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TIL that horsehair worms are parasites. The can live inside a cricket and control it boosting chemicals in its host's brain. They also eat all cricket's stored-up fat and crickets lose their chirp.

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DQY4g TIL invention of the modern American football helmet is credited to US Naval Academy football player (and later Admiral) Joseph M. Reeves, who had a shoemaker create one for him after a Navy doctor told him another kick to his head could result in instant insanity or death.
D1DeY TIL In 1999, a large fragment of a window fell from the CNA Center and killed a woman walking with her child. CNA Financial paid $18 million to settle the resultant lawsuit. Windows had been cracking since it had been built in 1975 and all of the building's windows were replaced in a retrofit.
Xn0E TIL a New Jersey woman rolled a pair of dice 154 times continuously at a craps table without losing. Her 154-roll winning streak broke a world records. The probability of this occurring were roughly 1 in 5.6 billion.
RPy7 TIL in 1809, a woman diagnosed with an ovarian tumor rode 60 miles on horseback to see a surgeon who was willing to extract it. It had never been done before out of fear it would kill the patient. After the 22.5 pound tumor was removed from her body without anesthesia, she lived another 32 years.
dPvE TIL: Homosexual black swans form temporary threesomes with females to obtain eggs, then driving away the female after she lays the egg.