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TIL in 1981 President Ronald Reagan fired the entire air traffic controllers union, invoking a law that stated government employees that engaged in a strike forfeited their jobs.

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R7Xa1 TIL that, due to a dispute over Missouri's statehood, Congress recorded two separate electoral votes in the 1820 presidential election, one counting Missouri's electoral votes and one without it, making them simultaneously existent and nonexistent.
j6Ryp TIL BBC News 24 mistakenly interviewed Guy Goma, a job applicant, instead of technology journalist Guy Kewney. The incident became a famous BBC blooper.
R7WD6 [TIL] Michael Jackson beatboxed and hummed out all his music into recorders as part of his creative process because he didn't play any instruments.
rNGox TIL In 1762, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, invented the meal that changed dining forever. As the story goes, he was playing cards and did not want to leave the gaming table to eat. He asked for a serving of roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat with his hands.
yQj4X TIL that US Navy periscope operators now use Xbox controllers, as the original control stick was deemed too complicated and a lot more expensive. Xbox controllers are so widely used that the learning time is hugely reduced, and they cost $37,980 less.