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TIL in 1898 Andrew Carnegie was so opposed to the American annexation of the Philippines he offered to personally refund the $20million the US spent purchasing it from Spain in exchange if it meant the islands would be granted independence.

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6EXd8 TIL Mehmed the Conqueror requested his father, who had abdicated earlier, to come back and claim the throne in time of trouble by saying: "If you are the Sultan, come and lead your armies. If I am the Sultan I hereby order you to come and lead my armies."
LQ60m TIL some states have "Dead red" laws, which, if you're on a motorcycle or moped that is too light or not large enough to trip the sensor that changes the light from red to green, you're legally allowed to run the red light after waiting a reasonable amount of time.
b9PQN TIL Johnny Knoxville turned down a spot on SNL. SNL saw a demo tape of his show Jackass and offered him a spot on the show. However, he turned it down "because he wanted to work with his friends and have full control of his work."
Z8lLR TIL that in 2003, MTV aired an adult cartoon called Clone High which features clones of historical figures in high school. It was canceled after one season because it caused mass protest in India and even hunger strikes over its portrayal of Ghandi as a party animal
rRlQx TIL that in 1999, Philip Morris attempted to convince the government of the Czech Republic that smoking was highly beneficial to the country, as more people would die earlier as a result, thus letting the government save millions on pensions, hospitals, and housing for elderly citizens.