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TIL a group of Persian soldiers in the middle ages are the origin of both words, ‘assassin’ and 'hashish’: the Hashshashin.

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aO8o TIL Pepsi ran a sweepstakes to win $1 billion in 2003, and paid $10 million for insurance against someone actually winning the grand prize.
gMXeD TIL a Wisconsin man has eaten over 30,000 Big Mac hamburgers over 46 years, averaging 2 per day. He has only missed eight days in those 46 years, including when his mother died as she requested he forgo the burger in her memory.
JJ4Q TIL that there is a 2,600-foot covered escalator in Hong Kong to help people commute up and down the large hills in the city.
18J8 TIL The pink cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. were a gift from Japan. In 1912, Japan sent more than 3,000 seeds to be planted near the Potomac River as a symbol of friendship between the two nations.
XYyj TIL: in 1987, a high school boy triangulated where fantasy author Piers Anthony lived using fictional maps from his novels, ran away from home to live with him & his family, and was welcomed into PA’s home for the day, spent the night there, and PA listened to him for ~4 hours and gave him advice.