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TIL that Leland Stanford had the privilege of driving the Golden Spike that completed the Transcontinental Railroad. Stanford had never used a sledgehammer, and he missed the spike.

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bDl9 TIL that the inventor of medical anesthasia became addicted to inhaling chloroform and slowly became deranged, eventually throwing acid on prostitutes clothes and later killing himself with his shaving kit.
R6va TIL that the film Titan A.E had an estimated budget of $90 Million. In the end the film only grossed $36.8 million. According to the supervisor of the film, Titan A.E. lost $100 million for 20th Century Fox. After the film’s failure, Fox Animation Studios was shut down.
N7wob TIL Terry Crews supplemented his income in the NFL by painting portraits of his teammates. In some cases, this was his primary income. He typically earned $5,000 for a two-month commission to support his whole family.
N7pWP TIL That Nazi Germany asked if J.R.R. Tolkien was Aryan before translating 'The Hobbit' into German. He responded pointing out the "incorrect Nazi aumption" on what Aryan means and expressed regret of having a german surname.
R7ED7 TIL that from 1943-45, British military pilots were issued "escape boots". If they had to bail out over enemy territory, a concealed knife in one boot cоuld bе used to cut away the upper section, and convert them into "ordinary" shoes, which would help the airman pass himself off as a civilian