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TIL In the 1800s, individuals secured government jobs through connections to presidents, not by merit. This practice ended after a disgruntled job-seeker assassinated President James A. Garfield, whom he believed owed him a government appointment.

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yVeol TIL David Farragut was promoted to full admiral in 1866 and became the first United States Navy officer to hold that rank
J7r1 TIL An orca named Tilikum has killed 3 people including 2 Sea World trainers. Despite all this, he remains in captivity and continues to perform at Sea World.
nWN7o TIL there are roughly the same amount of neurons and glia in your gut as in a cat's brain
YpVj7 TIL in the 2011 census for the Czech Republic, over 15 thousand people listed their religion as 'Jedi'.
Oo5J7 TIL In 1999, a company in Japan installed vending machines selling live kabutomushi (horned beetles) so that children in cities away from the beetles' natural habitat could collect them as pets. The machines were so popular they sold out each day.