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TIL the 1992 Rage Against the Machine track "Killing In The Name" was the 2009 UK Christmas #1 song thanks to a campaign set to prevent a song from "The X Factor" from accomplishing the feat for a 5th straight year. The band would then perform a free concert in London thanking fans for the campaign.

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47aJ TIL of a Malawian teenager who taught himself how to build a windmill out of junk and bring power to his village. He then went on to build a second, larger windmill to power irrigation pumps. He did this all from books he read in the library.
1aZgV TIL that John Wilkes Booth timed the deadly shot he fired at Abraham Lincoln with the funniest line from “My American Cousin,” knowing the laughter would drown out the gunshot. That line was “You sockdologizing old man-trap.”
Ldy9 TIL: In the 1900’s, the U.S. Navy became suspicious of homosexual activity in their sailors. They hired gay “decoys” to flirt with and find the homosexual seaman on board. However, the decoys became so popular that the Navy eventually just decided to stop..
JYPlV TIL that within 10 minutes of Allies landing on Omaha beach D-Day 1944,every Officer of the first wave Alpha Company had been killed. 30 minutes later the entire first wave Alpha company had a 96% casualty rate
AyJl TIL of a 2005 British TV show that successfully convinced several members of the public that they were going into space as a space tourist. Even though they never left the ground and the whole show was an elaborate practical joke.