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90

TIL that the Democrat's Donkey originated as a pejorative for Andrew "Jackass" Jackson, but was adopted by his party as a symbol of the working class.

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gME9L TIL of Varina Davis, first lady of the Confederacy. Criticized for her olive skin tone and high level of literacy, she later became a newspaper columnist, was friends with Julia Grant (widow of Ulysses S. Grant) and declared in an article in 1901 that "the right side won the civil war".
7r4YZ TIL The Roland 808 drum machine was commercial and critical flop because it didn't produce a realistic drum sound. However, its 'unusual' synthetic beats and effects made it a cult favourite among EDM and hip-hop artists, which eventually turned the 808 into the icon it is today.
AEX4 TIL the QWERTY keyboard layout is very inefficient when compared to alternatives. It was originally created to “slow down” typists in order to decrease the chances of jamming the typewriter. However, the layout still endures today as we use it almost exclusively.
KOOGJ TIL of the Chewbacca Defense, a common legal term where a defence is built on confusing the jury. The term comes from the South Park version of the O.J. Simpson case.
G4jN TIL the overthrow of the monarchy in Brazil was such a minor affair that even the few people who did witness it did not realize they just saw a revolution.