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TIL John Hinckley Jr's motive for attempting to assassinate Ronald Reagan was to try and woo Jodie Foster, emulating Robert De Niro's character from the film Taxi Driver

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OoEjg TIL: The mushrooms from the Super Mario games are based on a real life mushroom called Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). When eaten, the mushroom gives the sensation of growth.
rYoe TIL Robert E. Lee originally opposed the Confederacy, writing in an early letter, “I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than a dissolution of the Union.” Even his wife heavily favored the Union.
8wW4 TIL when you are in Sweden you have the year-round right to walk, cycle, ride, ski and camp on any land, with few exceptions, due to The Right of Public Access, or ‘Allemansrätt’.
oRnBK TIL The only time a chess game has ended in a result of 0-0 (instead of 1-0, 0-1, or ½-½) was when Tony Miles and Stewart Reuben both agreed to a draw without playing any moves to secure them both a high place. The arbiter decided to award 0 points to each player instead of a draw.
N7VMM TIL that machine spun cotton candy was invented by a dentist in 1904 and then in 1921 a similar machine was invented, again by a dentist