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104

TIL Ancient Romans used to whiten their teeth with pee (& made toothpaste using urine and powdered cow hoofs)

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VMKwm TIL Nearly half of the United States GDP comes from just 5 states: CA, TX, NY, FL, and IL. California is by far the largest contributor at 1/3 of that, or nearly 15% of total US GDP.
woZ5Y TIL that one of Ilaiyaraaja's Tamil film songs was featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Ilayaraaja is one of the few musicians to have composed music for over 1000 films in his career
J1joB TIL Mastaba, meaning house of stability or house of eternity in Ancient Egyptian, is a type of flat-roofed, rectangular structure constructed out of mudbricks. It was the standard type of tomb in pre-dynastic and early dynastic Egypt for the pharaoh and the social elite, and a precursor to pyramids.
b6nDN TIL of Chessie the kitten, an etching of a tucked in sleeping kitten that became a popular mascot and advertising symbol for Chesapeake and Ohio Railway from the 30s to the 70s which spawned books and merchandising.
wLW0J TIL that the state of Vermont not only takes its nickname ("The Green Mountain State") from the Green Mountains, it is named after them. The French words Verts and Monts are literally translated as "Green Mountains".