› added 3 years ago

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TIL of Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates: born in South Carolina the black son of a sharecropper in 1907, he danced on the street for coins as a child, lost his leg at 12, taught himself to tap-dance afterwards, was competing in talent shows by 15, on Broadway by 20 and performing for royalty by 30.

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6EADJ TIL that the bodies on display in "Bodies: The Exhibition" were likely not donated voluntarily. They are believed to be the remains of executed prisoners.
kO1jd TIL that in 1974, KFC Japan started selling family sized Christmas dinners including chicken, cake and wine. They became so popular that they now require ordering weeks in advance to prevent waiting in line for hours. They account for about a third of the chain’s yearly sales in Japan.
R5lbQ TIL Between 1975 and 2010, the population of India doubled to 1.2 billion, reaching the billion mark in 2000. India overtook China to become the most populous country at the end of April 2023. India's population stands at slightly over 1.428 billion, edging past China's 1.425 billion people.
b9Mr4 TIL of Martin Guerre, a French peasant in the 16th century, who was at the center of a famous case of imposture. Several years after he had left, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with his wife and son for three years, until he was suspected and tried. Guerre appeared during the trial.
Me5Xm TIL that Burger King launched a $40 million ad campaign in November 1985 called "Where's Herb?" The idea was to find a character named Herb who'd never been to BK. Other chains pointed out that if Herb wasn't at BK, it meant he probably liked other chains' burgers more. BK profits fell 40% in 1986.