Post * OljY — Curious Curator

› added 9 years ago

66

TIL that the only recorded instance of a cavalry capturing an enemy’s ships occurred in the unusually cold winter of 1795, when most of the waterways in Northern Europe froze over and the French cavalry were able to charge out onto a frozen port to capture the Dutch fleet stranded there

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OoVPL TIL action movie star Steve McQueen was offered the leading role of Close Encounters by Steven Spielberg, but McQueen declined since he couldn't cry on cue. Spielberg offered to remove the scene but McQueen said it was the best part of the film.

V89p TIL: When Paris was liberated in 1944, British and American commanders wanted only white soldiers be involved in the leading French unit, despite the french army being only 40% white - all black soldiers were taken out of an available unit and replaced by white ones from other units.

JY5KV TIL: Southern American's stereotype of being lazy, stupid mouth breathers comes from a widespread infection of hook worm.

xlm1 TIL Wrigley’s was originally founded as a baking powder selling company, adding free chewing gums to it’s packaging. The gum became more popular than the original product and the company decided to focus on the gums only.

9YAQ7 TIL Linda Ronstadt, one of the biggest artists of all time, had trouble getting backing musicians because they didn't want to be sidemen to a woman. One of her backing bands included Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who would go on to form the Eagles, also one of the biggest artists of all time.