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TIL Early in his career actor Zero Mostel was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for suspected communist sympathies. During his testimony, Mostel refused to name names, made jokes, and challenged the committee's assertions.

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ob88 TIL of Don LaFontaine. The guy who famously does the “In a World…” voice overs and has done over 5,000 film trailers.
9YE6D TIL In 1511, the governor of Mecca wanted to to close coffee houses, fearing they were centres of uprising. Anyone caught drinking or selling coffee was beaten.
VBpgQ TIL A chinese father hired virtual assassins to continuously kill his son's WoW character to force him to get a job
AeLl TIL that a furious riot that killed upwards of thirty thousand people in ancient Rome was started when a Roman soldier bared his rear and farted toward an audience of Jews celebrating Passover. This is also considered by many to be the first recorded “mooning”.
l7YyB TIL people in London used to celebrate "Frost Fairs" on the river Thames when it froze over allowing pubs, market stalls and events to be set up on the ice (Once there was even a parade of Elephants!).