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TIL that although the Great Chicago Fire is arguably the most famous fire in U.S. history, a far deadlier fire occurred on the same day in neighboring Wisconsin and Michigan. The Peshtigo Fire was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 2,500 people, more than any other fire in American history.

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dDY4d TIL before working together in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick had acted together in the Broadway production of Biloxi Blues. Cameron's "Mr. Peterson" voice was Ruck's in-joke imitation of their former director Gene Saks.
8wBa TIL that there is a plan to send fertilized frozen embryos to habitable planets nearby. The newborns will be raised by robots who will build a civilization while the babies are growing.
eGoL TIL of “Shifting Baseline Syndrome”, where each generation uses previous reference points as baselines despite those points representing significant changes from even earlier states. Each generation defines the “natural” state differently, and large changes over time often go unnoticed.
7rbBb TIL about Calixa Lavallée a Canadian who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. He later went on to compose the music for “O Canada” the Canadian national anthem. 33-55,000 Canadians fought for the Union in the Civil War.
9Y4mD TIL there was once an appetite suppressing candy called Ayds, in the late 1980's due to public awareness of the aids crisis, similarities in name and the fact both could cause weight loss, sales plummeted by as much as 50%. Resulting in the eventual discontinuation of the brand.