› added 5 years ago

165

TIL that the 'low man on the totem pole' is actually the most important person on a totem pole

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b91B0 TIL that the largest Yakuza family had a tradition of handing out Halloween candy to trick or treaters
QJPK9 TIL the creators of Spam sued Jim Henson Productions for using the name "Spa'am" for one of Muppet Treasure Island's pig characters. The judge dismissed the suit after trial for failure to prove damages, noting, "one might think Hormel would welcome the association with a genuine source of pork."
D1xEY TIL that Charles J. Guiteau, the assassin of former U.S. President James A. Garfield, specifically chose to use a revolver with an ivory handle because he wanted it to look good as a museum exhibit after the assassination.
VBWxm TIL A cog is not a gear, but a single tooth on a gear. This makes the phrase "a cog in a machine" that much more demeaning.
X0DG6 TIL One day before the end of WW2, the German Cruise Liner, SS Cap Arcona was attacked and sunk by the RAF. The ship was used to hold concentration camp prisoners and 5000 were killed. Swedish intelligence had passed this information to the allies but it wasn't forwarded to the RAF.