› added 11 years ago

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TIL that Doctor Who was originally an educational show, with episodes set in the future to teach kids about science, and episodes set in the past to teach them history.

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epmRL TIL when Mongols defeated the Poles at the battle of Legnica, they beheaded him and paraded his head. His wife recognized his mutilated body by his eleventh toe.
N7dL6 TIL singer Tammi Terrell, famous for recording and performing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” with Marvin Gaye, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 22 after she collapsed on stage into Gaye’s arms during a concert. Terrell died at age 24 after eight unsuccessful surgeries to cure her.
1a4GW TIL that the signature drum-intensive tune [https://youtu.be/-4_d_6A8nE0 ] that used to precede any CBS Special Presentation (Charlie Brown cartoons, etc) was actually a snippet taken from the original "Hawaii-50" TV theme song.
X0GVr TIL certain East Asian physical traits, like thicker hair, more sweat glands, distinct teeth, and smaller breasts, stem from a gene mutation about 35,000 years ago. Africans and Europeans usually carry the ancestral version of the gene, but in most East Asians, one of the DNA units has mutated.
9YXaG TIL: Among the world's oldest living beings was a tree at least 4800 years old. With irony, "Prometheus" The Tree (AKA study plant WPN-114) finally was cut down in 1964 with involvement from a grad student studying long-living trees and the United States Forest Service. (natural,non-cloned beings)