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TIL The Brooklyn Bridge was inaugurated in 1883 and was considered an engineering marvel at the time. However, rumors of its weakness caused a public panic that led to the death of about 12 people. To restore confidence in the bridge's strength, P.T. Barnum marched 21 elephants and 17 camels across

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Z8gAo TIL: Today, April 21, is Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday. (she's 94) The Queen's Birthday is a public Holiday in Australia, but observed on 3 different dates depending on the state, none of which are her actual birthday date.
GrJ5 TIL That as a child, Joseph Stalin was nicknamed “Pocky” by his peers because of the scars left over from contracting smallpox.
8mYL TIL the US Government has spent more on a single plane than 10 years of funding for the NIH
WEw4 TIL A 16-year-old Xhosa girl had a vision that to defeat the British soldiers the tribe should kill all the cattle and destroy the crops. Tens of thousands died in the resulting famine
6P0J TIL the youngest person to have been executed in the US was 14 years old. A bible was used to boost him up onto the electric chair, and his trial only lasted 2 and a half hours.