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TIL German biologist Stefan Lanka, who believed that measles was a "psychosomatic illness", announced that he would pay 100,000 Euros to anyone who could prove that measles was a virus. German doctor David Barden proved him wrong and Lanka was ordered by the court to pay the money as promised.

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jGyp TIL Ellen Pao’s husband Buddy Fletcher is a former hedge fund manager, but his fund went bankrupt after Fletcher and associates diverted investor funds for their own personal benefit, causing the loss millions of $$$ to Louisiana pensioners. He is now under investigation for civil fraud.
d8vDQ TIL the popular dish Maceroni and Cheese was invented thanks in large part to wealthy U.S. president Thomas Jefferson.
N7DPb TIL policeman Bob Geary used a dummy as his partner. A new police chief disallowed its usage, so Geary worked to put the usage of the dummy on the ballot. The referendum passed and Geary used the dummy until his retirement 7 years later, at which time the mayor declared the day "Officer Geary Day."
ADbWB TIL Limewire developed a subscription-based music-streaming service called ‘Grapevine,’ but industry execs wouldn’t accept the inevitable, and chose to sue them into obsolescence instead. Years later, Spotify arrived.
YpgQA TIL about Peter principle that states if a person is competent at their job, it will get promoted until the person is incompetent at his new role. Then they remain stuck at that final level for the rest of their career. Therefore, in time, every post tends to be occupied by an incompetent employee.