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TIL about Philip Gale, child prodigy that committed suicide at age 19, jumping from a classroom's window. Before jumping he wrote on the blackboard Newton's equation for how an object accelerates as it falls, along with a sketch of a stick figure tossing a chair. He signed it, "Phil was here"

69Go7 TIL that both the Department of Justice and the Library of Congress have tried to count the total number of Federal criminal laws in the United States. They were both unable to arrive at a definitive number.
x6eR5 TIL I learned that in England, there are "wavy" brick fences. This shape uses fewer bricks than a straight wall. The waves' arch support allows the wavy wall to stand strong while a straight wall requires at least two layers of bricks to do the same.
D1X5e TIL Research: staying at home with kids is harder than going to work. The study included about 1500 parents, who had different jobs. The results of the study indicated that: 31% confirmed that taking care of children at home is more difficult than going to work;
b9RBa TIL that, in 1846, planet Neptune's exact location was predicted by three astronomers studying the eccentric orbits of several distant asteroids. The data hinted at the presence of a giant, distant planet. Neptune was found on the very first night, only 1° off its predicted position.
ZpyJa TIL The Dick Van Dyke Show was originally written entirely by Carl Reiner, about stories from Reiner's life, and starred Carl Reiner. The pilot was unsuccessful so it was reworked with Dick Van Dyke playing Robert Petrie.