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TIL In 1883, gifts were distributed after a show in Victoria Hall. Many of the estimated 1100 children surged downstairs, but the door opened inward and had been bolted so only one could pass at a time. Those in front were crushed by those behind them. 183 children between the ages of 3 and 14 died.

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mabR TIL that a Chinese man bought and raised two puppies, cared for them despite their frequent killing and eating of chickens, and then discovered they were bears.
oBlAL TIL there is an adult Asian elephant with dwarfism living wild in Sri Lanka. Standing around 50% of normal adult size, it is not the result of intentional breeding. It is thought to be the only case of its kind.
p8bop TIL that the details of the Manhattan Project were so secret that many workers had no idea why they did their jobs. A laundrywoman had a dedicated duty to "hold up an instrument and listen for a clicking noise" without knowing why. It was a Geiger counter testing the radiation levels of uniforms.
e01X4 TIL that when Bill the Butcher from the film Gangs of New York says the date his father died fighting the British ("the 25th of July Anno Domani 1814"), he's referencing the Battle of Lundy's Lane
v1PeL TIL the Belgian national dish "les frites" was wrongly given the name "French Fries" by World War One American servicemen moving through Wallonia, a French-speaking region of Belgium, creating confusion with the invention’s nationality.