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TIL the Battle of San Jacinto, the defining moment in the Texas Revolution that led to the Mexican surrender, lasted just 18 minutes

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MevK8 TIL that in the 1800s, mental asylum staff thought it would be a good idea to add a tall stone lookout tower that mentally ill patients could climb up for 'breathtaking views'. Many patients committed suicide by jumping out the tower's open windows.
6EXm TIL that termites will follow the ink from most ball point pens because it replicates a pheromone that they secrete in order to get back to their nest.
b4Qj TIL that today is Aitzaz Hasan day: a day to tribute a 15 year old boy died stopping suicide bomber from entering his school, last year.
lrbB TIL: HIV is no longer a death sentence, the life expectancy for a HIV positive person is almost equal to a HIV negative person.
GWx5 TIL 16 seconds before launch of the space shuttle that 350,000 gallons of water are poured below the shuttle to suppress sound.