› added 4 years ago

185

TIL in 2001, Russell Crowe was the target of a plan by Al-Qaeda to cause "cultural destabilization" through the kidnappings of high-profile actors

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

ZpDWa TIL For cousins, the degree or position refers to how many generations your eldest cousin has to skip to get to their common ancestor, and the removal refers to how many generations your eldest cousin has to move to get to you
aekZ TIL in 1893 without Presidential approval, marines stormed Hawaii, raising the stars and stripes in HONOLULU. President Grover Cleveland thought Americans had acted shamefully and tried to withdraw the annexation treaty from the Senate and ordered an investigation into potential wrongdoings.
b9MY0 TIL about Kopperl, a town in Texas, that had a heat burst which caused hurricane forced winds, the temperature to reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and ears of corn to be roasted on the cob. Neighboring towns were not affected.
Lk4jQ TIL of Jean de Breiteuil, a late 60's UCLA student and heroin dealer to major musicians of the day. In addition to being a main supplier to a young Keith Richards, he was with Janis Joplin a few days before her death in Los Angeles, and Jim Morrison died in Breituil's bathtub in Paris in 1971.
lokVr TIL that Jerri Blank's character in Strangers with Candy was based off of Florrie Fisher, a former addict and prostitute turned motivational speaker who was a cult icon for her outlandish stories shared with high school students in the 1960s and 70s.