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TIL that the producers of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (filmed in 1971 in Munich, Germany) had trouble finding dwarfs–any adult dwarfs at all– for the roles of the Oompa-Loompas. This was because the Nazis had killed so many of them 25 years earlier.

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grrN9 TIL Arthur Blake competed for the Boston Athletic Association and it was after a 1000 yard race he said in jest "I'm too good for Boston, I ought to go over and run the Marathon, at Athens, in the Olympic Games". This led to him being noticed by a stockbroker, and sending Arthur to the 1896 Olympics
D1XPP TIL That Urea (formerly extracted from horse urine) is a functional skin-softener and humectant, which means it helps to collect and hold moisture in the skin.
W9Do TIL 95% of commercially grown avocados come from trees descended from a single tree owned by a California mail carrier.
ANM9x TIL that Magnus Carlsen intentionally plays non-optimal moves during the opening to force his opponents to think for themselves instead of relying on memorized theory.
8PA8 TIL that the Tappan Zee Bridge, on which 140,000 people drive daily, is so structurally unsound that New York state aides refer to it as the “hold-your-breath bridge” while other experts call it the “scariest of scaries”