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TIL Ty, the manufacturer of Beanie Babies, was one of the first businesses to use the internet to engage directly with its consumer market. This was a major contributing factor to the popularity of Beanie Babies.

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WkxrL TIL the Japanese high-speed rail system has a network of seismometers that will stop their bullet trains in the event of an earthquake. This system was activated just 12 seconds before the 2011 earthquake and tsunami and as a result, only one bullet train on its test run derailed that day.
6E1mX TIL a Russian Blue tomcat named "Xiaopi" needed a glucose drip after mating with five females during one night in a Chinese pet hotel. The cat's owner, Mr. Zhao, said he specifically told the hotel that Xiaopi wasn't neutered, but they let him roam freely anyway.
N7agP TIL: In the 1980's, Catholic priests were dying of AIDS at a rate four to six times higher than the general population despite being celibate.
5Nkk TIL that a single Finnish man hid in the Finland forests during WW2 and killed over 500 Soviets in less than 100 days. He was nicknamed “White Death” by the Soviets and they focused missions entirely on him.
Br57W TIL Martha's Vineyard is one of only 5 Natural Features in the U.S. with possessive apostrophes in their names. The Board on Geographic Names has only permitted 5 places to spell their names with possessive apostrophes to avoid disputes and issues over the ownership and control of the land.