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TIL the town of Coachella was originally going to be called Conchilla, meaning "little shells" in Spanish due to all the seashells found in the area. During the process the printers misread the documents and they were filed with Conchilla spelled 'Coachella' and they just decided to accept it.

Read more coachella.org

via reddit.com

Bgeke TIL after a mother replaced the batteries in an "Elmo Knows Your Name" doll for her son James, the doll began saying "Kill James". Fisher Price, the maker of the doll, said they would issue a voucher to replace it and examine the toy to figure out how that happened.
OoRGR TIL about Vashti Bunyan, a folk singer from the late 60's that quit her career after her first album was poorly received. Only for it to gain a cult following 30 years later, selling in excess of £3500 online, all without her knowledge. She then returned to her music career with 2 more albums.
VB1Z0 TIL that in 1983, a legal battle over the James Bond franchise resulted in two movies being released simultaneously in theaters: 'Never Say Never Again', starring Sean Connery, and 'Octopussy', starring Roger Moore.
4mBJ TIL Kents, a major tobacco company sold unique cigarette filters in the 1950s and advertised their health benefits. The advertised ingredient that set them apart? Asbestos.
wL687 TIL that various ideas such as radioactive cats and spiky landscapes have been proposed for the Department of Energy to deter future civilization from interfering with nuclear waste burial sites.