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TIL: The central spire on the Notre Dame was built almost 600 years later in the 19th century amid a broad restoration effort, partly buoyed by the success of Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" in 1831.

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kOvYE TIL the Two Towers musical score wasn't even nominated for an Academy Award because of a rule prohibiting scores to sequels that re-uses themes from the previous film, a rule that was then specifically changed to allow Return of the King to be nominated (and win).
4xmg TIL: Teddy Roosevelt actually watched Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession in 1865 when he was 6. In fact, there’s a photograph with a young Roosevelt sitting on a balcony as the casket went by.
neboP TIL: In the mid 1800s downtown Chicago was lifted to deal with problems with mud and to make room for sewers. During this process, entire buildings and eventually entire blocks were slowly lifted with hydraulic jacks until the whole downtown area was raised up to 14 feet.
O8Va TIL when the French king Jean II was prisoner of the English, he was allowed to return to France to raise money for his ransom, leaving his son as a replacement hostage. When his son escaped, he voluntarily returned to England, citing reasons of “good faith and honor”.
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