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TIL The Saint Petersburg Sphinxes are about 3500 years old, Andrei Muravyov, who in 1830 was going on a pilgrimage to holy places. Ancient sculptures made him so impressed that he immediately sent a letter to the Russian Ambassador, in which he proposed to acquire them.

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QJ9ME TIL that evolutionary biologists believe that humans developed the ability to use reason and rationality to win arguments and manipulate their surroundings rather than to find truth and make decisions.
jN4KR TIL that Marvin Gaye died in April of 1984 after being shot twice in the chest. Marvin had tried to break up a fight between his parents when Marvin's father pulled out a .38 Smith & Wesson, a Christmas gift from Marvin to his father from the year before, and fatally shot his son.
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4XwPN TIL that in 1990, a man named Iben Browning predicted a massive earthquake would hit New Madrid, Missouri on December 3rd. The prediction sparked a panic. Schools in 5 states closed, and over 200 media outlets sent reporters to the area. Browning had no seismology expertise, and nothing happened.