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TIL “Sally sells seashells by the sea shore” is based on the real life of Mary Anning, who dug up fossils to sell to tourists at the beach in the 1800s to help her poor family. She discovered several intact dinosaur skeletons, including findings that contributed to the eventual theory of evolution.

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x696o TIL that both India and Pakistan had British Colonial officers as their Commander in Chief of their respective armies until 1951.
OpeY TIL that a bridge built in 2003 in northern Costa Rica is colloquially known as ‘Backstab Bridge’. It was paid for, designed and built by Taiwan only for Costa Rica to cut off ties with Taiwan in favour of China.
vP0xB TIL about Operation X-Ray, a WW2 program to develop an incendiary bomb attached to the chests of bats. Dropped in a tube over Japanese cities, it was thought that the bats would go to roost under the eaves of the largely wooden buildings, and when the timed devices went off, the cities would burn.
Br01W TIL that in 1999, multinational cigarette company Philip Morris attempted to convince the Czech Republic that smoking was highly beneficial to the country's economy, as more people would die earlier, hence allowing the government to save millions on health-care, pension and public-housing.
rWKw TIL in 1814, British soldiers invading Washington, DC arrived at the White House to find food, wine, and arrangements for a lavish dinner party Dolley Madison had prepared prior to fleeing the coming invasion. The soldiers sat and ate the meal and drank the wine. Then they burned down the house.