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TIL that the long-standing notion of late WWII 'Kamikaze' pilots as hyper-nationalist zealots was largely fiction. Many pilots were reluctantly drawn from the educated and liberal in Japan, and many expressed frustration at the futility of their nation's cause and the sanctity of the Emperor.

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kOJNE TIL In 1979 a stadium hosted Disco Demolition Night. Cost was ¢99 if you brought a disco record. 50,000 people showed up to see them blow up the records in between games. Thousands rushed the field in a frenzy. This is referred to as “The Night Disco Died” and is linked to the decline of the genre
E1dEd TIL in 1978 Charlie Chaplin's grave was dug up and his body was stolen. The thieves attempted to ransom his corpse for $600,000
Y7JPZ TIL: In 1956, France banned the serving of alcohol to children under the age of 14 in the school canteens. Prior to that, school children had the right to drink half a litre of wine, cider or beer with their meals. In 1981 France implemented a total alcohol ban in the country’s schools.
b60Aa TIL about Toto Koopman, a Dutch-Indonesian model who worked as a spy for the Dutch Resistance in WWII, escaped imprisonment several times, pretended to be a nurse and forged papers to rescue women from the gas chamber and later became an archaeologist as well as found an influential art gallery.
k4Lg TIL: The youngest king ever was Alfonso XIII of Spain, who became king the day he was born.