› added 1 year ago

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TIL that the Australian Ibis (aka bin chickens) have learned how to eat the invasive and poisonous cane toad. They do this by picking the toad up, shaking it around to get it to expell its poison and empty is poison sacs, then washing the poison off with water.

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via reddit.com

9wNQD TIL about John of Nottingham, a magician in the 14th century who plotted to assassinate Edward II and Hugh Despenser by using wax effigies.
VBXZG TIL when Britain entered WWI, J. R. R. Tolkien's relatives were shocked that he didn't volunteer for the British Army, which was expected of young men at the time. He later recalled, "It was a nasty cleft to be in for a young man with too much imagination and little physical courage."
ANYMo TIL Honeybees use a waggle dance to tell others where to find food. The distance other bees must travel to the food source relates to the length of time it takes the bee to fly in one full circuit. The angle at which the bee flies in relation to the sun shows the direction of the food source.
L779 TIL of Manichaeism. It spanned from the Roman Empire to China. Founded by Mani, who claimed to be a successor of Buddha, Zoroaster, and Jesus. St. Augustine was a Manichee before he apostatised. Today none of its texts has survived and it is now extinct due to a worldwide holocaust of its adherents.
QYjE TIL of Johnie’s Coffee Shop in L.A., which closed in 2000 but remains open for filming only; The Big Lebowski, Reservoir Dogs and American History X have all featured the diner. It was declared a historical landmark in 2013.