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TIL Spanish dictator Francisco Franco believed he was the reincarnation of a 16th-century monk and used this to justify his rule in Spain.

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VNOp TIL that, despite most ALS sufferers dying within 2-5 years of their diagnosis, Professor Stephen Hawkings has lived with it for over 50 years, more than 10 times the average.
loPY7 TIL In Boston, 1777, during a shortage of coffee and sugar, a crowd of over 100 angry women marched to a wealthy merchant's warehouse, demanded the keys, and grabbed him by the neck when he refused. They opened the doors, loaded up carts with coffee, and left.
M7EGm TIL that one man, Thomas Nast, created the modern illustration of Uncle Sam, the symbol for both major political parties, and the modern image of Santa Claus. He also helped popularize the dollar sign as a symbol of greed and corruption in his political cartoons.
9YmJp TIL Bill Gates never said that he would “Chose to hire a lazy person as they would make a hard job easy”. This quote was originally attributed to Clarence Bleicher in 1947 at a Senate testimony.
0dwpy TIL The Washington Monument build was halted due to a few reasons, including the civil war. This moment in history is still visible today by the different shading of marble used in the actual build.