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TIL Stanford University was founded in 1885 by Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, in memory of their only child, Leland Jr., who died of typhoid fever at 15. After his 1884 death, the Stanfords determined that they would use their wealth to do something for “other people’s” children

6EOMw TIL That on June 15th, 1944, the Captain of the USS Texas (BB-35) intentionally flooded the lower decks of the ship so that he could further extend the range of the ship's guns while firing onto the fortified German-held positions of Isigny and Carentan.
K5kw TIL There is an adult ball pit in London called BallieBallerson. For £35, adults are able to enjoy unlimited prosecco and punch in the ball pit for one hour, followed by one hour of bottomless spaghetti and meatballs, followed by one final hour of more unlimited drinks in the upstairs bar.
WkyPo TIL that Screamin' Jay Hawkins, legendary blues man best known for his song "I put a spell on you", is estimated to have between 57 and 75 illegitimate children.
7VMP TIL that there is a garden in England devoted entirely to plants that can kill. The creator, the Duchess of Northumberland, felt that people ‘would be more interested in hearing how a plant killed, how long it would take you to die if you ate it and how gruesome and painful the death might be’.
ZpZaD TIL In 1947 a man named Art Lacey bet his friend $5 he couldn’t buy a retired B-17 and turn it into a gas station. After a wild journey including a plane crash, alcohol smuggling, permit skirting, and a cross country trip, he won that bet and it stayed in place for more than six decades