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TIL that the name California, the state, was named after a novel character Queen Calafia. The novel Las sergas de Esplandián depicted California as an island.

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YpJdr TIL Ian Fleming named his character "Goldfinger" after the stern architect Ernő Goldfinger, whom he despised. When Ernő filed a suit over the name, Fleming threatened to rename the character "Goldprick". Ernő dropped the suit in exchange for legal fees and six copies of the book.
9YRXD TIL Isaac Asimov was an on-again, off- again member of MENSA. He drifted in and out of active membership due to some unpleasant members who were "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs,"
VMJOk TIL There was a campaign to rename the Australian Dollar to 'Dollarydoo' after an episode of The Simpsons. Supporters claimed it would increase demand for the currency.
b958N TIL the Nazis were very close to developing plutonium, a material used to make atomic bombs. However, the factory producing it was bombed by a team of 11 Norwegian saboteurs, one of them stopping the operation to find his glasses at one point, completely destroying the equipment related.
5V9Z8 TIL that in 1726, an Englishwoman from Surrey tricked doctors into believing that she had given birth to rabbits