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TIL Ulysses S. Grant was broke and dying of throat cancer, when Mark Twain offered an unheard of 75% of royalties to his widow for him to write his memoirs. Julia Grant received $450,000 dollars from royalties.

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neVaY TIL the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul held the record for the highest-rated series premiere in cable history at the time of its airing. It has received critical acclaim, especially for its acting, characters, and cinematography, and some critics have deemed it superior to its predecessor.
4k6M5 TIL of "The Feast of Herod", a relief sculpture by Donatello, which shows King Herod being presented with the decapitated head of John the Baptist. It's in the Baptistry of St John in Siena, Italy.
ADg6l TIL that all male Astronauts going to the International Space Station from Russia are required to pee on a bus tire prior to launch. A tradition started by Yuri Gagarin.
8gp4 TIL 1 Pt of Water, mixed with 6 tsp sugar, and ½ tsp salt is the best oral rehydration solution - per the WHO. Better than water alone, better than sports drinks, and cheap is hell.
y8p TIL that in medieval England, pregnancy was considered impossible without orgasm. Therefore, if a woman was raped and didn’t conceive, there was no evidence, but if she did conceive, it was assumed she enjoyed it. Either way, the rapist would not be convicted.