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TIL In late 70s-80s, 117+ healthy SE Asian men, many Hmong, died in their sleep mysteriously, leading to CDC investigation. The Hmong attributed it to evil spirit Dab Tog, inspiring Wes Craven's Freddy Krueger in "Nightmare on Elm Street."

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EgV7 TIL that at the end of the South Park episode “Trapped in the Closet” All the names on the credits read either “John Smith” or “Jane Smith” due to Tom Cruises and Scientologists reputation for suing people
4ky5N TIL of the largest general strike in history in May 1968, when 11 million French citizens spent 2 weeks on strike to protest the heavy-handed police response to student protests earlier that year, resulting in an early election call
x6ro5 TIL Ancient Greeks did not consider "1" to be a number, and the idea of doing so would be controversial for centuries afterwards.
KB46 TIL When President Carter supported racial equality in the 1950s, his peanut farm was boycotted. He ran against the Sheriff for a new local senate seat, losing to the Sheriff. Apon challenging the loss, they discovered his opponent was committing voter fraud. A new election was held, and Carter won
myGO TIL that Werner Klemperer, who played the bumbling Col. Klink on Hogan’s Heroes, had a clause in his contract stipulating that Klink would always be portrayed as a fool, and never be victorious over Hogan, or he would quit the show.