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TIL the US government imposed a tax on telephone service in 1898 to support the Spanish-American War and only stopped collecting it in 2006.

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nWkW7 TIL in 1910 the American Hippo Bill (resolution 23261) was introduced in congress. It had the goal of authorizing the importation and release of hippos in the bayous of america. Both to control an invasive species and as a meat source. It had support strong support, including Roosevelt and the USDA
lEyA TIL in 1860′s San Francisco, two stray dogs who were best friends became local celebrities. Their exploits were celebrated in local papers and they were granted immunity from the city’s dog catchers.
d8ZLj TIL that a high school basketball coach was fired after his team won 100-0 because the Catholic school he worked for thought that winning by such a wide margin did not show a “Christlike and honourable approach to competition”.
VBAP4 TIL Dan Savage, the American author who founded the non-profit organization "It Gets Better Project" in 2010, is also known for coining, in 2001, the term 'pegging" to describe a woman anally penetrating a man with a strap-on dildo.
vPZy7 TIL: Giant Tortoises lacked a scientific name for 300 years; as sailors devoured them on return trips.