TIL that cybernetics (a system's actions or outputs that are fed back into the system as inputs so constant adjustments can be made to the system) was created by Norbert Wiener after working on anti aircraft guns in WW2

TIL Dorothy Gibson, actress and passenger on the Titanic, starred as herself in a film based on the tragedy. It was released 31 days after the Titanic’s sinking and was her last film, as she suffered a mental breakdown afterwards.

TIL of Forefathers' Day, a regional holiday celebrated in Plymouth, Massachusetts, every year on December 22. Established in 1769 as a day of "filial piety", it eventually became obscure after the emergence and popularity of Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863.

TIL that Dr. Pepper is classified by the United States Food and Drug Administration as neither a cola, root beer, or fruit-flavored soft drink. Instead, it is described as a “pepper soda,” a category named for the brand itself.

TIL in 1995 Michael Chrichton had the #1 bestselling book, movie, and TV show simultaneously: The Lost World, Jurassic Park and E.R.

TIL that 2.4 billion years ago, the evolution of oxygen-producing bacteria caused a mass extinction. Oxygen was toxic to the planet's existing life, and its reaction with methane triggered a "Snowball Earth" ice age that lasted 300 million years.

TIL the town of Swastika, Canada had its name changed to "Winston" during WW2. Residents replaced the Winston sign with a new Swastika sign, saying "To hell with Hitler, we came up with our name first."