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TIL that Eartha Kitt was invited to a lunch by President Johnson at the White House. She was asked about Viet Nam and instead of giving a polite response, ranted about how horrible it was. This lead to the CIA trying to ruin her career and an effective US blacklist for over ten years

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PQeV TIL that three hunters in Oregon were discovered dead around their campsite with no marks or signs of a struggle. The only unusual thing was the discovery of a dead newt in the coffee pot that was later found to produce Tetradotoxin - a poison 10,000x more potent than cyanide.
mxg7O TIL that at the 59th Academy Awards, the award for Best Sound was presented by Marlee Matlin, who would later that night become the first deaf actor to ever win an Oscar
W7rJL TIL a typical elephant tusk contains enough ivory to create 8 billiard balls. In the 1800s, demand for ivory was such that an award was offered for the development of an alternative. The first patent for an ivory-substitute was filed in 1867; it was used to make billiard balls through the 1960s.
LkDJm TIL that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were invented by Richard Montañez, a janitor for Frito-Lay. After heeding the call of the then CEO to “act like an owner” he then called the CEO about his idea, which took off as one of their best selling products today
E1WL0 TIL that the rock band Kiss used to sell a Kiss-themed casket called the "Kiss Kasket" and that Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul were both buried in one