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TIL marathon runner Francisco Lázaro was the first athlete to die at an Olympic event. He collapsed after 30km, having covered large parts of his body with wax, which prevented him from sweating

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16aYO TIL Written by Beethoven in 1806, the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61's first performance was unsuccessful and for some decades the work languished in obscurity, until revived in 1844 by the then 12-year-old violinist Joseph Joachim. Since then it has become one of the best-known violin concertos
MeQkK TIL the present-day Washington State was originally called "Columbia", but Congress forced the name change to "Washington" in honor of George Washington and to avoid confusion with the nation's capital, the District of Columbia
oRmQR TIL that Orson Welles was originally supposed to voice "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader, but the role was ultimately given to James Earl Jones as George Lucas feared that Welles’ voice would be too recognizable.
ZajR TIL that a man named James Harrison who is also known as the man with golden arm has donated blood more than 1000 times which has saved more than 2 million unborn babies from Rehsus disease.
X0LPQ TIL that Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) was nicknamed "Dr. Rendezvous" by other NASA astronauts. Aldrin—with an MIT PhD—knew that it was not a compliment.