› added 11 years ago

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TIL in 1738 Jaques de Vaucanson created a mechanical duck that could flap its wings,drink water,digest grain and even defecate. The duck had over 400 moving parts in each wing alone. Vaucanson is credited as having invented the world’s first flexible rubber tube while building the duck’s intestines

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bnl7 Today I learned that when the President is unmarried or his wife dies during his term, another female relative will become the First Lady. Three president’s daughters, two president’s sisters, two nieces and two daughters-in-law have been First Lady.
8aOjP Today I learned that Ali Maow Maalin became the last person to naturally acquire and survive smallpox in 1977, only to die of Malaria in 2013.
9wZpX TIL ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) is the longest-running actor in a live-action primetime series. It’s a record that Hargitay continues to add to each year, as “Law & Order: SVU” surpasses the heights of its parent show “Law & Order.”
kO6Y5 TIL the Valyrian languages spoken in the TV show, Game of Thrones, was developed by linguist David J. Peterson based on the few words author George R. R. Martin put in the novels. The fully developed language now provides additional Valyrian translations to Martin for use in his forthcoming novels.
GYgmJ TIL that Marjory Stoneman Douglas fought against efforts to drain the FL Everglades and reclaim land for development when she was 79 years old. Her tireless efforts earned her several variations of the nickname "Grande Dame of the Everglades.” She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.