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TIL The Great Gatsby was originally a failure when released in 1925 and only became popular when it was mass printed and sent to soldiers during World War 2. 1944, only 120 copies of Gatsby sold, today it sells over 500,000 each year.

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rRjM TIL: At a cost of up to $1,000,000, “Pirates”, a 2005 parody of Pirates of the Carribean, is the most expensive porno ever made.
rKnw TIL that when the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was passed, only the birdseed industry successfully lobbied against it by arguing that hemp seeds gave birds shinier feathers than other seeds. Because of this, birdseed producers are legally allowed to import hemp seeds into the US (deactivated) today.
eXen TIL that a species of Australian lizard is abandoning egg laying in favour of live birth
XDmX TIL an Israeli chemistry professor has invented an “anti-date rape straw” that detects date rape drugs present in a drink and alerts the victim by changing color
kO7me TIL of the incredible rescue of a dead soviet space station in 1985