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TIL that since 1999, 55 Cuban soccer players have defected to the United States after being flown over for a game. This was possible because of the wet feet, dry feet policy, which stated that any Cuban who set foot in the United States was entitled to become a US resident. The policy ended in 2017.

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7vWb TIL in 2002 Sony released a “copy-proof” CD to combat music piracy. Hackers immediately circumvented this design by scribbling on the rim of the CDs with a Sharpie.
VMOYk Today I learned that all of Jimmy Carter’s siblings died because of pancreatic cancer, including their father.
kEpW TIL In her autobiography, Ethel Merman had a chapter on her fourth and final marriage. The chapter entitled “My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine” consisted of one blank page.
epEJ6 TIL that in the 9th century, two Vikings carved their names in runes on the walls of Hagia Sophia. These ancient graffiti have endured from the Byzantine era and can still be seen in Istanbul today.
Xb6E TIL that when William Frantz Elementary School integrated in 1960, all but one teacher refused to teach while a black student was enrolled. Barbara Henry, 28, was the only one willing to teach six-year old Ruby Bridges as a class of one.