› added 2 years ago

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TIL the Tolkien Estate sued Dungeons & Dragons for using the words dragon, dwarf, elf, ent, goblin, hobbit, orc, balrog, and warg. As a result, all but hobbit, ent, and balrog were ruled as public domain.

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6EaDX TIL that a man sued Warner Bros after he was injured while fainting during a screening of The Exorcist. He claimed that the film contained subliminal messages that caused his fainting spell. When he lost consciousness, his face hit one of the seats, breaking his jaw. They settled out of court.
9YJy7 TIL that the American Rock Band ‘The Postal Service’ was sent a cease and desist letter by the United States Postal Service for trademark infringement of their name. After negotiations, the USPS allowed the band to use their name in exchange for playing a free show at their national conference.
pYdnQ TIL: Javier Milei, newly elected president of Argentina, plans to convert to Judaism
Y7ayZ TIL Former U.S. President Martin Van Buren argued with Congress over whether he could keep two pet tigers in the White House.
BgveW TIL Sam White, a Virginia Civil War collector, was killed in 2008 when a 140 year old high explosive cannonball he was restoring detonated in his driveway. The explosion was powerful enough to send chunks of shrapnel up to 1/4 mile away. There were 18 more cannonballs in his driveway at the time.