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TIL that Martin Sheen has never officially changed his name and is legally Ramón Estévez. “It’s still Estevez officially. I never changed it officially. I never will. It’s on my driver’s license and passport and everything.”

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5YBe9 TIL within a span of 60 years in the 16th century, 3 epidemics (1 Smallpox and 2 Cocoliztli) killed an estimated 40%, 80% and 50% of the population (at the time) of Mexico. They started with the arrival of the Spanish and particularly targeted the indigenous people. Estimated 25 million deaths.
e06m4 TIL of Aki Ra, a former Khmer Rouge conscripted child soldier who has devoted his life to removing landmines in Cambodia and to caring for young landmine victims. Since 1992 he has personally removed and destroyed as many as 50,000 landmines, and is the founder of the Cambodian Landmine Museum.
wL1D7 TIL that a the Netherlands supposedly declared war on the Isles of Scilly (off the southwestern coast of Cornwall, England) in 1651, and essentially forgot about it until a treaty was signed 335 years later, in 1986. Not a single shot was ever fired.
xV5m7 TIL that the Guanches, the native people of the Canary Islands, had, despite living on, obviously, islands, no knowledge of constructing boats or navigating them. This led to the development of seven different cultures on the seven Canary Islands.
VBJP4 Today I learned that on April Fool's Day in 1997, Alex Trebek hosted Wheel of Fortune and Pat Sajak hosted Jeopardy.