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TIL about Demetrio Stefanopoli; an alleged descendant of the Byzantine House of Komnenos whose claim was recognised by the French monarchy. Napoleon apparently wanted to use him to help start a Greek rebellion, even considering him for the Greek throne. His niece was the lover of Honoré de Balzac.

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kJWRd TIL during a systemic crisis in the 1970s, 95 Third World states united with OPEC, which threatened to invest its petrodollar surpluses into a New International Economic Order. For the first time in history, an attempt at reforming world order came from an overwhelming global majority.
d8xlr TIL About the 19th century female sculptor Camille Claudel. Regarded as a genius in her time, she was hated by her mother and her brother for her artistic lifestyle. They had her committed to different asylums for the last 30 years of her life, and took all her money. She was buried with the poor.
rNw4d TIL about Franklin and Armfield, the largest slave trading firm in US history. Adjusted for inflation, the company was worth billions of dollars.
8eyrX Today I Learned that Chicago's Original Jeppson's Malört was Originally Marketed as Medicinal Swedish Bäskbrännvin (a Wormwood Based Cure for Stomach Worms), and Between 1945 Until 1989 Each Bottle Contained an Entire Sprig of Wormwood
DQxMP TIL the fear of balloons is called globophobia and is triggered by the thought, sight, sound, touch and smell of balloons as well as the sound of a balloon popping.