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TIL that the term "420" was coined by five students in 1971 at San Rafael High School to signal a meetup at 4:20 p.m. by the campus’ statue of chemist Louis Pasteur to take a hit.They chose that specific time because extracurricular activities had usually ended by then.

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wLR01 TIL The 45th POTUS's grandfather made his initial wealth by opening a dead horse meat tent restaurant, and brothel, for miners during the Gold Rush in Canada, and the only reason he was in America at the time was because he had been banished from Bavaria for fleeing military conscription
XEgAP TIL about Pals Battalions. British army units consisting of men from the same town or profession during the First World War. They were created as a way to boost morale. They did not take into account that almost the entire male population of a town would be wiped out in a single battle.
9wB8G TIL that in 1828 a "Tariff of Abominations" bill created with the intention of never passing congress was passed anyway and nearly led to President Jackson declaring war on South Carolina
8aKO4 TIL of The Essex, an American ship which was attacked by a sperm whale in 1820. The 20-man crew set out in the surviving life boats for several months, resorting to drawing lots to decide who would be sacrificed and consumed. 8 men survived. The story was the inspiration for the novel 'Moby Dick'.
9YnbG TIL Chris Columbus, director of the first and second Harry Potter films, planned for his adaptation of the fourth book to have 4-5 hrs of footage split into 2 films - one released Thanksgiving, the other on Christmas