› added 8 years ago

5054

TIL The Beatles approached Stanley Kubrick to direct a LOTR movie starring themselves. Tolkien killed the project as a result of his hate for The Beatles. A hate developed after moving 3 doors down from The Beatles in 1964, who irked him with the “indescribable” noise from their practice sessions.

Read more firstthings.com

via reddit.com

x50B TIL: On 12/7/1941, It Was Actually Not Admiral Yamamoto’s Intention To Attack Pearl Harbor Without Any Formal Warning. The 5,000 Word Declaration Of War Had Taken Too Long To Transcribe And Was Not Delivered In Time
4Mog TIL the “Don’t wear white after Labor Day” rule was started by rich housewives after the Civil War. It was a way for woman from “noble old money” who were in the know to recognize those of “vulgar new money.”
W7LJX TIL, Jupiter's upper atmosphere is much hotter (~425°C/800°F) than originally predicted and much hotter at the poles than the equator. Jupiter's magnetic field creates enormous auroras at the poles that heat up the rest of the planet.
7BbX TIL that some older PCs would play Für Elise through their motherboard speakers to indicate hardware failure. Other tunes occasionally heard included “It’s a Small, Small World” and “Eye of the Tiger.”
Ov4g TIL in 1940 two Royal Australian Air Force training airplanes collided in mid-air, becoming locked together. As the aircraft were traveling in the same direction, they became an impromptu biplane and we’re landed safely by the pilot of the upper plane. There were no deaths.