› added 4 years ago

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TIL Columbus was marooned on the shores of Jamaica in 1503. The indigenous people gave his crew food but were tired of them stealing. After several months of this, they refused to help. Then Columbus used an upcoming blood moon to convince them God was mad at them. They started giving food again.

jNPMX TIL that Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond film but was turned down by Eon Productions. When he told this to George Lucas, Lucas said he had a film that was just like it but even better. The story was about an archaeologist named Indiana.
Pjlw TIL of Robert de La Rochefoucauld, a French saboteur during WWII. He once hid explosives inside loaves of bread and blew up a Nazi munitions plant. Captured, he feigned a seizure in his cell and when a guard opened the door, hit him with a table leg, broke his neck, shot 2 other guards and escaped.
5VegQ TIL that the model characterized in Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' was only officially identified in 2005 as Lisa del Giocondo
nemeB TIL former Ugandan president Idi Amin called himself: "His Excellency, President for Life... Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular", in addition to his claim of being uncrowned King of Scotland.
6E4KY TIL if you try to steal the hood ornament from a Rolls Royce made after 2004, it will instantly retreat into the chassis of the car until the owner rights it. These hood ornaments, called "The Spirit of Ecstasy", cost roughly US $4000 to replace.