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TIL that the comedian Milton Berle was so popular in 1951 that the U.S. television network NBC signed him to a $6 million, 30-year contract. Berle's comedy-variety show was canceled in 1956 due to low ratings. NBC, however, continued to pay him until 1981.

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JYG5B TIL that the song "Rainbow Connection" sung by Kermit from the 1979 film, The Muppet Movie reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained in the Top 40 for seven weeks. It was also nominated for Best Original Song at the 52nd Academy Awards
R7kP9 TIL ancient Germanic armies would fight with their women wailing loudly from behind their formations, to constantly remind them that they must be victorious or their entire families would be annihilated.
6Q88 TIL that Garret Morgan, the son of former slaves with only an elementary school education, invented a belt fastener for sewing machines, the first human hair straightening solution, an early form of the gas mask (used in WWI), and traffic signal technology (which he sold to GE for $40K in 1923).
J78Q TIL: Until recently rabies had a 100% kill rate making it one of the deadliest viruses.
1aYld TIL Roy Orbison wrote the biggest hit of his career after asking his first wife, Claudette, if she needed cash for the market. His writing partner interjected “pretty women don’t need money.” As Orbison watched Claudette go to the market by “walking down the street”, he wrote “Oh, Pretty Woman.”