› added 11 years ago

121

TIL during the filming of A Clockwork Orange Malcolm McDowell suffered cracked ribs when an actor kicked him in the chest; almost drowned when his head was held underwater; and got a scratch in the cornea of his eye. Kubrick said.“Let’s carry on, I’ll favor your other eye”

Y8wZ TIL that Japan addresses don’t have street names. Addresses are from largest to smallest units = Prefecture(city) - ward - district - block - building number.
DQLPe TIL America has never had a Vietnam veteran as President—Democrats & Republicans nominated a Vietnam War veteran for President three elections in a row in 2000, 2004, and 2008—each time coming short of winning the White House.
gAj7 TIL that the U.S. government produced 500,000 Purple Heart medals to prepare for the 1945 invasion of Japan. When the operation never took place, the medals were placed in storage and distributed. All military action since then (including Korea and Vietnam) still has not depleted the supply.
RXgQ TIL the Roman Emperor Vespasian hated philosophers, seeing them as “unmanly complainers who talked too much.” One philosopher was banished to an island and still criticized Vespasian, so the Emperor sent a message: “You are doing everything to force me to kill you, but I do not slay a barking dog.”
m1N6Y TIL that on April 23 1953 Dwight D Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10450 which banned homosexuals from working for the federal government or any of its private contractors. An estimated 5000-10,000 people lost their jobs because of this policy, now known as the "lavender scare".