› added 10 years ago

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TIL: Male genital mutilation in Africa causes an unknown number of yearly deaths along with numerous penile amputations. “Countless numbers of participants are left with permanent scarring or deformity…penises have become so infected and gangrenous they literally drop off.”

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

gMdZy TIL of Canadian musician Jeff Healey, who has been blind since the age of 1 due to retinoblastoma. He began playing guitar at age 3 by setting the guitar on his lap and playing it like a keyboard. His song “Angel Eyes” reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989. He died of cancer in 2008.
vvvD TIL When an airplane is at a precise angle between the sun and a bank of clouds, a circular rainbow known as a “Pilot’s Halo” forms around its shadow on the cloud bank.
GA9j5 TIL for the 2002 DVD release of “E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial,” some changes were done to the original film. Director Steven Spielberg replaced the agents’ weapons with walkie-talkies, and the word “terr0rist” was replaced with “hippie”. This led to many saying that Spielberg “sanitized” the film.
aw7d0 TIL that an unnamed wealthy property owner regularly buys large mansions just to watch them deteriorate.
rNZEM TIL of "meat honey," a substance produced by South American vulture bees (Trigona hypogea) that feed on dead, rotting animal carcasses. It is not true nectar-based honey, but is technically edible and is described as having a smoky, intense, and salty flavor.