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TIL of Wilmer McLean, who’s house in Manassas, Virginia was in the 1st battle of Bull Run. He moved to Appomattox, Virginia, but 4 years later Robert E Lee surrendered to Ulysses S Grant in his living room. His properties had one of the first, and last encounters of the Civil War.

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VMwPB TIL that bill Watterson was strongly opposed to merchandising calvin and hobbes, claiming that displaying images on commercially sold products would devalue the characters and their personalities. Bill's stance against commercialism is the main reason why the series never made it to TV or movies.
MeLrm TIL: The Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are separate countries
5YW6p TIL of Aleksandr Karelin who dominated Greco-Roman wrestling with a devastating reverse body lift, a Phd in Sports Science and an 888-1 record. In the 2000 Olympics, he faced Rulon Gardner, an US dairy farmer who wrestled cows. Gardner was so heavy, Karelin was unable to lift him and lost.
O9Ba TIL Field Marshall Montgomery once made a bet with Walter Bedell Smith that is if he could capture the city of Sfax by April 1943 he would receive a B17 bomber. When Monty completed his half of the bet, Smith backed out: The matter escalated all the way to Eisenhower who ensured Monty got his B17.
Wk7Ao TIL Thomas Jefferson believed Jesus's teachings were "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man," but that they had been appropriated by his followers, resulting in a Bible that contained both "diamonds of wisdom" and the "dung" of ancient political agendas.