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TIL dioxins continue to contaminate Vietnam’s soil and rivers decades after the war there, with severe health consequences like birth defects.

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via reddit.com

4knLb TIL that the oldest continuously-operating tattoo parlor in the world is in Jerusalem and has been tattooing pilgrims since 1300.
ADQ9B TIL Jack was a baboon purchased by a railway signalman who lost his legs in an accident. The Baboon began to operate the railway, and was eventually given a job and salary. In 9 years of employment, he never made a mistake.
8ewnK TIL that the British used to dock decommissioned ships in the harbor and use them as prisons. More Americans died on these ships during the American Revolution than in every battle of the war combined.
oRgrr TIL Spiders can fly using electricity in the air (a process called ballooning). They can release silk threads that catch an electric field, which then interacts with the Earth's electric field, providing lift and propulsion. This allows them to travel long distances, even across oceans.
VMXN8 TIL in the popcorn industry, two shapes of kernels are commercially important. "Butterfly" kernels are light and fluffy, their many appendages absorbing butter and salt well. "Mushroom" kernels are typically much sturdier then the butterfly ones, and are often used in making confectionery popcorn.