› added 3 years ago

103

TIL that Lance Henriksen, who played the iconic role of the synthetic human Bishop in the 1986 film Aliens, was illiterate until the age of 30.

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a8GjZ TIL that pet food manufacturer Purina owned Jack in the Box from the late 60s to the late 80s. In the 80s, they changed the restaurant’s name to “Monterey Jack’s” and overhauled the menu to appeal to an affluent “yuppie” audience. The changes were poorly received and later reversed.
W7wNX TIL that the expressions “ignorance is bliss”, “the end justifies the means” and “honour among thieves” are all attributed to a Roman slave, Publilius Syrus
veXL TIL the US Air Force developed a top-secret plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon as a display of military might at the height of the Cold War. The mathematical modelling for the explosion was done by Carl Sagan.
1ObV TIL Caterpillar, the company renowned for its heavy earth-moving equipment, built a version of Jenga using 600lb blocks.
GYOej TIL: The super rich of Germany are one of the most discreet in the world. This is due to a combination of not wanting to be a subject of envy, some of them deriving their wealth from WW2, and the public perception of the rich is one of the poorest in the world.