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TIL About Otoya Yamaguchi: The Anonymous Smiling 17-Year-Old Who Assassinated Japan’s Socialist Leader On Live TV

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via reddit.com

KYKD4 TIL the great grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt wanted a racetrack for the Vanderbilt cup, the first major racing cup. The cup used to race on residential roads but two spectators were killed so he built the Long Island Motor Parkway but before long 2 riding mechanics were killed so racing was banned
Z8ngR TIL that Johnny Marks, the man who wrote famous Christmas songs like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Rockin around the Christmas tree, and Holly Jolly Christmas, was Jewish.
lmD5 TIL: that the Foley sound effect for automatic doors in Star Wars was created by sliding a piece of paper out of an envelope
loel5 TIL The word "piggyback" is just a screwed up play on "pick pack" --> "pick-a-back," which makes infinitely more sense than "piggyback."
6E4Ow TIL Everybody Draw Mohammed Day (or Draw Mohammed Day) was a 2010 event in support of artists threatened with violence for drawing representations of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It stemmed from a protest against censorship of the American television show South Park episode "201", led by the show'.