› added 4 years ago

177

TIL prolific film actor John Carradine died after climbing the 328 steps of Milan's cathedral at the start of a European vacation. His actor son David was with him, reading Shakespeare to him when he succumbed, and John's final words were reportedly "Milan: What a beautiful place to die"

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

VRDG TIL a study where stradivaris and new violins were blind-tested has shown that most people prefer the sound of the newer instruments
69mmY TIL that the current image of Santa Claus originated in the 19th century by Dutch immigrants who brought the legend of Sinterklaas to New Amsterdam.
W7ExY TIL the 1970 song “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry was used in a 1990s UK advertisement for a campaign against drunk-driving, because of the lyric “have a drink, have a drive, go out and see what you can find.” The ad showed a group of drinkers at a rural pub getting killed when their car crashes.
8eYJV TIL in 1943 the greek destroyer Adrias was struck by a german mine and lost its bow. The ship that came to its rescue was also struck, so Adrias saved its would be rescuers and after some minor repairs, Cmdr Ioannis Toumbas succesfully sailed through enemy waters to reach the port of Alexandria
KYN99 TIL Of the 45 persons who have served as President of the United States, at least half have displayed proficiency in speaking or writing a language other than English. Of these, only one, Martin Van Buren, learned English as his second language; his first language was Dutch.