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TIL that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was inspired by the rivalry between candymakers Cadbury and Rowntree's during Roald Dahl's childhood. Both sent spies to each other to steal trade secrets and eventually became highly protective of their respective chocolate-making processes.

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mxvmE TIL: President Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant but changed his name at West Point to avoid having his military uniforms marked with initials "H.U.G."
ZMZQ TIL the Sun has completed 18-20 orbits of the Milky Way galaxy since its birth but it has only completed 1/1250th of its orbit since the dawn of humans.
X0GQ8 TIL about the iridium anomaly, an unusual abundance of iridium in the Earth's rock layers which are 66 million years old. This suggest that the extinction event which wiped out the dinosaurs was caused by a meteorite impact, as iridium is much more abundant in meteorites than it is on Earth.
69bYm TIL that during the American Civil War, Gen. Robert E. Lee misjudged Northern sentiment by relying on Copperhead newspapers, an anti-war faction opposing Lincoln. This led to strategic mistakes and his defeat at Gettysburg.
Venk TIL of Fuller Cut, a barbershop that gives a $2 discount if a child reads aloud while getting a cut. The $2 discount is given to the child after the cut.