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TIL that while filming Mimic, director Guillermo del Toro's father was kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded $1 million but del Toro already put all his money into the movie. James Cameron came in and gave him the $1 million in cash while also recommending a negotiator.

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J1wEl TIL that in Ireland 40 years ago, Malcolm MacArthur, a socialite with a yen for bow ties and cravats, bludgeoned a woman to death, killed a farmer with his own shotgun then attempted to rob a US diplomat. He was found in the apartment of the Irish attorney general, who had hosted him as a guest.
oRBM8 TIL A Washington DC Judge filed a $54 million lawsuit against a small dry cleaner for losing his pants
1aGPW TIL that SETI scientists believed that the chances for finding intelligent extraterrestrial life were far greater than initially expected, since Earth developed two intelligent species - humans, and dolphins.
m1Y9o TIL that in mediaeval England, an area of special legal jurisdiction extended around the monarch and his court and traveled with him. Legal cases that arose within a 12-mile radius of the monarch (known as the "verge") were tried before a Court of the Verge.
4XOxR TIL that in 1997 when the Methuen Mall closed, Applebee's refused to leave. For two years the mall was completely empty, save for the single Applebee's. The mall was demolished around the Applebee's, leaving the restaurant alone on a 60-acre lot until a lengthy legal battle forced them to leave.