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TIL Triboulet, a jester, was to be put to death by his King. Having served well the King for many years, Triboulet was granted the right to choose the way he would die. Triboulet, with his sharp mind, said he wanted to die from old age. Having no other choice than to laugh, the King let him live.

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JYMPv TIL of all movies to gross a Billion Dollars (not adjusted for inflation) the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score is TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION at 15%; the next lowest is 32%
jNPNv TIL of "The Parcel Post Bank". A bank that was shipped brick by brick via the U.S. post office to avoid heavy freight fees.
N78Ae TIL that water bottles can be an effective weapon, esp. for assault.
N7Bg6 TIL The odd quirk in the Presidential Line of Succession -- going from Executive Branch (Vice President) to Legislative Branch (President Pro Tempore, Speaker of the House) -- was initially created to specifically keep Thomas Jefferson, then Secretary of State, out of the line of succession.
awKbo TIL: Thomas Jefferson criticized the poetry of Phillis Wheatley saying it was "entirely derivative and imitative, completely devoid of originality" because she " lacks the intellect of the white race." After which she traveled to Europe and became the first published black poet.