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TIL that British Captain James Cook was so respected in the field of naval navigation that even rival French officers were ordered not to attack him lest that they would be hindering the advancement of human knowledge.

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1aLpd TIL the last person to receive a Civil War pension died in June 2020.
O8dg TIL in the 1960s an Indo-American expedition tried to place a nuclear-powered monitoring device on a peak in the Himalayas, but it was lost in an avalanche. 5 kilograms of plutonium remain unaccounted for, somewhere near the source of the Ganges River.
VB4pZ TIL that James G. Watt, the Secretary of State under Reagan, banned acts like the Beach Boys from performing in the National Mall, as he believed that their music encouraged drug use.
PbmJ TIL the founder of the Boy Scouts was a drag queen - he even sewed his own dresses
N7YAN TIL that Taron Egerton sang “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John as the Gorilla in the movie “Sing” prior to starring in the movie “Rocket Man” as Elton John where he sings the same song.