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TIL Anderson Cooper, soon after graduating college, forged a press pass and gained entrance to Myanmar to meet with students fighting the Burmese government. He was ultimately able to sell his home-made news segments to Channel One, launching his journalism career.

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W7wVN TIL the youngest recorded death at the Golden Gate Bridge was five-year-old Marilyn DeMont, in 1945. Her father commanded her to jump before he followed by diving after her. A simple note was found in the DeMont car stating, "I and my daughter have committed suicide."
PYZPG TIL American blues musician Robert Johnson was said to have sold his soul to the devil. The story is that he went to the crossroads near a plantation at midnight and met the devil, who took his guitar, tuned it, played a few songs, and handed the guitar back, granting him mastery of the instrument.
7yRb TIL that China blocked search engine results for “tomorrow”, “yesterday” and “today” during the anniversary of Tiananmen Square
69LdZ TIL the version of "Earth Angel" by The Penguins that became an unexpected hit had only been recorded by the band as a literal garage demo; drums on the track were muffled with pillows so as to not overwhelm the vocals. A neighbour's pet dog stopped many takes by barking.
ejaD TIL The lyrics to Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman” were completely improvised by Sledge on the recording. He improvised so well that his the session musicians assumed that he had pre-written lyrics.