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TIL that there is a very rare and special type of gemstone that can only be found and formed in fossils of extinct species of cephalopods over the process of hundreds of millions of years. The most expensive opal in the world is one of these being an opalized fossil valued at over $1,000,000.

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mxa4O TIL that Edward Rulloff, a 19th-century serial killer, doctor, philologist, and inventor, was deemed so intelligent that even after his conviction for murder, some believed he was too valuable to be hanged. Even Mark Twain jokingly offered to find a replacement to take his place at the gallows.
kOX84 TIL that the first regiments, i.e. military units named as such with a relatively modern organization, started to be formed in the 16th century by private contractors with kings and other state entities. We still have examples of the contracts that were signed for this purpose.
QNDxd TIL only 12 people have walked on the moon, all within 4 years of each other and not for 52 years
6Zym TIL that Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics not for his work on the famous E=mcˆ2 equation or special relativity, but for his work on the photoelectric effect; an effect that forms the basis of photosynthesis.
xVLG7 TIL That There Is A Man In Spain, Building A Cathedral By Hand Since 1961