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TIL that the Ute Indians discovered mechanoluminescence hundreds of years before modern scientists. Quartz crystals were put in sacks of thin buffalo skin. When shaken, they would produce sparks of light that they used in their religious ceremonies.

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R78jw TIL: Lydia Fairchild failed a maternity test because her reproductive cells had a completely different set of DNA to her skin cells. She exhibits chimerism, in having two distinct populations of DNA among the cells of her body.
eOlD TIL there is controversy over whether Cinderella’s shoes are made of glass or of squirrel leather, the two words being homophones in French (vair/verre)
7rP8L TIL 676 human skulls was unearthed under the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City. These were the first evidence found that the Aztecs sacrificed women and children that they captured from other nations. As of 2017, the bottom of the pile of skulls still hasn't been reached by excavations.
XL0R TIL that in World War II, German soldiers in American POW camps were sometimes allowed to leave without guards on the honor system, visiting nearby towns. Black American guards noted that German prisoners could visit segregated restaurants that they could not.
Na56 TIL Wilt Chamberlain once challenged Muhammad Ali to a boxing match. Wilt was a foot taller and 60 pounds heavier with a huge reach. During a joint press conference, Ali answered every question with “Timberrrrr!” After breaking to meet with his lawyers, Wilt returned and called the fight off.