› added 4 years ago

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TIL that the author of the Perry Mason book series, Erle Stanley Gardner, also founded The Court of Last Resort, which helped those who had been convicted because of poor legal representation; misinterpretation of forensic evidence; or careless and malicious actions of police and prosecutors.

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P1ayL TIL The success of Rollerball (1975) led to promoters wanting to buy the rights to the in-film sport. The director, Norman Jewison, was outraged as the movie was to show the "sickness and insanity of contact sports and their allure."
N7Bk6 TIL that the Rwandan Genocide, which had a rate of 6 people being killed every minute for 3 months, has left 73% of it's survivors diaspora in Finland traumatised after 22 years.
V8eD TIL The reason hurricanes and cyclones have human names is that the original meteorologist to name them, Clement Wragge, began naming them after politicians he didn’t like. This let him say they were ‘causing great distress’ or 'wandering aimlessly’.
p8Obb TIL that a U-2 spy plane lands via a "controlled crash" every time because its massive wingspan makes it difficult to maneuver and there are no wheels on the sides (only front and back). When the plane finally tips to one side, the titanium skid pads under the wings help bring it to a stop.
Kml9 TIL the couple kissing on the bridge as Tinkerbell flies Peter Pan away from London to Neverland in “Hook” are Carrie Fisher and George Lucas.