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TIL J.R.R. Tolkien sold the film rights to the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy for less than $20,000 in 1969. The films have grossed more than $6 billion worldwide.

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JNNV TIL that Steven Russell escaped from prison by using laxatives to fake the symptoms of AIDS. He then called the prison, posing as a doctor, asking for prisoners interested in an experimental treatment, and volunteered. Once out of Texas, he sent death certificates to the prison stating he had died
jN5wp TIL Tom Hanks and Dan Ackroyd did a rap /dance video for their movie Dragnet
KYZ9w TIL about the event known as the Dancing Plague of 1518, where hundreds of people in Strasbourg danced uncontrollably for days without rest, leading to numerous deaths from heart attack, stroke, and exhaustion
RMv8 TIL Sir Robert Baden-Powel was able to disguise fortress plans in drawings of the wings of butterflies. He later incorporated his observation techniques into Scouting for Boys, the founding tome of the Scout movement.
lo675 TIL: 27 years ago, Sinead O'Connor tore up the pope's picture on national TV. When performing a cover of Marley's "War" on SNL, rewriting a few of the lyrics to address child abuse. As she finished the song she produced and tore to shreds a photograph of the Pope shouting, "Fight the real enemy!"