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TIL Gene Wilder agreed to play Willy Wonka on the condition that when he made his first appearance, he’d be allowed to limp, trip over his cane and bounce back up to great applause. When asked why, he said, “Because from that time on, no one will know if I’m lying or telling the truth.”

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xkeD TIL “Paradoxical intention” is an effective method for falling asleep whereby you close your eyes and try your best to stay awake.
vP0rr TIL Union Monument in Vanceburg, Kentucky is the only monument honoring Union soldiers south of the Mason-Dixon line that is not in a cemetery
kOBke TIL Forty years ago, a prominent designer received a call from an undergrad architecture student who told him that a design flaw in his 59-story Manhattan skyscraper could cause it to collapse during a storm. Initially he scoffed, then disturbingly, figured that she was right...
8OOG TIL that Jenna Miscavige Hill, daughter of Scientology leader David Miscavige, first learned of the church’s closely-guarded secret doctrines concerning aliens via the “South Park” episode “Trapped in the Closet”
9wLyp TIL that William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, served five English kings, was once held hostage as a child, and later became regent for a young King Henry III. He was also a legendary knight who won over 500 tournaments and joined the Knights Templar on his deathbed.