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TIL that in 1976, the BBC refused to broadcast most races of the F1 season, because the backmarker team Surtees was sponsored by Durex. This meant that the British almost completely missed the season where Englishman James Hunt became World Champion because of a sponsor

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5YX5k TIL of Jacob H. Smith, an American officer who launched a notorious attack during the Filipino-American War which killed as many as 50,000 civilians. During the attack - for which he was court-martialed - Smith was heard yelling "kill everyone over the age of ten."
R5jd9 TIL after Galileo discovered the 4 largest moons of Jupiter, he sought the patronage of the Medici family and proposed naming the moons after their 4 sons. However, the names Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—based on the names of Zeus’ lovers—were later popularized by the astronomer Simon Marius.
XE68k TIL of John the Posthumous; a French king who ruled for the 5 days he lived in 1316. He was the youngest person to become King of France, the only one to be king from birth, and the only one to hold the title for his entire life. He has the shortest reign of any French king.
4XMLJ TIL The iconic Slinky toy was created during the development of a device designed to stabalise naval equipment during rough seas. Richard James knocked one of his springs off a bookshelf and it "stepped' down a pile of books.
7DJX TIL that certain metals (including copper, brass, silver, and gold) are naturally antimicrobial. A brass doorknob will self-sterilize in about eight hours if left untouched.