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TIL an FDA official saved the US from a generation of children with birth defects such as flipper-like arms and feet by repeatedly blocking the authorization of a drug, already approved in Europe, known as Thalidomide.

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7rJDb TIL That there is a pro baseball player with the nickname "The Hewbrew Hammer", and he was found to be on PEDs.
wolWY TIL Descartes was about to publish "The World" in 1633 but then he learned that Galileo had been condemned for publishing the view that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Descartes suppressed his book but still hoped that his physics would one day be taught in Catholic schools
16WKX TIL that sloths only poop once a week and when they do, it can weigh up to a third of their body weight.
6EOkl TIL that Billy Joel's last hit "We didn't start the fire" that chronicled 40 years of US and World history in song was inspired by a discussion that Billy Joel had with Sean Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Sadly, only 5 of the 59 people that are mentioned in the song are still alive.
nX7o TIL that in 1999 the founders of Google actually tried to sell their website to Excite for $1 million- Excite turned them down.