Today I Learned (TIL)

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You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just found out here.

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151
1
TIL: The US State Department has a “Dissent Channel” that provides diplomats and other officials a way to formally criticize policy decisions and that it was only established in 1971 (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Galvanized-Sorbet on 2024-01-21 05:42:29+00:00.

152
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TIL medieval Londoners could hail link-boys to carry torches and guide them through the streets at night-time. These boys were called mooncursers in thieves' cant. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Time_Mechanism on 2024-01-21 04:51:29+00:00.

153
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TIL Brendan Fraser is the first American-born actor to be inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. (people.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Corndogeveryday on 2024-01-21 04:45:39+00:00.

154
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TIL Windsor soup was was once a popular dish that became considered the epitome of bland British food. The fall in popularity came from evolving tastes, association with low class establishments, ... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jamescookenotthatone on 2024-01-21 04:00:38+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Windsor soup was was once a popular dish that became considered the epitome of bland British food. The fall in popularity came from evolving tastes, association with low class establishments, commonality during rationing, and ground up leftovers soups being mislabeled as Windsor soup.

155
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TIL that Married with Children star Ed O'Neill was working as a substitute teacher at his high school alma mater when he decided to pursue acting. (www.biography.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/notmyrealname86 on 2024-01-21 03:30:26+00:00.

156
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TIL that an American teenager wrote almost half of Scottish Wikipedia using a made up accent and an online translator, and nobody noticed for 7 years (www.theguardian.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/RealTheAsh on 2024-01-21 02:30:18+00:00.

157
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TIL the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, 40 km southeast of Inukjuak, Quebec, contained fossils that have been dated to 4,388 million years ago. If this is confirmed, it would make these microorganis... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/dustofoblivion123 on 2024-01-21 02:13:17+00:00.

Original Title: TIL the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, 40 km southeast of Inukjuak, Quebec, contained fossils that have been dated to 4,388 million years ago. If this is confirmed, it would make these microorganisms the oldest lifeform on Earth. The Earth is estimated to have formed 4.54 billion years ago.

158
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TIL: in the late 1970's, the Rhodesian army unit the Sealous Scouts used chemical and biological weapons against guerillas, including dispersing cholera and anthrax into village water sources. (ndupress.ndu.edu)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Roy4Pris on 2024-01-21 00:22:18+00:00.

159
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TIL That in 2013, Sir David Attenborough joined the rock guitarists Brian May and Slash in opposing the government's policy on the cull of badgers in the UK by participating in a song dedicated to... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Selenenightshade on 2024-01-21 00:00:22+00:00.

Original Title: TIL That in 2013, Sir David Attenborough joined the rock guitarists Brian May and Slash in opposing the government's policy on the cull of badgers in the UK by participating in a song dedicated to badgers.

160
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TIL that the world’s largest kidney stone, removed from a patient in Sri Lanka, weighed 1.67 lbs (757.5g) and broke 2 world records. (khqa.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/NikkiZ4 on 2024-01-19 14:42:14+00:00.

161
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TIL a steamboat missing for 132 years was discovered 45 feet under a field a half-mile away from the river it sank in. Among the 200 tons of cargo recovered from the boat were bottles of liquor, k... (www.1856.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Brutal_Deluxe_ on 2024-01-19 12:57:50+00:00.

Original Title: TIL a steamboat missing for 132 years was discovered 45 feet under a field a half-mile away from the river it sank in. Among the 200 tons of cargo recovered from the boat were bottles of liquor, ketchup, preserved fruits for pies, and bright green sweet pickles which were still edible.

162
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TIL Antarctica has its own English accent, with over 200 words for different types of ice. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Nimja_ on 2024-01-19 10:43:40+00:00.

163
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TIL that during the construction of the New Basin Canal in NOLA the loss of slaves to yellow fever prompted the decision to use cheap Irish laborers instead. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/rackplead788 on 2024-01-19 10:37:43+00:00.

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TIL the Billboard R&B chart was once called "Race Records", which was 'a chart of bestselling African-American music' (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/jacknunn on 2024-01-19 08:50:03+00:00.

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TIL in 1795, the French Revolutionary Army captured the 14 warships of the Dutch fleet anchored at the Zuiderzee bay next to Den Helder with a regiment of hussar light cavalry. "A capture of ships... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/lev_lafayette on 2024-01-19 05:59:20+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in 1795, the French Revolutionary Army captured the 14 warships of the Dutch fleet anchored at the Zuiderzee bay next to Den Helder with a regiment of hussar light cavalry. "A capture of ships by horsemen is an extremely rare feat in military history."

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TIL that the Niesen Stairway (service stairway for Niesenbahn funicular) is the longest staircase in the world with 11,674 steps. It is located on Mt. Niesen in the Bernese Oberland region of the ... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/PACShrinkSWFL on 2024-01-18 11:38:21+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that the Niesen Stairway (service stairway for Niesenbahn funicular) is the longest staircase in the world with 11,674 steps. It is located on Mt. Niesen in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps.

167
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TIL about the frequency illusion, in which a recently learned term or reference is usually seen elsewhere on a recurring basis. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Gnl_Klutzky on 2024-01-19 05:40:40+00:00.

168
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TIL If you begin consuming sweet potatoes daily, this is how your body will react. (youtu.be)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/cekkaaaaaaaa on 2024-01-19 08:13:12+00:00.

169
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TIL that there is a drug screen done by a lab called "ICUP" (www.redwoodtoxicology.com)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Morrisonhotel82 on 2024-01-19 07:39:43+00:00.

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TIL Candace Newmaker, a 10 yo girl, was killed during a "rebirthing session", during which she was wrapped in a heavy flannel blanket, covered in pillows, and held down forcefully by 4 adults (2 u... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Fournier_Gang on 2024-01-19 07:15:43+00:00.

Original Title: TIL Candace Newmaker, a 10 yo girl, was killed during a "rebirthing session", during which she was wrapped in a heavy flannel blanket, covered in pillows, and held down forcefully by 4 adults (2 unlicensed "therapists" and 2 "therapeutic foster parents") until she suffocated.

171
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TIL that there exists a god of stupidity. His name is Koalemos (Κοάλεμος), and he's a minor Greek diety. (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Ok-Indication-5121 on 2024-01-19 05:24:53+00:00.

172
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TIL During the 19th century, Armand David was the first westerner to 'discover' the Giant Panda, which he believed to be a "new species". In the course of his explorations, Père David sent back to... (aleteia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/IgotSmallPenis on 2024-01-19 05:15:30+00:00.

Original Title: TIL During the 19th century, Armand David was the first westerner to 'discover' the Giant Panda, which he believed to be a "new species". In the course of his explorations, Père David sent back to Paris specimens of 63 previously unknown animals and 65 birds.

173
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TIL that higher doses of highly radioactive iodine-131 are safer than moderate doses, since at high doses the element kills human cells outright, while at lower doses it causes mutations instead, ... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/SamsonFox2 on 2024-01-19 04:29:53+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that higher doses of highly radioactive iodine-131 are safer than moderate doses, since at high doses the element kills human cells outright, while at lower doses it causes mutations instead, thus causing thyroid cancer

174
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TIL that Robert Hooke has been called “England’s Leonardo.” He discovered microorganisms and a law of elasticity; observed the rotation of planets; revolutionized city planning; and presaged theor... (en.wikipedia.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/GetYerHandOffMyPenis on 2024-01-19 04:14:54+00:00.

Original Title: TIL that Robert Hooke has been called “England’s Leonardo.” He discovered microorganisms and a law of elasticity; observed the rotation of planets; revolutionized city planning; and presaged theories of optics, gravity, and evolution.

175
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TIL The Mercury astronaut candidate examinations involves sensory deprivation test of you being placed in a circular 8 foot deep tank of body temperature water without hallucinating. The normal re... (www.ninety-nines.org)
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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ubcstaffer123 on 2024-01-19 04:07:25+00:00.

Original Title: TIL The Mercury astronaut candidate examinations involves sensory deprivation test of you being placed in a circular 8 foot deep tank of body temperature water without hallucinating. The normal reaction is for the subconscious mind to take over and one lapses into uncontrollable hallucinations

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