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TIL that Edgar Degas’ statue Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, depicting a Paris “opera rat,” was reviled by critics in 1881 as “repulsive” and “vicious.” Today, the original sculpture is at the National Gallery of Art in D.C., and bronze casts made after his death can be found in many other museums.

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VMBlD TIL that during the late 80s and early 90s the concept of superpredators supported laws that put thousands of underaged offenders in life in prison. They're being released as research and experience shows that recidivism is rare and they can be rehabilitated.
kOyy5 TIL In 2006, 3 fans of Russian football club Zenit St. Petersburg traveled 9320 miles in an old Honda to watch their team's next match in Vladivostok. The car broke in Vladivostok and they were stranded. Zenit offered a free train ride back, and the broken Honda is on display in the museum of Zenit.
7rQYb TIL Cole Hamels, Texas Rangers pitcher, and his wife Heidi, donated their 32,000 sq foot mega-mansion and 100 acres of land to a charity organization that helps children with special needs and chronic illnesses.
8yG4 TIL the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán was the largest city in the Americas with over 200,000 people. It was built on a man-made island in the middle of a lake - connected to shore by 3 causeways. It contained huge pyramids, floating gardens, aqueducts and canals. It was destroyed by the Spanish in 1521
8aPB4 TIL: The first, and so far only, time Gallup asked "Which Country Is The Greatest Threat to World Peace?" the US came first with three times the vote for second place.