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TIL that Oliver Law was the first African American to lead US troops into war during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), as part of the Lincoln volunteer batalion

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vZJx TIL that monkeys once battled with humans for over 2 hours for drinking water
v15Z8 TIL of Godiva, who wanted lower taxes. To convince her husband the Earl, she rode her horse naked through the streets. The public was ordered to close their shutters. Tom decided to look and was struck blind. This produced the term "Peeping Tom" as well as the name of the chocolate company Godiva.
6EoYZ TIL the Hassenfeld brothers, Herman, Hillel, and Henry, started by selling pencils and later invented G.I. Joe. When they specialized in producing toys, including Mr. Potato Head, the company was renamed "Hasbro."
78EvP TIL Paul McCartney dreamed the melody for "Yesterday" one night and composed the music the next morning. He spent a month afterward checking to make sure he hadn't subconsciously copied it from someone else.
v16gB TIL about Daniel Freeman, a Civil War veteran and the first person to claim land under the Homestead Act. Later in life, he brought up and won a landmark separation of church and state case against a teacher who was evangelizing to her students with permission from the school board.