› added 10 months ago

42

TIL The hit song 'St Elmo's Fire' was written in just two hours. Although the song was part of the movie soundtrack, the lyrics were actually inspired by the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen, who was traveling around the world, via his wheelchair, to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

LQx0d TIL that in 1978, Kim Jong Il abducted the famous South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee and her then ex-husband, director Shin Sang-ok, in order to make North Korean propaganda films. Shin attempted to flee and was imprisoned for 3 years before finally agreeing to shoot the films. They escaped in 1986.
GY7nJ TIL: (1906) Long after slavery was abolished there was a caged african man and monkey on display in the Bronx Zoo. Ota Benga later on committed suicide.
N7Dv6 TIL that up to 1980 there were only 5 English medieval longbows known to still exist. In 1980, 137 longbows in excellent condition were recovered from the wreck of King Henry VIII's naval ship, the Mary Rose, which had capsized in the 1500s.
D8XJ TIL Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix because he was unsure about the ambitious special effects. Nicholas Cage, Val Kilmer, and Brad Pitt also turned down the role. The Wachowski’s wanted Johnny Depp but the studio pushed for Keanu Reeves.
5YD4n TIL Larry David made a “no hugging, no learning” rule for the 1990's hit sitcom Seinfeld scripts. He didn't want the characters to have sentimental revelations. It was a show about four friends, none with particularly active goals, bantering in between moments of recognizable awkwardness.