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TIL early people would drink a ton of water before they went to bed if they knew they had to be up early. Their full bladder would rouse them before the sun rose, meaning that they could wake up before dawn. Native Americans also used this method, called over-drinking, well into the 20th century. 💧

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4Xm6o TIL the small elephant hawk moth (Deilephila porcellus) gets its common name for the caterpillar head's resemblance to an elephant's trunk. Hawk moths are also known as sphinx moths because the caterpillar resembles the Great Sphinx of Giza when resting. They are found in Europe and northern Africa.
9wbGG TIL that Sweyn Forkbeard was the first Viking king to rule England. He massacred, plundered, and burned his way through the countryside, capturing London on Christmas Day 1013. He died just 40 days later. Upon his death the previous king Æthelred the Unready came back and retook his throne.
ANovw TIL that Italian mafia boss Gioacchino Gammino escaped prison in 2002, fled to Spain, changed his name to Manuel and opened a restaurant and a grocery shop. After 20 years in hiding, he was found thanks to Google Street View
e07nn TIL that the set of Sesame Street was intentionally made to look like a poor inner city block, complete with trash and decay, because the original target audience was inner city children and the producers wanted it to feel familiar
Zev TIL there’s a floating island the size of a football field in Springfield, Massachusetts that destroys fences and sheds as it occasionally moves around.