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TIL that British scientist James Smithson donated his entire fortune to the United States (worth 1/66th of the entire US budget) to create the Smithsonian Institution despite never having visited the United States. He left no explanation of his motivation.

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b9PGN TIL a quiet American POW was nicknamed "The Incredibly Stupid One" by his Vietnamese captors. Upon his return to the US, he provided the names of over 200 prisoners of war, which he had memorized to the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."
wEk1 TIL while serving in the Army, Clint Eastwood survived a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean by swimming 3 miles (5km) to shore. The crash kept him from being deployed to Korea.
a84KM TIL Antarctica's Dry Valleys haven't had any rain or snow in nearly 2 million years
mxQYE TIL that the former Secretary General of the UN and later President of Austria, Kurt Waldheim, was an accused Nazi who as President was put on a Watch List by the US as an 'potential undesirable'
E1GxW TIL After the Success of Atari 2600 games. Quaker Oats released 13 games for Atari 2600.