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TIL Guatemalans were deliberately infected with STDs between 1945 & 1956 through US government programme. They were kept secret until discovered in 2010 by a college prof. The programme published no findings, did not inform those who were infected nor did it provide them with follow up medical care.

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XEWor TIL, the name Nickelodeon is derived from an old chain of movie theatres in the United States, having over 8,000 theatres at one point. The name itself comes from the terms: Nickel for 5 cents, and the greek word Odeon, meaning a building for Musical Performances.
epRKn Today I learned that, after Phil Hartman's death, the Simpsons staff considered casting Harry Shearer as the replacement voice actor for the character Lionel Hutz, but decided to retire Lionel Hutz instead.
690DJ TIL the Japanese government gifted Dr. Yamanaka, known for his work on induced pluripotent stem cells, 160,000 yen for a washing machine after he won the Nobel Prize, as he mentioned in an interview, "I was in the middle of repairing my washing machine when I heard the news."
xVoJo TIL that in 1979 the governments of the USA, France, Canada and the USSR signed a treaty to create a worldwide network of search-and-rescue satellites and ground stations. To date this system has saved at least 42k lives and works everywhere on Earth. A beacon costs $200 and has a 5 year battery!
PRmO TIL in the 1980s that a powerful ring of MPs and ministers were sexually abusing teenage boys in sex parties in Elm Guest House in London. Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens gave a dossier of names of paeodphiles associated with Parliament. It was “lost” by the home secretary, Leon Brittan.