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TIL when John White was nine a teacher told him he would grow up to be a garbage man. When John's dad found out, he told his son to grow up to be his best, look for the best in others, and it was ok if he was a garbage man. John White grew up to become Pulitzer Prize photojournalist.

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Qrje TIL the word evolution does not appear once in Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’ (1859). Instead he uses the word 'transmutation’.
1aZ44 TIL in the civil war, the commander of the Union "lightning brigade" personally took out a loan to buy his soldiers advanced new repeating rifles because the government would not supply them. Using the firepower advantage afforded by the new rifles, his brigade proved extremely effective in combat.
5VWNP TIL despite their rivalry, Tesla & Edison worked together. In 1884 they clashed over direct current (DC) vs. alternating current (AC). Edison promoted DC, while Tesla AC, which became the standard. Edison offered Tesla $50,000 to improve his DC generators but reneged on the deal.
5rep TIL that in 1984, a giant pee-icicle formed on the outside of the space shuttle Discovery. Astronauts had to break it off using a robotic arm and shut down the toilet for the remainder of the mission.
gr7gb TIL: The next level after trust fund is a Dynasty Trust, which can run in perpetuity. However, in Wyoming, Dynasty Trusts can only last 1000 years. They were created to ensure wealth stays in the family for as long as possible.