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TIL Major-General Charles George Gordon was a British Army officer who made his military reputation in China. He was placed in command of the "Ever Victorious Army" which was instrumental in putting down the Taiping Rebellion. The Emperor of China promoted Gordon to the rank of tidu.

loeAG TIL in 2015 a new antibody test was announced by a researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston that can reveal every virus your body has ever mounted a response against. The researcher estimated it would cost $25 per test.
5YKGp TIL of Xie Jianshun, a Taiwanese soldier who was discovered to be intersex. When the doctors examined him they concluded that his male gonad tissue was deteriorating and decided it was for the best that he undergo sex reasignment surgery. The transition was then imposed on Xie against his wishes.
jmdp TIL: Halle Berry was the first woman to collect her Worst Actress award in person at the Razzie Awards, saying “I want to thank Warner Bros. for casting me in this piece-of-shit, god-awful movie.”
8a5G4 TIL Enlightenment skeptic philosopher David Hume's deathbed became a matter of public interest - to see if he was afraid or would recant. Multiple accounts confirm he was cheerful and did not recant.
LQX0v TIL that the original Japanese name for the game Resident Evil was called Biohazard. Capcom thought the name Biohazard would be impossible to trademark in North America due to other games with the same name. Capcom held an internal company contest to find a new name, and Resident Evil was chosen.