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TIL that after the Panic of 1837, Richard Mentor Johnson, the incumbent Vice President, returned to his home state in Kentucky and opened a tavern and spa on his farm to offset his continued financial struggles.

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e0yon TIL that Palm oil producers are wiping out orangutans – despite multinationals’ promises
KYbJ4 TIL the Child Ballads - a collection of English and Scottish ballads - aren't named because they're intended for young audiences. They're named as such because they were collected into an anthology by folklorist Francis James Child.
40Oa TIL that during the negotiations for the Treaty of Paris to end the American Revolutionary War, the French delegate told the English diplomat that the USA “would form the greatest empire in the world.” The English diplomat shot back, “Yes sir, and they will all speak English; every one of ‘em.”
NXM8M TIL in 1992, John Travolta was flying his Gulfstream jet with his wife and child onboard when both generators failed and he lost power to the cockpit and radio. Using only a flashlight and compass, he had to navigate to Washington D.C. and land at higher than normal speed without the use of flaps.
neLBB TIL of the 1947 NYC smallpox outbreak, which was stopped through aggressive public health policy led by health commssioner Dr. Israel Weinstein, leaving only 12 infected and 2 dead