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TIL that the world's largest desert is not the Sahara, but Antarctica. While the Sahara is the largest hot desert, Antarctica is the largest cold desert, spanning over 14 million square kilometers.

QJeZe TIL of Michael Patterson, a man who jumped into a creek to save a drowning four-year-old girl. He ended up severing his spinal cord during the rescue and paralyzing both of his legs and one of his arms. He also suffered other injuries. He later died in hospital.
rR96d TIL about the first flight into the eye of a hurricane. In 1943, Col. Duckworth was training two British pilots on instrument flying in Texas. The pilots ribbed Duckworth on the quality of the AT-6 “Texan” Trainer they used. To prove its sturdiness, Duckworth flew the AT-6 into a hurricane. Twice.
p8rAO TIL of the "Jefferson Bible." Thomas Jefferson cut-and-pasted together his own version of the philosophical and moral teachings and doctrines of Jesus, "notable for its exclusion of all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural," including his resurrection.
R7Nx7 TIL watermelons were not yet “domesticated” by the mid 17th century in Europe, although they were starting to appear in gardens. They had not yet been bred for richness of flavor or concentration of flesh as can be seen in period art.
4X9Q5 TIL there is a group of single-celled organisms called Asgard archaea, Lokiarchaeum, named after the Arctic Ocean geothermal vent, Loki's Castle, where they were discovered. They are considered to be the missing link in the evolution of the cell, which separates eukaryotes like humans from bacteria.