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TIL James Strang, leader of a Mormon splinter-group, crowned himself "king" of his church on Beaver Island, Michigan for 6 years. His "reign" was so hated by the locals that he was assassinated in 1856. His killers were kept in an unlocked jail cell and fined $1.25

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D1odD TIL Chinese leader Sun Yun-suan was credited for overseeing the transformation of Taiwan from being a mainly agricultural economy to an export powerhouse. Sun was also sent to Nigeria and he increased Nigeria's power supply by 88%
90nM TIL: To be ADA compliant, elevator manufactures in the US must place a raised 5 pointed star next to the button that brings you to the main exit. ‘L’ can mean lounge or lobby. 'G’ could be ground floor or garage. But, the one with the star next to it will always take you to the main exit.
WkVvN TIL that in Israel there's a one-day holiday during which nobody drives. Originally a religious limitation, the tradition was adopted by large portions of the population, with adults and children riding bicycles and skating safely on empty, quiet streets (and even highways) across the nation
grlZ9 TIL the Beatles’ record sales helped fund research that led to the development of CT scans (computerized tomography)
LZLp TIL there is a type of ice that only forms on rotting wood, and is created thanks to a fungus. It is called hair ice, and resembles white, silky hair.