› added 7 years ago

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TIL that news channels owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group are required to do 'must-run' segments. Which is a centralized system of mandating news stories, reports or segments at all 193 (soon 233) stations that SBG owns

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GA1ZQ TIL that in the 1940s, filmmaker Orson Welles was under investigation by the FBI as they believed he had ties to communist activities because of his film “Citizen Kane”. He was considered such a threat that the FBI had him on a list of people who should be apprehended in case of a national emergency
ZpPRY TIL John Travolta was first considered for Forrest Gump but declined, opening the door for Tom Hanks. Bill Murray was also considered. Joe Pesci was a contender for Lieutenant Dan, but Gary Sinise got the role. Dave Chappelle rejected the role of Benjamin Buford Blue, thinking the film would flop.
WAEB TIL that during Civil War, a person can pay $300 to escape the draft. The rationalization for this was that unwilling troops were ineffective so the government might as well extract funds to be used as war funds from the unwilling if it got poor service.
R7kv8 TIL of America’s first bank robbery, of $162,821, the thief was caught because he deposited the money back into the same bank.
VMKG8 TIL In 2005 war games, a Swedish submarine called HSMS Gotland was able to sneak through the sonar defenses of the US Navy Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan and its entire accompanying group, and (virtually)sank the US Aircraft carrier on its own and still got away without getting detected.