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TIL There were only 3 billion humans in 1960

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Y5Bv TIL Braille was originally developed as ‘Sonography’, a means for French spies in the Napoleonic Wars to communicate without the use of light. Louis Braille would later point out the flaws in the original code, creating the version we use today.
AYm7 TIL, Vicuna, the source of the world’s rarest fabric, can’t be farmed because the animals starve themselves in captivity.
PYGBO TIL that for 15 years, Sweden thought enemy submarines were invading their waters, but it turned out to be farting herrings. Shoals were huge enough for the collective flatulence to register on military radar, producing sounds and small bubbles which were mistakenly identified as Russian subs.
Rro9 TIL in Japanese myth there’s a creature called the Ashiaraiyashiki. It is a giant, unwashed foot that appears before you and demands to be washed. If you don’t wash it, it will rampage through your house.
PY7jJ TIL that commercial radio was invented due to a bet. Frank Conrad, the inventor, wanted to settle a $5 bet about the accuracy of his $12 watch. He ended up building a radio receiver with the original purpose to hear the time signals transmitted by the U.S. Naval Observatory.