› added 3 years ago

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TIL when Britain entered WWI, J. R. R. Tolkien's relatives were shocked that he didn't volunteer for the British Army, which was expected of young men at the time. He later recalled, "It was a nasty cleft to be in for a young man with too much imagination and little physical courage."

xVkek TIL that Rick Riordan conceived the idea for the Percy Jackson series as bedtime stories about ancient Greek heroes for his son Haley. Haley had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, inspiring Riordan to make the titular protagonist ADHD and dyslexic.
xVZg0 TIL about drummer Jim Gordon; once one of the most sought-after session musicians in the recording industry as well as a member of Derek & the Dominoes, he is currently incarcerated at the California Medical Facility after having murdered his 72-year-old mother in 1983.
vPpP4 TIL John Bonham’s iconic drum sound on the Led Zeppelin version of “When the Levee Breaks” was achieved by placing his drums in the stairwell of Headley Grange, a Victorian house in Hampshire, England. The echo created a massive, thundering sound.
4XJLo TIL that in the French city of Strasbourg, there is a 450 litre barrel of wine from 1472 that has only been tasted 3 times - in 1576, 1714, and 1944 (when Strasbourg was liberated from the Nazis)
p8yBp TIL that Georgia Tann kidnapped up to 5000 babies whilst working as a social worker and sold them to the black market over 30 years. Her close friends in high places, such as a tycoon and a judge were able to remove missing persons reports and threaten people with legal action if they pursued.