TIL that, on April 6, 1994, the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi were both assassinated when their plane was shot down. In Burundi, it was seen as a tragic accident and their president was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In Rwanda, it set in motion the Rwandan Genocide. [source, comments]

TIL because of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, dietary supplements in the US don't need to be approved for safety, don't need to disclose side effects, and don't even need to contain listed ingredients [source, comments]

TIL that comedian Jon Stewart is a passionate advocate for 9/11 first responders and helped get the James Zadroga Act passed, which provides affected first responders with 75 years of health coverage and five years of compensation. He also fought for it's reauthorization in 2015 and 2019. [source, comments]

TIL that heirs to the throne of the Ottoman Empire were kept under house-arrest in the "Cage" from puberty until death (or becoming sultan), and it was common for a new sultan to have his brothers killed, including infants, sometimes dozens at once, to reduce the number of claimants to the throne. [source, comments]

TIL the boy whose exorcism inspired "The Exorcist" later became a NASA engineer, where his contributions significantly supported the Apollo missions during the 1960s. [source, comments]

TIL that Roger Corman, director of low-budget movies, helped kick start the careers of Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, and Ron Howard. He reportedly told Howard: "If you do a good job on this film, you'll never have to work for me again." [source, comments]

TIL that the first webcam was invented to monitor a coffee pot at the University of Cambridge, allowing researchers to see if the coffee was ready without leaving their desks. [source, comments]

TIL that serotonin, commonly linked to happiness as a neurotransmitter, has a surprising dual nature: it can be toxic. When injected into the skin, it causes severe pain and is a key component in wasp, hornet, and scorpion venom. [source, comments]

TIL Approximately a billion people are infected with the roundworm Ascaris [source, comments]

TIL Benjamin Franklin turned a rival into a friend by asking him for a favor and thanking him later. This is called the "Benjamin Franklin Effect". [source, comments]

TIL that an Australian man survived a wildfire by scuba diving in his friend’s pool while the fire raged around him [source, comments]

TIL 14 people in NYC died in a flash flood in 2021, with 11 drowning in basement apartments [source, comments]

TIL there is a American Football world championship, but the United States has only participated the last 3 times which they all won [source, comments]

TIL that Norman Rockwell attempted to enlist in the Navy during WW1 but was unsuccessful due to being 8 pounds underweight. He was able to enlist the next day after consuming a substantial amount of food, including bananas, liquids, and doughnuts. [source, comments]

TIL 55-60% of people in Pakistan marry their first cousin [source, comments]

TIL If you take Plan B and you weigh more than 165 pounds, it won't work as well [source, comments]

TIL that sperm can remain viable inside a woman's vagina for up to 5 days. [source, comments]

TIL that female spotted hyenas have penises that they can pee out of. They also use them to mount other hyenas, both male and female, and to show dominance. [source, comments]

TIL in 1970 one monkey's head was transplanted to the headless body of another monkey. Although the monkey was now paralyzed from neck down, they could still hear, smell, taste, eat and follow objects with its eyes. Died in 9 days because of immune rejection. [source, comments]

TIL that in South Korea in 2023, more pet strollers were sold than baby strollers. [source, comments]

TIL That Jack Kelly, father of Grace Kelly and self made millionaire was banned from the Henley Regatta under the pretext that he was not a gentleman. He went on to beat the Henley champion at the Olympics and sent the King of England a note saying simply "greetings from a bricklayer". [source, comments]