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TIL the late king of Jordan was an avid Amateur Radio operator who regularly interacted with people around the world. Taking conversations from anyone who had the privilege of having his JY1 call sign respond he never allowed anyone to call him King on the net, and helped the hobby gain members.

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8A88 TIL When the “Elephant Whisperer” Lawrence Anthony died, wild elephants gathered to mourn his death
LQEg9 TIL that in the U.S. in 1902, more than half of new car registrations were for steam-powered cars. Steam engines were safe, reliable, and familiar, having already been used in trains and boats. However, they were heavy, slow to start (the water had to boil), and required constant attention.
epx56 TIL a blood-filled sandfly was described in 2004 from Early Cretaceous amber in Myanmar. The insect had reptilian blood cells in its gut, along with evidence of a prehistoric leishmania-like parasite.
P1aje TIL that by the time the place of origin for pepper had been located, the East India Company was chartered in 1601. By 1603, the EIC brought a million pounds of black pepper (1/4 the total demand in Europe) back to London
R5Nr7 TIL that Lucille Ball convinced Merv Griffin to hire Alex Trebek to host the revival of Jeopardy in 1984 when original host Art Fleming, a friend of Trebek’s, declined to return. Trebek holds the Guinness World Records for most episodes of a game show hosted, hosted the show until his death in 2020.