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TIL the vision of canals of Mars were a result of a malfunction of Percival Lowell’s telescope that allowed him to see the reflection of his own blood vessels.

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rNMo TIL that the first male to win the tennis Career Golden Slam, Andre Agassi (winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic gold), is married to the first female tennis player, Steffi Graf, to do the same.
E1PNd TIL The "Tower of the Winds" (in Athens) is considered to be the first ever meteorological station. It features eight sundials, a water clock and a wind vane
nW0mG TIL that Alan Ritchson, of Reacher fame, auditioned on American Idol Season 3, and actually passed the initial stage.
QNG6M TIL that Roman emperors were considered pharaohs in Egypt. Ancient Egyptians viewed their pharaohs as god-kings. When Rome conquered Egypt, its emperors became the new pharaohs because Egyptian religion needed a god-king to work. Roman emperors only called themselves pharaohs while visiting Egypt.
QJY7M TIL that association football's all-time top goalscorer may well be a 5'10" chain-smoking lesbian from the early 20th century. Lily Parr's career ran from 1920 to 1951 and she reputedly scored almost 1000 goals in this time.