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TIL J.R.R. Tolkien finished his own translation of Beowulf in 1926, but never published it. One of his sons edited and published it for him this year.

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5N19 TIL Charles Darwin’s cousin Francis Galton invented the dog whistle, meteorology, forensic fingerprinting and mathematical correlation. He also suggested that principles of animal breeding could be applied to humans, coined the word ‘eugenics’, and came up with the 'nature vs nurture’ idea.
epB46 TIL about Senator William Alden “Watertight Smith”, who chaired the US investigations into The sinking of the Titanic and infamously asked why passengers could not shelter in watertight compartments.
wop18 TIL that Hugh Laurie has 10 Emmy nominations and has never won. 5 of the nominations are for 'House, MD'
0w10L TIL that Oprah Winfrey has such a severe phobia of chewing gum that it's banned from her television studio and this includes audience members. It all stems from her grandmother leaving gum all around the house to save for a later chew. It didn't stop Reese Witherspoon from chewing it in front of her
16vmV TIL of all the Commanders and Leaders from the Chechen Republic during the 2nd Chechen War when it began 1999-2009. Only 1 is still alive today, Akhmed Zakayev.