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TIL that during World War II, JF Kennedy was originally rejected for military service because he suffered from Addison's disease and chronic back pain. He used his father's political influence to join the U.S. Navy.

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rjvy TIL the Seinfeld episode “The Revenge” was based on an experience by screenwriter Larry David, who once quit his job at Saturday Night Live, felt he made a mistake once he reached home, and returned the following morning as if nothing had happened.
9YrJ7 TIL that, once the Civil War began, Confederate general Robert E. Lee's plantation outside Washington DC was repurposed by the Lincoln administration to house a camp for escaped slaves. It contained a school, hospital, and cemetery, and it is now the site of Arlington National Cemetery.
R54KQ TIL that 96% of Mali's exports is gold
nMpb TIL A man named Ota Benga was held in a zoo in 1906, 40 years after the end of slavery in the U.S. He was in a cage with an Orangutan. Atendance at the zoo doubled over the time he was there, and 40,000 people visited the zoo in a single day.
KYwLQ TIL that Napoleon once gave an ornately decorated tiara (a crown) to the pope with 3345 precious jewels inlaid into it. This was actually intended to be an insult, as the tiara weighed 18 pounds and was too small to fit on a human head.