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TIL that of the 3,000 species of mosquitoes, just 3 species worldwide are responsible for all disease transmission to humans. Additionally, only female mosquitoes drink blood, and use a special anticoagulant to thin blood in capillaries before consuming it.

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j6MRX TIL in the Ottoman tradition, the throne did not automatically pass to the eldest son. Rather, potential heirs were expected to fight it out. As soon as the sultan died, the princes were plunged into a race for the throne. Whichever brother won the throne would have the other brothers executed.
VMKxD TIL unclaimed property is the "fifth-largest revenue source" for the state of California
R7BD1 TIL that Joan d'Arc was tried, condemned and burnt at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church in May, 1430 . In the 1456 the very same church debunked her charges and denoted her as a martyr. Finally, in 1920 she was canonised and became a patron saint of France.
EyLx TIL America’s poverty line was designed with the thought that every American household had a housewife who was a skilled cook, and has only ever been adjusted for inflation.
gMJpL TIL NORAD's annual Santa Tracker program originated from a child misdialing a Santa Claus hotline in 1955, instead calling a U.S. Air Force Colonel at the Continental Air Defense Command.