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TIL A small orphan teen named Audie Murphy was rejected by the Navy and Marines in 1942, but later went on to become the most decorated soldier in American history, and a famous actor. He dropped out in the 5th grade to support his family after his father abandoned them, and his mother died.

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E1XXw TIL John Cage's 4'33" composition in which no instruments are played was partially inspired by a visit to a sound-proof chamber at Harvard University. Expecting to hear complete silence, he instead heard the sounds of his own body functioning—therefore realizing the "impossibility of silence."
awXv0 TIL the radiation levels in the US Capital Building are 55 times higher than the permissible levels of radiation exposure allowed by the EPA at the outer-most perimeters of nuclear power plants. Essentially, if the Capitol building were a nuclear facility, it would fail a safety examination.
gMgW9 TIL that the US once spent $1.3 million dollars to see if beer koozies really worked
pV0p TIL of the Coconut Religion, which advocated only eating coconut and only drinking coconut milk
9VMr TIL Hitler originally joined Nazi Party as an infiltrator for the German government who was suspicious of its behavior