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TIL on Station Island in Ireland, St. Patrick was reputed to have found a cave that was a literal entrance into Purgatory. For hundreds of years, pilgrims travelled to the island and would spend the night in the cave, many of whom later emerged with fantastical tales of what they'd seen inside.

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abPZ TIL When James Dean first met Alec Guinness (Ben Kenobi) he asked him to take a look at his brand new Porsche Spyder. Guinness told Dean: “If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week.” This encounter took place on September 23, 1955, seven days before Dean’s death.
JYXn8 TIL The "Never argue with a fool" quote lacks proof crediting it to Mark Twain. The oldest suspected source is biblical proverbs 26:4 and 26:5: "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him. Answer a fool as his folly deserves, That he not be wise in his own eyes."
JYZDV TIL that in the late 1940s a team of American scientists infected 1,308 unwitting people in Guatemala with gonorrhea and syphilis. At least 83 died.
B69D TIL that after the Empire State Building opened in New York City in 1931, much of its office space went unrented. It was nicknamed the “Empty State Building” by New Yorkers and didn’t become profitable until 1950.
7r0AO TIL Benjamin Franklin did not propose that the wild turkey be used as the symbol for the United States instead of the bald eagle. While he did serve on a commission that tried to design a seal after the Declaration of Independence, his proposal was an image of Moses