› added 2 weeks ago

7

TIL about Alvin Straight, an American man who travelled 240 miles on a riding lawn mower from Laurens, Iowa to Blue River, Wisconsin to visit his ailing brother in 1994.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

690mX TIL that green/blue screens were actually developed in the 1930s
QNxjd TIL that Beethoven originally dedicated the Symphony No 3 to Napoleon Bonaparte. However Beethoven withdrew the dedication upon learning that Napoleon crowned himself Emperor.
vPEx4 TIL that in 1992 the US Postal service held a vote over whether official stamp of Elvis Presley should depict Elvis as a young man or later in life. After over 1.2 million ballots, young Elvis won with 75% of the vote, and would become one of the most popular commemorative stamps of all time.
pYnXA TIL in 2013, two men escaped prison by helicopter , but got caught a few hours later
jNvpp TIL that, contrary to popular belief, depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in one's brain. Instead, it occurs due to a combination of many factors, including faulty mood regulation, genetic vulnerability, stressful life events, medications, or medical problems.