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TIL that World War One flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker became a long-time head of Eastern Air Lines and survived well into the 1970s

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KYwP4 TIL about Theo Van Gogh (Vincent's great grand-nephew) and his assassination in 2004. Shot and stabbed in the street because of a film he made.
ne9Vr TIL That mint isn't just one species of plant, but it's a whole family of related plants known for having aromas in all parts and includes widely used culinary herbs, such as basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, marjoram and lavender.
9wQV7 TIL the Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894 refers to a supposed newspaper article that said because of horses, in "50 years, every street in London will be buried under nine feet of manure." It's an analogy for how new technologies (in this case cars) can take care of problems that seemed unsolvable.
O90e TIL in 1868, samurai killed 11 French sailors. Over 30 samurai were ordered to commit suicide for the injustice; when the number was reduced to 20, the indignant samurai cut out their own intestines and flung them at the French. The sentence was then reduced to 11
oRkY7 TIL that eighth World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal had three fingers on his right hand