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TIL that Michael Jordan almost declined to join the famous 1992 Olympic "Dream Team". He had already won a gold medal before as an amateur in 1984, and has said that he regrets joining again in 1992 as it distracted from his offseason rest.

Read more olympics.nbcsports.com

via reddit.com

ZpMkQ TIL of Percy Ross, best known for his column, 'Thanks a Million' which ran in over 800 publications. He gave away his fortune, an estimated $20 to $30 million over a period of 17 years. Newspapers called him, “America’s Rich Uncle.” He died in 2001 at age 84, relatively unknown, just as he wished.
7rD0M TIL a pre-Goosebumps R.L. Stine wrote Spaceballs: The Book, a young adult version of the story that substituted some of the stronger language and bits for child-friendly content. It remains the only exclusion to Lucasfilm’s “no tie-in” mandate.
gMGLb TIL that a year after he was elected as khan of the mongols in 1186, Temüjin (Genghis Khan) was defeated in battle by his former ally Jamukha, and only returned to power 10 years later. Jamukha wished to preserve the aristocracy while Temüjin supported a meritocratic system to delegate authority.
vPjBK TIL about Bill Benter, a gambler who wrote an algorithm that helped him win nearly $1 billion on horse races.
6yO7 TIL that in 1966 French President Charles de Gaulle demanded that all American military personnel leave France. American President Lyndon Johnson asked if that order applied to American soldiers in French cemeteries.