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TIL Gene Autry wrote "Here Comes Santa Claus" after hearing children repeatedly scream the phrase during the Hollywood Christmas Parade.

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jNrPQ TIL that in 1497, John Cabot, a Venetian explorer landed in Canada which he mistook for Asia and laid a claim on it for King Henry VII of England.
4RaJ TIL in 1981, Ronald Reagan fired 11,345 air traffic controllers after they refused to end their strike and subsequently banned them from federal service for life.
1ZDr TIL A swimmer in the 2000 Olympics had taken up swimming only eight months earlier and had practiced in a 20m(66ft) pool at a hotel. Before the Olympics he had never even seen a 50m(160ft) swimming pool. He won his heat and today he’s the coach of the Equatorial Guinea swimming squad.
W7jB4 TIL: 75 Years Later, Purple Hearts Made for an Invasion of Japan are Still Being Awarded
NKxP TIL there are only four original citrus species (pomelo, citron, mandarin, and papeda). All others (lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc.) are hybrids.