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TIL the link between the nutcracker and Christmas was due to the popularity of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." Which, when introduced to the US, "helped make nutcracker dolls a Christmas decoration and a seasonal icon across Western culture"

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dMwQ TIL that Teddy Roosevelt once held the World Record for most hands shaken in one day, with 8510 at a White House Reception.
1abK8 TIL Gen. Chuck Yeager, a WWII fighter ace, the first human ever to break the speed of sound and considered the greatest test pilot of his generation, is still alive. The last time he surpassed Mach 1 was in 2012, when he was just 89 years old.
v1Kl4 TIL Alan Turing was charged with "gross indencency" after self-reporting a burglary and telling the police about the relationship he had with a man he suspected was involved. He chose chemical castration as his sentence. This caused him to grow breasts, become depressed, triggers for his suicide.
epeA6 TIL Los del Río, the artist who performed "Macarena" were formed in 1962, the year before the Beatles released their first album
DXXr TIL- Only 115 of the 800,000 reported “missing children” in the US is the result of a “stereotypical kidnapping". Most kidnappings in the US are by family members, often as a result of a custody dispute. Children are 20x more likely to be killed by a family member then by a stranger.