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TIL that Dickens’ secular vision of Christmas resulted in many of the traditions that are employed today, including popularizing the phrase, “Merry Christmas.”

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RXR4 TIL that the French and British navies fought in 1781 at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The French navy won decisively, blocking reinforcements to British forces at Yorktown. This forced British forces to surrender and secured American independence.
8evK TIL the story of Catalina de Frauso, a Basque Nun who escaped her nunnery at the age of 15 in 1599 and became a cross dressing Spanish soldier who traveled the New World. She even coincidentally killed her brother in a duel and flirted with other women.
a8Ayo TIL The song "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets is considered to be one of the most famous and culture-changing songs of all time. It was released in 1954 and is widely regarded as the first rock and roll hit, helping to usher in a new era of popular music and youth culture.
ANLJl TIL that Nazi used to be a common abbreviation for the German name Ignaz, before Hitler was a thing. The linked historical song (1928) translates to "She has a big Nazi and a small Nazi and loves both of them" meaning a woman loving her husband and her son both named Ignaz
Br4ab TIL Officials in Athens, Greece conducted helicopter & satellite audits to determine less than 0.02% of residents claimed their pools to avoid paying taxes. Greeks consider not paying tax to be ‘Patriotic’, a nod to a time when they were ruled by the Ottoman Turks, almost 200 years ago.