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TIL that Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz refused to use a laugh track for A Charlie Brown Christmas. He thought the audience should be able to enjoy the show without being cued when to laugh. When CBS executives saw the final product, they were horrified and believed the special would be a flop

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1a6AP Because Brussels sprouts are bitter, and kids generally don’t like bitter tastes. It’s not their fault. Researchers say that an aversion to bitter and sour (generally a heightened gag reflex) is a survival instinct since most toxins taste that way too. On the other hand, sweetness typically indicates that something is safe to eat, so children are born with a preference for sweets.
4kpW6 TIL Albrecht Unsöld studied the star Tau Scorpii and discovered its surface temperature of 32,730 K, creating the first detailed analysis of a star other than the Sun. During the Nazi period, Unsöld stayed in Germany and was drafted as a meteorologist
W7rkX TIL in 1830, Captain Robert FitzRoy of HMS Beagle abducted a native Yaghan boy, later named Jemmy Button, to England after a boat theft incident. In 1833, Jemmy was returned home to Tierra del Fuego with Charles Darwin during the Beagle’s famous voyage.
Bngd TIL of a real-life Rambo, a man who evaded thermal-imaging helicopters, armored vehicles, and nearly 1,000 police officers for 48 days after murdering a state trooper with a sniper rifle in northern Pennsylvania. The man, Eric Frein, learned his skills as an Eagle scout and war reenactor.
p8XWe TIL the "X" in "Xmas" comes from the Greek letter "Chi".