› added 6 years ago

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TIL about a shortage of dwarf actors to play the Oompa Loompas in 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory', as the Nazis had killed most of the dwarves during WW2.

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P1WOZ TIL Erich Maria Remarque, author of All Quiet on the Western Front, changed the spelling of his last name from Remark to recognize his French ancestors and also because he wanted to distance himself from his earlier book, The Dream Room.
6Er07 TIL a man known only as "Django" drove his own boat out & freed a whale caught in a shark net off an Australian beach (without cutting the net). Before taking action, Django had waited hours for help from officials who had been called; when officials arrived, he faced a fine for acting alone.
xV755 TIL of Sybil Ludington. At 16, she rode twice as far as Paul Revere, 40 miles overnight, to warn of an impending British attack during the American Revolutionary War.
pYE0A TIL Happy Hour Is Banned In These 9 States
Q7yL TIL Indonesia realized dead Manta Rays are worth $500 whereas Manta Ray tourism brought in $1,000,000 over the life of a single Ray. Indonesia is now the largest Manta sanctuary.