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TIL That in 1957, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond spoke for a record 24 hours 18 minutes to filibuster the passage of a civil rights bill. He took steam baths daily to dehydrate his body so he would not have to stop speaking to use the bathroom.

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rmno TIL that there is a psychological phenonomon called the ‘uncanny valley,’ which is where something becomes “cuter” as it becomes more human looking, until it reaches a point where it is almost human but not quite, in which case it appears creepy or strange
4Voo TIL that in the movie Blade Runner, Harrison Ford believed that his character was a human while Ridley Scott believed Ford’s character was a replicant.
kOYad TIL of Robert Smalls, a slave who freed himself his crew & their families by overtaking Confederate ship, CSS Planter, and sailing it north. The ship contained a code book letting them pass CSA checkpoints. He became new captain of the ship & convinced Lincoln to admit African Americans to the Army
R7NMa TIL that Michelin goes to huge lengths to keep the Inspectors (who give out stars to restaurants) anonymous. Many of the top people have never met an inspector; inspectors themselves are advised not to tell what they do. They have even refused to allow its inspectors to speak to journalists.
nrJG TIL George Lucas allowed the band members of ‘N SYNC to make a cameo appearance in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones in order to appease his daughters. The footage was then cut out of the final version of the film