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TIL about the Great California flood of 1862 - which submerged Sacramento under 10 feet of water and turned California’s Central Valley into a vast inland sea spanning 300 miles long, 20 miles wide and 30 feet deep. It killed thousands, bankrupted the state and historically happens every 200 years.

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EgDWP TIL Ronald Reagan instituted the deregulation of advertising to children in the 1980s. This allowed companies to market as much as they wanted to kids, leading to an explosion of new toys, cartoons, junk food, and breakfast cereals.
KOB0a TIL about Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea (c. 490–430 BC), who claimed that motion is nothing but an illusion. Upon hearing Zeno's arguments, Diogenes the Cynic stood up and walked away.
X0DO8 TIL about an engineer who made a motorcycle out of his wrecked car to escape the desert
wojP1 TIL That Sonar used by Naval ships is a billion times louder than a jet engine at 230db. Its also audible (in the water) for hundreds of miles, and is lethal when swimming underwater, even hundreds of feet away from the source.
nWwn7 TIL it is common in Japan for couples to wait to formally acknowledge their relationship until one of them gathers the confidence to declare their love for the other, a practice known as "kokuhaku," which means "confession" or "declaration of love."