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TIL how Samuel Clements chose his pen name. He used to be a Riverboat Pilot in Hannibal, MO. It was common to have a crew member throw a line out from the front of the boat to measure the depth shouting “Mark Twain” if it was a safe depth. A Mark is the same as a Fathom (6 feet) and Twain means 2.

Read more marktwainmuseum.org

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9YvDM TIL that Estelle Getty (Sophia from The Golden Girls) was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia a few short years after the show ended. Golden Girls cast members who attempted to talk to her on the phone or in person found that she couldn't remember them, or anything about the show.
nWyyP TIL that Michael Crichton, the author of “Jurassic Park” (1990), was a workaholic who followed what he called "a structured approach" of ritualistic self-denial, where, while writing a book, he’d rise increasingly early each day. At one point, Crichton would go to bed at 10 PM and wake up at 2 AM.
16KpD TIL that in December, 1947 George Lockwood of Inglewood Country Club set the record for fewest putts in a single round of golf at just 16. He achieved this feat by one-putting 16 greens, and having 2 chip-ins.
pJbb TIL the test version of Bob’s Burgers’ pilot featured a son named Daniel. When the character was changed to the awkward daughter Tina in the final version, the character’s original lines were kept–and so was the voice actor.
E017 TIL all human languages can be expressed with an alphabet that contains 107 letters, 52 diacritics, and four prosodic marks.