› added 11 years ago

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TIL that after Kenny Waters was convicted of murder, his sister put herself through college and law school to prove his innocence. She worked with the Innocence Project to get DNA tested, and he was freed. The 2010 movie “Conviction”, starring Hillary Swank, was based on his story.

Read more innocenceproject.org

via reddit.com

0wlYy TIL that George R.R. Martin continued to use his DOS word processor WordStar4 from the 1980s until 2011
KOaBQ TIL the use of the term "starboard" to denote the right side of a ship is so-called because they were originally navigated with a steering oar on that side. “stéor bord” in Old English literally means “steering side”. When tying up, the dock always had to be positioned on the left, hence “port”.
xg0b TIL that Patrick Stewart signed a 6-year contract for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” because he, his agent, and others with whom Stewart consulted all believed that the new TV show would quickly fail, and he would return to his Shakespearean career after making some money.
yQEgp TIL that Caesar’s last words to Brutus (‘Kai su, teknon’, literally ‘You too, child’) may have been intended along the lines of ‘See you in hell, punk’, rather than as an expression of shock at being stabbed by one he had treated like a son, because the words ‘kai su’ often appear on curse tablets.
OoKAg TIL We call athletic uniforms “Jerseys” because that’s where the wool for the clothing came from (however now, jerseys are more commonly made from nylon).