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TIL Cary Elwes, of Cary Elwes-fame, is the descendent of John Elwes, an eccentric miser and inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge.

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M7BYB TIL Francesco Guicciardini's father refused to make his son a priest, out of principal, even if it meant less money. As a layman Francesco ended up working for 20 years as the Pope's right hand man. He privately wrote that he hated the clergy, but self interest demanded to keep working for them
OGAn7 TIL that in June 2015, astronomers led by David Sobral from Lisbon discovered a galaxy which they named Cosmos Redshift 7 (CR7) in tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo
7aRX TIL the US Department of Justice and the National Institute of Justice reported in 2004 that the effects of renewing the 1994 assault weapon ban might be “too small for reliable measurement” because “[assault weapons] were rarely used in gun crimes even before the ban”.
oR9lR TIL Some vervet monkeys in the Caribbean, particularly teenagers, exhibit a preference for alcoholic beverages over non-alcoholic ones. On Saint Kitts, these monkeys often raid bars and tourist beaches for alcoholic drinks and become visibly inebriated.
yQRre TIL US pays Cuba $4,085 a month in rent for "Guantanamo Bay", but Cuba has only once cashed a check and only by mistake