› added 5 years ago

467

TIL the tradition of firing guns as a salute was originally a sign of peaceful intentions. Since guns and cannons needed to be reloaded after each shot, firing your gun in the air essentially rendered you "unarmed."

Read more history.army.mil

via reddit.com

Kvb9 TIL Enya owns a castle and it is fortified to keep out crazed stalkers who attack the staff.
rNmD1 TIL that Jeremy Clarkson was able to say goodbye to his dad due to the Porsche 928's ability to maintain serious speed for extended periods.
dp7Z TIL that Jean Sylvain Bailly, the mayor of Paris and a renowned scientist was executed during the Reign of Terror. While being led to the guillotine a member of the crowd mocked “Do you tremble, Bailly” and was met with the response “Yes but only from the cold”.
7paP TIL in 2006 a man was able to buy $150 of groceries with a fake $200 bill. The front side had a picture of George Bush and the reverse a picture of the white house with various signs on the lawn, one sign said “WE LIKE BROCCOLI”.
GYE01 TIL the marriage of Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame (It's A Wonderful Life) to director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without A Cause) ended in 1950 when he walked in on her in bed with his 13-year-old son -- Her stepson. She secretly married the boy ten years later.