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TIL that in 1971 the Shah of Iran threw one of the most expensive parties in history, which spared no expense. It was attended by nearly all royal families, dignitaries and presidents. The example of over extravagance was ultimately used by the islamic revolutionaries to overthrow the Shah.

7rMoM TIL the influenza epidemic of 1918 was called the “Spanish Flu” because Spain was neutral during World War I and was the only country with a free press able to report on the disease. People just assumed the flu, which killed more people than WWI, began in Spain, but it’s unknown where it started.
PYkae TIL that John Wilkes Booth’s grave is marked by a small plain headstone in his family’s plot. Every day people show their “respect” play placing pennies on it facing downwards.
5YADp TIL one of Hitler's earliest political endeavors was an unprecedented connected road network throughout Germany in order for Germans to "explore and appreciate" their country. It set the foundation for modern-day highway networks.
rRp70 TIL: The Clovis people were not the first Americans. The find supports growing archaeological evidence found in recent years that disputes the notion that the Americas were originally populated by a single migration of people from Asia about 13,000 years ago.
lmB5 TIL The maned wolf is the largest canid of South America. It looks more like a long-legged fox than a wolf. Genetic studies show that it is neither fox nor true wolf, but a distinct species. It is the only member of its genus, Chrysocyon.