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TIL a young Frank Sinatra tried to get out of his contract with bandleader Tommy Dorsey. When Dorsey refused Sinatra’s offer of $60,000, mobster Willie Moretti allegedly threatened Dorsey. Afterwards, Dorsey let Sinatra out of his contract for $1.

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4XBxb TIL of Mary Seacole a Jamaican-born nurse who applied to join Florence Nightingale in Crimea, but was turned down due to her race. Instead of giving up, Seacole sailed to the Crimea at her own expense and set up a hotel to tend to sick and wounded soldiers.
a8vWL TIL: Your Backyard Birds are Living Dinosaurs! Despite their small size and fluffy feathers, birds are the last surviving group of dinosaurs, stemming from the theropod dinosaur lineage.
9mVm TIL that Emperor Nero competed in the Olympic Games. Nero did terribly and was nearly killed in a chariot race, but was nonetheless declared the winner in every event he competed in.
kOVQ7 TIL if you see a tornado and it is not moving side to side, this is a strong indication that it is moving directly towards you.
gr0Mb TIL that grunion fish have unusual mating habits. The females will burrow tail-first into the sand up to their necks so that only their heads stick out. Then a bunch of males will squirt their sperm onto their heads. The sperm trickles down their bodies to reach the eggs below them.