› added 4 months ago

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TIL in 2009 a couple in Colorado claimed their son had been blown away in a homemade balloon, starting a statewide manhunt that gained worldwide attention. It was later revealed to be an elaborate hoax as their child was hiding in their home. The incident led to criminal charges for the parents.

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bab4 TIL that in 2006, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia launched a $1.2 million program to retrain prostitutes as nursing-home caregivers. A supporter explained they had “good people skills, aren’t easily disgusted, and have zero fear of physical contact.”
j6MLM TIL Anthony Daniels (b. 1946) is the only actor to have either appeared in or been involved with all nine films in the Star Wars series. (C-3PO)
7r6EP TIL that L. Frank Baum, the author of the famous children's book, "the Wizard of Oz," called for the genocide of American Indians, writing in 1890 and 1891 that "in order to protect our civilization . . . wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth"
KYGe4 TIL that in addition to being the youngest EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner, fastest to achieve EGOT, and only EGOT winner twice over, songwriter Robert Lopez (who wrote music for such works as Disney's Frozen) broke the previous record of fastest to achieve EGOT previously held by...himself.
GYyy5 TIL that in Tina Fey's childhood, her parents allowed her to watch Young Frankenstein, SNL, Monty Python, Marx Brothers, and the Honeymooners, but she was not allowed to watch The Flintstones.