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TIL an autodidact with limited formal education, Joseph Stalin was a voracious reader, amassing a personal library of over 20,000 books, with a particular interest in history. He enjoyed classical music, owned around 2,700 records, and often attended the Bolshoi Theatre.

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4XawJ TIL: Religious people are much more likely to give to secular causes than non-religious. Less than half of Americans who “never” attend religious services give any money at all. People who attend services 27-52 times per year give money to secular charities in two thirds of cases.
d8rXd TIL Basenji dogs are contenders for the title of oldest dog breed. From Africa, Basenjis are depicted in ancient Egyptian artifacts. Basenjis are “barkless,” fastidious and will groom themselves like cats.
a8YOA TIL of RAS syndrome, the act of appending a word to the end of an abbreviated term that already exists at the tail of it. e.g. ATM (automated teller machine) machine, PIN (personal identification number) number and amusingly, RAS (redundant acronym syndrome) syndrome
kpR4 TIL of Mary Turner, a black woman killed in 1918. A mob hung her upside down from a tree and set her on fire. Still alive, a member of the mob cut her stomach open with a knife. Her unborn child fell on the ground, where it was stomped on and crushed. Finally, her body was shot hundreds of times.
rR4w1 TIL Mark Twain patented under his real name Samuel Clemens the “Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments” (ADSG) or “suspenders” in 1871