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TIL that in 2013, an officer of Nashville's Covenant Church (which runs the school where yesterday's shooting occurred) sued the Covenant organization for allegedly shielding a child molester. The whistleblow charged that Covenant engages in "cult-like abuse of authority over vulnerable children."

GYKZj TIL that basketball legend Calvin Murphy was a nationally renowned baton twirler. In 1977, at the height of his career, he was Texas State Men’s Twirling champ.
GpJQ TIL Galileo sent two coded message to Keppler, that Saturn has rings, and that Venus has phases (circles the sun, not the earth), which Keppler incorrectly decoded as Mars has two moons and Jupiter has a big red spot. Although not what Galileo had written, both would later be proven true.
aaB9 TIL that Alfred Wegener, the father of Continental Drift (which became plate tectonics) and a pioneer in paleoclimatology died lost in a blizzard on an expedition. His theories were ridiculed until decades later.
pBYQ TIL that in 1939 US and Canada refused to accept 937 Jews who were the last to escape Nazi Germany and despite desperate attempts of (non Jewish) german captain to secure safety for his passengers they were forced to return to Europe. Many of them later died in concentration camps.
kJgLe TIL that Ryan Gosling was fired from The Lovely Bones after gaining 60 pounds for the role by drinking melted Häagen-Dazs ice cream. He had envisioned the character as overweight, but the director disagreed, leading to his dismissal.