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TIL that in 1978, a year after smallpox was eradicated worldwide, the virus escaped from the lab of professor Henry Bedson. It infected two last patients, including the last person to ever die of smallpox. Bedson, who had been working to rid the world of smallpox, killed himself the next day.

e0vlk TIL time zones were largely created due to the rapid expansion of railroads needing a more accurate way to plan train schedules. Before, each town utilized their own local time based on the sun's position.
yQXoX TIL in the movie "There Will Be Blood", Paul Dano had originally been cast in the smaller role of Paul Sunday. Two weeks into filming, Dano replaced the actor playing Eli Sunday and only had four days to prepare for the much larger role.
LQD0P TIL: 2 of 920 people survived the Jonestown Massacre. Hyacinth, who hid under her bed and Grover Cleveland Davis, who was 79 years old and hard of hearing. He slept unknowingly throughout the death assembly.
R5rga TIL that actor Gary Cooper turned down the role of Rhett Butler in the 1939 film “Gone with the Wind,” and said that the film "is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history". Today, “Gone with the Wind” is the highest grossing movie of all time, adjusted for inflation.
AN9vn TIL In 1935 Krueger’s Cream Ale and Krueger’s Finest Beer were the first beers sold to the public in cans. It was done after a can company offered to install the machines with no charge if the cans weren't successful. They were immediately popular, getting a 91% approval rating with the public.