69rR8 TIL that the late James Horner, the acclaimed composer behind iconic scores for films like Braveheart and Titanic, began his career writing music for horror movies.
wogJP TIL: Glitch is a Yiddish word derived from glitsh, for slippery place, and from glitshn, meaning to slide, or glide. It was initially used in the 40s by radio announcers to indicate on-air mistakes
R5Pv4 TIL the United States actually achieved legal independence from Britain with the passage of the Lee Resolution, two days prior to the Declaration of Independence. Wrote John Adams: "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America"
W7BvN TIL that The Gambia and Tobago were colonised by the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia - now part of Latvia. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Latvian Duchy was unable to hold on to its colonial possessions for very long.
9wEOM TIL some Reptiles and Amphibians have orgies. Known as "mating balls," numerous individuals cluster together while engaging in sexual reproduction, for mutual warmth during cold weather.
nWgBo TIL that in the 1952 Texas gubernatorial election, incumbent Allan Shivers ran on both the Democratic and Republican tickets, beating himself 73%-25%.
4kl9g TIL of Maria of Brabant, Duchess of Bavaria, who was executed by her husband, Duke Louis of Bavaria, in 1256 after he accused her of adultery but it was later revealed he had no valid evidence for it
x6gJ5 TIL that the McDonald's #1 Store Museum, "officially" the first McDonald's, is actually a replica of the ninth restaurant location, which was torn down and rebuilt in 1985. The company refers to it as the original because it was the first opened after former CEO Ray Kroc joined the company.
epvO6 TIL of Janet Parker from the University of Birmingham Medical School. She likely contracted smallpox via air ducts in her office via a lab where researchers kept samples. Within 4 weeks she was dead, her father died of a heart attack visiting her in the hospital and her boss cut his own throat.
VBrm0 TIL Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama (the one responsible for choosing the next Dalai Lama), was abducted in 1995 by the Chinese government when he was only 6 years old. He has not been seen or heard from since.
X0Yvk TIL that in January 2010, the city of Black Hawk, Colorado forbade riding bicycles in their streets (except for town locals). The law was later reversed by the Colorado Supreme Court in 2013, primarily on grounds that Black Hawk never provided alternative paths for bicycle riders.
OGXAa TIL about Clem the only wild american alligator caught in the state of Arizona