpx TIL that May 20, 2010 was declared “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” as a response to jihadist threats against cartoonists
KOQ9w TIL about bacha posh, a practice in Afghanistan where a family with no sons will dress one of their daughters as a boy so that someone can run errands, work, escort the other sisters, etc. They cut their hair short and answer to male names; when they reach puberty, they revert to being female.
rLGd TIL when YouTube detects copyrighted material used in a video, it gives the copyright owners the choice of either taking the video down or claiming a share of the ad revenue. As a result, Psy earns money from 40,000+ different videos using Gangnam Style.
kOEBg TIL Certain Ant Species Have Evolved Huge, Shield-like Heads, Which They Use to Plug the Entrances to Their Nests From Predators
oBbbL TIL James Murray Spangler (1848–1915), a salesman and janitor, invented the first commercially successful portable electric vacuum cleaner that revolutionized household carpet cleaning. His device was the first to use both a cloth filter bag and cleaning attachments. His invention was patented 1908.