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TIL the Salem witch trials were started by a group of girls age 9-20 who were told tales by a slave. The main perpetrator Elizabeth Hubbard was known for being manipulative, throwing temper tantrums, and having a wild imagination. Hubbard accused 40 people and 15 died as a result.

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QJlGp TIL when Robert E Lee and the Confederate army surrendered, Union soldiers saluted them and gave them rations (the confederate soldiers were starving). Normally victorious armies would taunt defeated ones, but Ulysses S Grant respected the Confederates too much and ordered that they be treated well.
kOA8W TIL Chimpanzees have entered their own Stone Age: they have been using stone tools for generations.
nWV7d TIL in 1968, students at a French university staged protests against bans on dormitory visits that prevented male and female students from sleeping together. After police violence, 10 million workers joined the strike—more than 20% of the population—effectively shutting down the country.
LkWB0 TIL in France the butter content of a croissant is indicated by its shape. As a matter of law, only croissants made with butter can be shaped straight. Croissants made with margarine or other fats have their ends curled in.
J0Pl TIL Ben Franklin never patented any of his designs and inventions. He believed “that as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously”