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TIL Liza Hamilton (real life grandmother of John Steinbeck and basis for the "East of Eden" character) died in the 1918 flu pandemic.

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KYmx9 TIL the gang known as MS-13 started when group of teenage heavy-metal lovers founded the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners. Their hand symbol originated from Black Sabbath singer Ronnie James Dio.
pVKb TIL in 2011, two Nepali men climbed Mount Everest and then proceeded to paraglide off of the summit, landing 35 km away. They then hiked and kayaked to the Bay of Bengal, winning the pair National Geographic Adventurers of the Year.
R556a TIL that Rowan Atkinson first tested his character Mr. Bean in front of a French-speaking audience at the Canadian Just For Laughs festival in 1987. Atkinson insisted on performing for local French Canadians to see if Mr. Bean was funny to a non-English audience and people who didn't know him
8eaZ TIL that from 1936-1964 there was a travel guide for African Americans that listed integrated or black-friendly establishments.
xVGaw TIL that Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom was financed by the Louisiana Purchase, with the US getting part of the money from a loan from a British Bank. So the UK was essentially funding an invasion of themselves.