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TIL the word "vodka" comes from the Slavic word for water.

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BgbkK TIL the Pagan Kingdom (849–1297 CE), the first Burmese empire which shaped Myanmar, was a hub of Theravāda Buddhism— housing 10,000+ temples. Heavy land donations to religious centres led to massive tax losses. By the 13th century, the weakened kingdom finally fell to the Mongol onslaughts.
nkL9 TIL there is a disease that strikes starfish “that causes the creatures’ arms to crawl in opposite directions until they tear away from the body, causing the insides to spill out.”
5YEOQ TIL That in the aftermath of Chicago's St. Valentine's Day Massacre, newspaper publisher Walter A. Strong asked his friend Herbert Hoover to put an end to Chicago's lawlessness, launching a multi-pronged attack on Al Capone, resulting in convictions for tax evasion, his imprisonment and death.
x6eZk TIL as recently as 2011, Dr Pepper ran an ad campaign with the slogan “Dr Pepper: IT’S NOT FOR WOMEN”. There was even a Facebook page that only men could access, where men would shoot at “girlie” things like flowers and rainbows.
Lk8mm Today I learned that Bill Nye (of Science Guy fame) invented a hydraulic component used on the 747 airliners, and holds three patents for other inventions.