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TIL That the game Battleship dates back to turn of the 20th century, where is was played with just paper and pen. The game is said to have been played by Russian officers before WWI. A version using plastic pegs wasn't created until 1967.

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YpR8v TIL there is a scifi short story called 'The Man Who Came Early' where a modern engineering student is sent back in time but his lack of practical know-how and his over-sophisticated ideas lead to none of his suggestions being implemented.
RNOQ TIL PubMed, a free database available to the public containing huge amounts new science studies, papers, and research, is slowly dying due to federal budget cuts. They are currently on a stand still of posting new data due to staff limitations.
R7Lja TIL about Mandate of Heaven, theory in China, according to which the ruler must have the support of Heaven to rule. Moral rulers who care for their people gain the mandate. If a despot sits on the throne, the Heavens can withdraw it, which they signal through e.g. eclipses, floods, wars, plagues etc
4QB5 TIL our walking speed is affected by whom we’re with: men’s pace slows down by an average of 7% when walking w/ female partners they’re interested in; women walking together move the slowest; & men walking w/ male friends moved at speeds faster than either man’s preferred walking speed.
oB7Xr TIL in the US in 1944 there were 25.6 million dairy cows which produced 53.0 billion kg of milk. In 2007 there were only 9.8 million dairy cows (38% of previous population) yet they produced 84.2 billion kg of milk (59% more).