› added 8 years ago

115

TIL J.R.R. Tolkien taught himself Finnish at 18, just so he could read one book, the Kalevala–which he used as a basis for Middle Earth legendarium.

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via reddit.com

Lb5P TIL that in 2007 two teams of armed intruders stormed their way into a nuclear plant used to store weapons grade uranium from South Africa’s decommissioned arsenal. The coordinated assault was thwarted by an off-duty firefighter, a plant employee, and their dog.
nea0o TIL Although rarely seen alive, in 2015 a Giant squid swam into a harbor near Tokyo on Christmas Eve. A diver jumped into the water to film and swam close to the squid for several minutes before it returned to the ocean.
0w4M5 TIL One year after graduating from West Point near the top of his class in 2008, Second Lt. Lawrence J Franks Jr got on a plane to Paris & spent the next 5 years in the French Foreign Legion under an assumed name. Afterward he turned himself in to the US Army & was sentenced to 4 years for desertion
jNyNa TIL that St. Valentine the saint of romantics and lovers is also the patron saint of epilepsy.
Bg1XD TIL Kit Harington auditioned for “Game of Thrones” with a black eye after getting involved in a fight at McDonald’s the night before. The fight was because someone called his date an “ugly pig”. Kit ended up getting the role of Jon Snow and thought the black eye may have helped him land the role.