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TIL of a Chinese general with 100 troops who had to defend a town against 150,000. He told his men to hide, flung open the gates and sat on the walls playing a lute. The opposing general, certain it was a trap, ordered a retreat

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EX4P TIL the inventor who first powered a vehicle using steam had his designs stolen from him, died destitute, and was buried in a pauper’s pit.
wL0vP TIL that the song played at the end of Disney's Sleeping Beauty was the official anthem of France between 1815 and 1830 (Bourbon Restoration). "Le retour des Princes Français à Paris" was composed by Tchaikovsky and is based on an old popular French song.
1aVVW TIL James Van Der Beek's last name translates to English as "from the creek". He is best known for playing the titular character on the 1990s drama series "Dawson's Creek".
171V TIL that under US federal law, you change age the day before your birthday. So unless state law specifies “21st birthday,” as opposed to “21 years of age,” you can legally drink the day before your 21st birthday.
w8M6 TIL that not only do we see distant stars as they were thousands of years ago, but we also still experience their gravity from thousands of years ago, and not from where they are now. We even experience the pull of gravity from stars that have burned out.