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TIL that Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," persuaded Abraham Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national US holiday in 1863, after 17 unsuccessful years of writing letters to presidents.

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JYnP4 TIL that rock band Iron Maiden went to a restaurant after a 1984 concert in Poland. The Maidens saw a wedding inside; after a chat, they took the wedding band's instruments and began playing for the night. Guests had no idea until the groom saw that his wedding band transformed into Iron Maiden.
8Qxa TIL: All octopuses are venomous! They ‘drill’ a hole through the prey’s shell or exoskeleton using their tough beak and tongue and insert their venomous saliva into the soft interior to kill their prey. There is a special antarctic octopus whose venom works at temperatures that other venom wouldn’t!
XZNE TIL that although most Lassie spoofs are of her having saved Timmy from falling down a well, it never actually happened in the entire show history.
RXPj TIL Chuck Jones (Creator of Bugs Bunny) Determined That Bugs Would be Crazy, but Only if His Craziness Served a Purpose. While Daffy Duck’s Craziness (Among Other Characters) Could be Unhinged and Purposeless.
v1DmK TIL Covered bridges are designed with roofs to protect and preserve the wooden structure from the elements. Uncovered wooden bridges typically have a lifespan of only 20 years because of the effects of rain and sun, but a covered bridge could last 100 years