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TIL of the 1850’s Raising of Chicago. Buildings and whole streets were raised nearly 2 meters with screw jacks to allow the installation of a sewage system.

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W16d TIL In Switzerland, Rabies has been virtually eradicated after scientists placed chicken heads laced with a vaccine in the Swiss Alps. The foxes of Switzerland, proven to be the main source of rabies in the country, ate the chicken heads and immunized themselves.
vxx TIL That Keanu Reeves deferred his salary for The Devil’s Advocate to ensure the budget could afford Al Pacino for his role in the movie. He did it again for The Replacements to get Gene Hackman.
YpvAZ TIL that the first battle of WWI consisted of a British ship firing a single shot at a German ship on Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi) in Africa, and taking the captain "prisoner." The two captains had been drinking buddies for years, and weren't about to let the war ruin it.
kOMNd TIL Charles Darwin wrote: "The mule always appears to me a most surprising animal. That a hybrid should possess more reason, memory, obstinacy, social affection, powers of muscular endurance, and length of life, than either of its parents, seems to indicate that art has here outdone nature."
Bragr TIL The 1904 Olympic Marathon included a runner who was poisoned by his trainers, a runner who was chased a mile off-course by dogs and a runner who ate rotten apples, had to lie down for a bit and still finished fourth.