› added 6 years ago

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TIL the US sent 15-year MLB veteran Moe Berg to a 1944 lecture given by Werner Heisenberg (of uncertainty principle fame) with orders to shoot Heisenberg if his lecture indicated that the Germans were close to completing an atomic bomb.

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via reddit.com

vWr4 TIL that the movie “Castaway” increased FedEx’s business world wide. After they didn’t even ask for money to be featured in it.
OGjdL TIL Hoka shoes were initially designed for downhill running and are named after the Māori language phrase meaning "to fly"
n9r TIL that, in a July 2007 poll surveying Russian 16-19 year olds, half of the respondents agreed that Stalin was a “good leader.” 54% said that he did more good than bad.
5YReR TIL The CIA released details of what Osama Bin Laden had in his compound. He owned the Chicken Little movie.
gM5e8 TIL George Lucas' choice of John Williams as the composer for Star Wars was due to a recommendation from Steven Spielberg, who worked with Williams on the film 'Jaws'