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TIL of the approximately 8,000 amphibian species currently alive, about 90% of them (about 7200) are just frogs and toads.

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b6mK9 TIL Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, a French entomologist, living in Medford, Mass. in the late 1800s, decided to create a cross-breed of caterpillars from native North American moths and European caterpillars Lymantria dispar, in order to start a competitive silk industry. (rest of the story in comment)
nQe9 TIL in 2004, a welder demolished several buildings in his town with his own modified bulldozer to fight against a zoning dispute
W7VBL TIL that using 'Vale' instead of 'RIP' for obituaries is unique to Australia. This is quite common in Australia, and is frequently seen in the media. Vale is Latin for farewell and is considered a non-religious version of RIP.
N7P0N TIL in the late 80s when Tipper Gore led Senate hearings to censor music lyrics against metal and rap bands, the PMRC star speaker was her favorite singer, John Denver. However, Denver stated he was against censorship, ruining their chances to win the legal battle.
BrXPx TIL that fast-turnaround movies based on real disasters aren't new. The first film about the Titanic was released 29 days after it sank, starring an actress who was a real life survivor of the event. It is considered a 'lost film' after all copies were destroyed in a fire in 1914.