› added 4 years ago

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TIL Miami Planetarium director and PBS Star Jack Horkheimer was born with bronchiectasis, a chronic lung condition. As a young adult, he received so many chest X-rays, he suffered radiation sickness and lost all of his hair.

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mxnKp TIL between 33K and 55K Canadians fought in the American Civil War. 29 were awarded Medals of Honor, one was a noted Union Spy, and one was a Union Army officer who formed and led the detachment that captured and killed John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Lincoln.
dg59 TIL there is an old whistling language known as “el silbo”, which is used by the people of La Gomera to communicate across long distances. Due to its loud nature, it is generally used for public announcements and can be heard from 5 km away.
Z8Dm4 TIL in 2005 the Australian Government banned the use of the word 'Mate' in Parliament. However, the ban lasted all of 24 hours before it was repealed after being described 'absurd and ridiculous' by the Prime Minister.
VBBVZ TIL there's an asteroid (technically, a minor planet having a diameter of ≈250 km) named '10199 Chariklo' that has its own ring system. It is the smallest known celestial body to have a ring system.
NpkE TIL that character Chewbacca was inspired by director George Lucas’ Alaskan Malamute dog. It would often ride “co-pilot” in George’s car and its name was “Indiana”.