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TIL in the 18th century, stage actor Robert “Romeo” Coates was so bad, yet self-assured with his acting, that theaters would sell out from sheer curiosity. He’d often act out dramatic death scenes multiple times, frighten Juliet, and once came back on stage with a crowbar to pry open Capulet’s tomb.

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6EMeJ TIL about the "multi-dog experiment". In 1968, Demikhov transplanted a puppy’s head onto the neck of another dog. It was the first "two body-one circulation" system. This taboo experiment which was criticized a lot became the founding principle of the modern heart and lung transplant we have today.
bZLE TIL that after needing 13 liters of blood for a surgery at the age of 13, a man named James Harrison pledged to donate blood once he turned 18. It was discovered that his blood contained a rare antigen which cured Rhesus disease. He has donated blood a record 1,000 times and saved 2,000,000 lives.
Z614 TIL Dave Chappelle converted to Islam in 1998. He said, “I don’t normally talk about my religion publicly because I don’t want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing”.
oBDJY TIL Van Dyke Parks learned of his brother's death from composer Terry Gilkyson, who to help make up for it, offered him a job as arranger on his song "The Bare Necessities" for The Jungle Book in 1963
GVPQ TIL the Russian forename Vladimir/Wladimir is commonly translated as “World Peace”.