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TIL in 1962, a man named Vasili Arkhipov, a Soviet Naval Officer, cast a single vote that prevented a nuclear attack on the US Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and is credited for preventing a thermonuclear World War 3.

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WKoA TIL That Nordic folklore has a Christmas character called “Perchta the Disemboweller”, who would either give you coins for being good or would slit your belly open and fill it with oats and straw if you had been bad.
8YXG TIL that many invertebrates like crustaceans feel pain.
6EOxQ TIL the world record for longest stare (40 minutes, 59 seconds) was set in 2011 at an Australian staring competition. At 17 minutes, the crowd became angry. At 30 minutes, contestants said they were bored.
Nw6Q TIL of William Windsor, a lance corporal in the British Army. Of royal blood, ‘Billy’ was temporarily demoted for a lack of decorum and disobeying a direct order after headbutting a drummer. William Windsor is a goat.
ZpJdG TIL that Hermione Baddeley's role in the film "Room at the Top" scored her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She only appears in the film for 2 minutes and 19 seconds. Making it the shortest performance to be nominated for an Oscar.