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TIL Torvill and Dean's world famous olympic gold medal winning performance of Bolero was 18 seconds longer than the rules allowed. They got around this by spending the first 18 seconds on their knees, as the clock didn't start until their blades touched the ice

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GY19J TIL that in 1869, Republican President Ulysses S. Grant tried to annex the Dominican Republic to use it as a safe haven for blacks fleeing persecution. Although the D.R. agreed to the annexation treaty, it ultimately failed to pass the Senate.
7Dpb TIL American Geochemist Clair Patterson helped reduce lead levels within the blood of Americans by approximately 80% by the late 90s, after spending decades of fighting the industrial use of lead.
rRNo TIL: It’s possible to register to be a bone marrow donor by mail. They send you swabs in the mail and you mail them back. Also, donating bone marrow is now painless.
l7lnK TIL meticulous records were kept of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1392 to 1865. One example of the contents is when King Taejong fell from a horse and immediately told those around him not to let a recorder know about it. Both his fall, and the subsequent command were recorded.
BXlL TIL in 2002, a 86 year old man was held 45min at the airport due to a strange metal item in his pocket that TSA couldn’t understand - it was a Medal of Honor.