› added 3 years ago

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TIL that in the 1940s, filmmaker Orson Welles was under investigation by the FBI as they believed he had ties to communist activities because of his film “Citizen Kane”. He was considered such a threat that the FBI had him on a list of people who should be apprehended in case of a national emergency

oy5o TIL that Iceland let its banks fail instead of bailing them out. In 2008, the country started over from square one after paying off loans for consumers, forgiving homeowner debt, and throwing the offenders responsible in prison. Its economy is now growing faster than the US and European economies.
nejpG TIL four-legged herbivores such as cows and horses have "stay apparatus" in their legs -- tendons and ligaments that allow them to remain standing with minimal muscular effort. However, while this allows them to doze while standing, they can enter REM sleep and dream only while lying down.
8arxP TIL In 1962, Decca Records turned down a band auditioning with them, by saying "guitar groups are on the way out". The band they turned down: the Beatles, who later sold more than 600 million albums worldwide.
a8e80 TIL that several tufts of George Washington's hair are preserved at Mount Vernan inside various frames, paper, and jewelry. (He wore his natural hair long, and refrained from using a wig, which was fashionable at the time.)
LkrGv TIL that a BA pilot named Tim Lancaster in 1990 was sucked out of the cockpit. His crew held on to him. Lancaster lived to tell the tale.