› added 4 years ago

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TIL about George Wilson, convicted of robbing the US mail, turned down a pardon from Andrew Jackson. He was later hanged.

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VMG88 TIL Bob Seger's famous hit song "Against the Wind" was inspired by Bob's days as a high school cross country runner. He described it as "about trying to move ahead, keeping your sanity and integrity at the same time." It later appeared in Forrest Gump when Forrest was running across the country.
LyGm TIL: Johnny Knoxville comes from significant inbreeding.
699yw TIL that American nuclear physicist Edward Condon was targeted by the House Un-American Activities Committee for being at the forefront of the "revolutionary movement" of quantum mechanics. Condon responded that he believed in scientific advancements and didn't ask if they were made by Communists.
kOMym TIL About a man who tried to purchase a 5-year old online before fleeing to Canada. He was eventually brought back to the U.S. to face charges. His name is Patrick Molesti.
epppg TIL that between 1854 and 1921 in the US, over 250,000 children were transported on "Orphan Trains" to be adopted by new families; many found new homes, but, sadly, sometimes the "adoptions" were little more than auctions and the children pressed into forced farm labor.