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TIL of Robert Smalls, a slave during the Civil War who escaped by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, persuaded Lincoln to allow African-Americans in the army, and later became a US House Representative. One of his final actions as a leader was to stop a lynch mob from killing two black men.

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NX5wQ TIL The Churchill family owns a palace larger than the Buckingham Palace. It is also the birth place of Winston Churchill
PYGQw TIL that on the night of his election to the Papacy, Pope Francis took the bus home.
Bl5d TIL ‘Jersey Shore’ was shown in Japan under the name 'MTV Jersey Shore: the New Jersey Life of Macaroni Rascals’
neNaP TIL horses can communicate with humans by pointing to symbols. Researchers trained the horses to understand 3 symbols which meant “blanket on,” “blanket off,” and “no change.” After training they were tested in different weather conditions and researchers found the choices matched the weather.
v1xMj TIL The "Sarco" is a 3D-printable suicide machine designed by Dr. Philip Nitschke. The machine uses liquid nitrogen to operate and completes its function within 5 minutes. The only way to control the machine is from the inside, making the whole process voluntary.