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TIL because of laws passed in the 1970's to stop dishonest seed sellers in the UK and EU, thousands of historical plant varieties have been lost since only approved varieties are allowed to be sold.

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rEoy TIL the last Great Auk (the extinct penguin of the Northern Hemisphere) seen in the UK was captured and tied up by 3 men. The men kept the bird alive until a large storm hit the area. Thinking the bird was a witch, they killed it.
ojyR TIL of the “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum”, a sixteenth century medieval atlas with artistic hand drawn eyewitness maps of major world cities. Organized and compiled in the year 1570, it utilized the talent and works of several cartographers. The first traditional “world atlas”, it contains 53 maps.
woMvP TIL Before his ascension to the papacy, the future Pope John Paul I published a book of letters written to various historical figures and fictional characters such as Charles Dickens, King David, and Pinocchio.
vPj4D TIL the Coffee Break was first utilized during WWII at a necktie factory in Colorado. Wigwam Weavers gave two coffee breaks a day to its workers so that the caffeine boost would increase productivity.
x6M9b TIL that when Borland needed a name for a new software product, developers wanted to call it "Delphi". Marketing wanted "AppBuilder". A few months before release, Novell shipped its own "AppBuilder", preventing that name's use. The developers got their wish and the company announced Borland Delphi.