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TIL that Jane Pierce, the wife of President Franklin Pierce, was so heartbroken at the loss of their son, Benjamin, that for nearly two years, she remained in the upstairs living quarters of the White House, spending her days writing letters to her dead son.

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p8rw4 TIL that the tongue twister “She sells seashells by the seashore” is based on the life of Mary Anning. Mary and her brother learned to find, identify and sell fossils in an effort to support their family after their father died.
eppMg TIL while the UK's blockade of Africa was largely successful in stopping the Atlantic Slave Trade, the United States was a long-term hold-out and refused permission for the British to search their ships for slaves. Because of this, many slavers flew fake American flags to continue the trade.
R7nKQ TIL In 1989 a naked man climbed a flagpole at a McDonald's in Anchorage, Alaska. He stretched his arms out and nosedived onto the pavement. There were no drugs in his system, and he has never been identified.
jNAYX TIL that during his presidency Richard Nixon set up the "Political Enemies Project", with the purpose of compiling a list of people that he didn't like, and "use the available federal machinery to screw them". The list even included celebrities like John Lennon, Bill Cosby and Steve McQueen.
LX7v TIL a man killed himself in order to prove the after life exists. He arranged to have a spiritualist hear his voice from the other side. She never heard from him.