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TIL In 1926 the famous pianist Fats Waller (then 21) was kidnapped by Al Capone's gang to play piano for his birthday. He basically went missing for 3 days and was returned unharmed but drunk.

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YW8Z TIL George R.R. Martin objected to Vietnam War and was fairly quickly granted conscientious objector status, with the draft board reasoning that being branded a coward for life would be enough punishment for not serving.
NQDe TIL Hotmail was named after HTML and its original logo was ‘HoTMaiL’
e0614 TIL the band DEVO's name comes from the concept of DE-eVOlution; the idea that humanity has begun to regress to a more primitive herd-like mentality and become more dysfunctional.
x6J9o TIL a county in Missouri in 1838 held a ballot measure on whether Mormons should be allowed to settle in the county; a heavy majority favored the expulsion of the Mormons. When they refused to leave, Mormon settlements were sieged by vigilantes, triggering the Missouri Mormon War
1aKbX TIL when Major Winters complained to Tom Hanks about the historical accuracy of 'Band of Brothers', Tom Hanks turned around, stated he was a genius, and said he was lucky to have it as accurate as it was. Tom estimates the show to be about 17% accurate to historical events.