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TIL that the word "mortgage" literally means "death-pledge" in French

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9QyQ TIL that despite making $475 million at the box office, against a $32.5 million budget, Return of the Jedi is still shown as not making any profit, on paper, thus denying the actor who played Darth Vader any residuals.
epZ1g TIL Wisconsin produces over half of all cranberries in the world. 5% is sold fresh: majority is for sauce, juice, dried fruit, etc. Settlers called the fruit “crane berry” cause the blossoms resemble the head of a Sandhill crane. It takes about 4,400 cranberries to make 1 gallon of juice.
BrZgb TIL "Urgent Call for Unity" was an appeal to defeat the Nazis. It was signed by German scientists, authors and artists in advance of the German federal election in 1932. The appeal was unsuccessful, Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor, and the Nazis were able to consolidate power.
16xvW TIL in 2006, sportscaster Al Michaels was traded from ESPN to NBCUniversal as a part of a deal that got Disney the full rights to the animated character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
w15P TIL in 1991, the little plastic ball in cans of Guinness won the Queens Award for Technological Advancement, beating the Internet and Email.