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101

TIL the Mexican state of Yucután got its name when a Spanish explorer asked a Mayan what the land was called and he answered “I do not understand you” in Mayan language.

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jNMwE TIL flipping someone off dates back to before recorded history. The first written record of it's use was in a Greek play call "The Clouds", where a student gives Socrates the finger in response to a question about basic poem structure.
x6paB TIL that Homer’s Iliad ends with Hector’s funeral. This means that the Trojan Horse and Achilles’ death aren’t from the Iliad.
J1Kvk TIL Ginger you get served with sushi is for cleaning your pallet. When trying differently prepared sushi, swab ginger between for new perspectives. That’s what it’s for!
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kOM9e TIL that despite underground room-and-pillar mining taking place as early as the 13th Century, the use of canaries for early warning of toxic gases began only in 1900, with mice first being used for the role in 1896.