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TIL Eastern Grey Squirrels were purposefully introduced to American city parks in the early 19th century as a form of entertainment and for those who lived in cities to get more exposure to nature.

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VM5Rp TIL that in 1862, the District of Columbia Emancipation Act paid those loyal to the Union up to $300 for every enslaved person freed. The largest individual payout was $18,000 for 69 slaves, which is equal to $556,024.34 in 2020.
pnAb TIL Chicago, nicknamed the Windy City, is named after the boastful loquacity of its politicians rather than the gusts that shoot between buildings
VB0jk TIL that the Khasi people of northern India train the roots of rubber fig trees to form living "rope bridges" across rivers. The longest such bridge is 160 ft long and crosses a gorge 230 ft deep. Some bridges have existed for centuries.
d8wBE TIL that 'Yobai' ("night crawling") is an ancient Japanese custom where unmarried men could sneak into strangers' houses to have sex with women. The man would leave in the morning, and while the girl's family would know about this, they pretended not to.
KYQeB TIL when Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson was a teen, he dreamt of having a Gibson guitar. He would go to his nearest music store in Toronto, play Gibson guitars for about an hour before he’d get kicked out, and then he would come back to that store every weekend and repeat the whole process again.