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TIL Hans Christian Andersen, author of The Little Mermaid, was not considered a Sci-Fi writer however, he predicted the invention of both the machine gun & the Air Force in his book 'The Wicked Prince' written in 1840.

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GLNJ TIL after undefeated boxer Billy Collins, Jr. was beaten so badly during his fight, his curious father insisted on shaking his opponent’s hands. He discovered the fighter had removed all his padding, and eventually led to a 2.5 year prison sentence.
MeJYB TIL of Vesta Stoudt. During World War 2, she came up with the idea for duct tape at her factory job. After her supervisors rejected the idea, she wrote president Roosevelt, he liked the idea and gave the letter to the War Production Board
Pkle TIL that panthers are not a real species, they are jaguars and leopards who have melanism, which is the opposite of albinism.
a8D49 TIL Margarine was invented in France in response to Napoleon III's call for a cheap alternative to butter
5xBD TIL that a Luftwaffe pilot refused to destroy a damaged B-17.The German pilot escorted the B-17 to the English Channel and then saluted the American pilot and returned home. 40 years later they were reunited and developed a deep friendship that lasted until their deaths.