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TIL that the US Navy publicly denied what is now believed to be an urban legend. Allegedly, a US Navy battleship or aircraft carrier encountered what was ostensibly another vessel and the Captain instructed it to change course. The response was, 'I'm a lighthouse. Your call.'

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BggRd TIL Niccolo Paganini's list of likely ailments included Marfan syndrome, Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, syphilis and tuberculosis. He was prescribed a chronic "treament" of mercury and opium, with horrible effects to his physical and mental health
jNQlv TIL that Evel Knieval’s last leap in the Spotlight was a jaws-inspired gimmick that would help spawn the phrase “jumping the shark,” implying that somebody’s or something’s best days are behind them.
yVkZM TIL the ‘70s fascination with truckers as anti-government modern cowboys started when an advertising executive invented C.W. McCall, a folksy trucker character, for a bread ad. He recorded country music using McCall as a stage name, and his #1 hit, “Convoy,” spawned a movie by the same name.
n7XW TIL Isaac Newton was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1689 and served for exactly one year. During that time, he said one and only one sentence during the lengthy proceedings: he asked a nearby usher to close an open, drafty window.
4Xv85 TIL that the Florida Everglades is the only environment on earth in which Alligators and Crocodiles coexist