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TIL Insurance companies invented the “Fire Brigade” it was only later the government saw the need for the service to be available to everyone that they created the government run Fire Department around the American Civil War era.

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ldr1 TIL that on this day in 1987, two Chicago tv stations were hijacked by an unknown pirate dressed as Max Headroom.
jZVM TIL that the “Waffle House Index” is used to informally assess the damage of a storm including 3 levels to code for the number of Waffle Houses still open in the damaged area due to the restaurants reputation to stay open after disasters.
a8xyL TIL in 2010, the Chinese dating game show If You Are The One spawned a very popular quote, "I would rather cry in a BMW".
P14Ow TIL of Drapetomania, a falsely proposed mental illness based on the belief that slavery was such an improvement upon the lives of slaves that only those suffering from some form of mental illness would wish to escape
0dZr5 TIL Handel composed his world famous "Messiah" oratorio in just under 30 days after receiving text compiled by wealthy land-owner Charles Jennens. Jennens was unimpressed by the final product, and claimed the quick turn around time was not due to excitement for the job, but by "careless negligence".