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TIL that President Nixon was actually against the idea of Amtrak. The only reason he signed the 1970 Railpax legislation, bringing it into existence, was because the congressional aides that drafted it told him Amtrak wouldn't survive for more than 5 years.

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v1Ko8 TIL that Astroturf became the common name for Artificial turf after it gained popularity as an alternative to grass in the newly constructed Astrodome in the 1960s.
GAQjQ TIL Ulysses S. Grant met with Susan B. Anthony while President in 1872 to discuss the possibility of women's suffrage. Although he was unable to get them the vote, Grant did succeed in expanding women's rights including in the workforce, appointing thousands of female Postmasters across the country.
DvBP TIL that California’s official state animal is extinct.
E1X60 TIL that if the average adult circulatory system was laid out in a straight line it would span approximately 100,000 Miles.
MeQ8K TIL 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan (the song famously used for the ASPCA animal cruelty PSA's) is actually about the fatal overdose of Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin.