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TIL that for six generations, from 1688 to 1840, members of the Sanson family were the executioners in Paris. Charles-Henri Sanson performed 2,918 executions, including that of Louis XVI, and his son Henri executed Marie-Antoinette.

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R5Bn7 TIL in 1996, LAC Colombia Flight 028 crashed into a playing field after two engines were shut off shortly after takeoff. The pilot had shut off the engines in order to prank the co-pilot, and they could not be reactivated in time with the low altitude.
pYP9N TIL of Ezzard Charles who is the only boxer to have lasted the full 15 rounds against Rocky Marciano. Charles who had killed an opponent earlier in his career, would also give Marciano trouble in their rematch and split Rocky’s nose in half, before Rocky managed to KO Charles at the last minute.
6Zpm TIL rock&roll pioneer Ritchie Valens had a fear of flying due to a freak accident where two airplanes collided over his school’s playground, killing or injuring many of his friends. He got over this fear due to the demands of his career and subsequently died in a plane crash at the age of 17.
9aM6 TIL that Lord of the Rings actor Ian McKellen turned down an offer of 1.5 million dollar to officiate a wedding dressed as Gandalf, saying “I am sorry, Gandalf doesn’t do weddings.”
1EdX TIL Kristy Alley from Cheers did not appear as a guest in Frasier because she is a Scientologist and does not believe in psychiatry