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TIL that in 2004, Forbes named J.K. Rowling the first person to become a billionaire (in US dollars) from writing books. By 2012, she had donated so much money to charity that they had to remove her from the rich list because she was no longer a billionaire.

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ldMN TIL that, fearing rogue Kamikaze attacks, US Navy Admiral Halsey informed his sailors of the end of hostilities in the pacific with this message: “Cessation of hostilities. War is over. If any Japanese airplanes appear, shoot them down in a friendly way.”
dE9 TIL “Jesus” and “Joshua” are the same name in Greek. Jesus Christ means “Joshua the Annointed”
6EvwQ TIL that during the Irish Potato Famine, the poor were hired for useless construction projects called 'famine follies' in order to provide them with work that would not take existing work away from other workers. These included roads in the middle of nowhere, between two seemingly random points.
JYgnB TIL on 18 april 1930, the only thing that was announced on BBC was "There is no news" followed by a piano playing
J1w6Q TIL that "cacerolazo" is a popular form of protest that consists of making noise by banging pots, pans, and other utensils and is related to the English word for casserole.