› added 8 years ago

195

TIL Snuffeupagus became a real character (instead of Big Bird’s imaginary friend) because of a string of high profile child sexual abuse cases. The writers didn’t want children to be afraid of telling their parents about being abused because of the fear of not being believed.

Read more mentalfloss.com

via reddit.com

XGWX TIL “Little Mama” is believed to be the oldest chimpanzee in captivity, born in Africa in 1938.
R7yaj TIL that Chris Matheson, one of the co-writers of the Bill and Ted franchise, is the son of legendary sci-fi author Richard Matheson (I Am Legend).
GYMjj TIL that Robert Oppenheimer, "the father of the atom bomb" and the head of the Manhattan Project, once tried to poison his advisor for making him do experimental work instead of theoretical physics.
D1Kgr TIL That the US state of Vermont is paying people $10,000 to have people move there and work remotely for an out of state employer
NXYx6 TIL that in 1835, Richard Lawrence attempted to assassinate President Andrew Jackson, marking the first such attempt on a sitting U.S. president. Lawrence's two pistols both misfired, allowing Jackson who was 67 at the time to respond by beating him with his cane until he was restrained.