› added 2 months ago

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TIL that Viacom/Paramount had a first-look option on buying Marvel Entertainment when Ike Perlmutter wanted to sell the company off but Viacom CEO Phillipe Dauman turned down an acquisition due to the company's cost-cutting moves. The result was that Disney ended up acquiring Marvel for $4B in 2009.

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via reddit.com

QJAWE TIL that the tradition of Popes adopting a papal name started with Pope John II, who was named Mercurius at birth and thought bearing the name of a pagan god was inappropriate.
vpK8 TIL Retired NYC subway cars are thrown into the Atlantic Ocean to help create artificial reefs.
X0jDP TIL: FDR's grandfather made his fortune snuggling opium into China; igniting the first war with European powers when the Emperor tried to enforce drug laws.
Z8d8v TIL Jewish people were forced to wear badges or other identifying items centuries before Nazi Germany in both the Islamic world and medieval Europe
WkgEN TIL December 25th is the anniversary of Chinese activist Qian Yunhui's death, who was held down in front of then ran over by a large truck.