› added 3 years ago

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TIL that the LEGO company, ever since its creation in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, has been a family business. Its current owner is the creator's grandson, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.

6EkYw TIL that KGB spy Oleg Lyalin was caught when he was pulled over for drunk driving and bragged to the police officer that he was a KGB spy. He went on to defect, exposing over 100 other spies in England.
R7MJw TIL the chocolate milk was invented by Irishman Hans Sloane in the 1680s when he was in Jamaica. He found the locals' mix of chocolate and water nauseating and used milk instead. He then brought chocolate milk to Europe where it was sold as medicine.
0wx1v TIL that one of the top security experts at the FBI, Frank Abagnale, was also one of the most successful con-mans of all time. He posed as a pilot to travel for free on over 250 flights to 25 countries aged between 16-18, and had scammed his father out of $28k (adjusted for inflation) aged just 15.
JYQd8 TIL It's impossible to get an original theatrical cut of Star Wars. Every single release that can be obtained has been altered in some way. Even some of the later theatrical releases in the 70's had changes done to them.
gLEA TIL when Facebook users voted for Taylor Swift to perform at a school for deaf students as a prank, the school was removed from the contest, but Swift donated $10K to the school, 4 companies matched her donation, VH1 gave $10k in instruments, & Swift gave the students tickets to her Boston concert.