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TIL the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were based on the Vietcong guerillas who faced a more technologically advanced foe but originally the events on Endor were to be set on the Wookie home planet. It was changed because Wookies had become technologically skilled over the evolution of the series.

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kJ6Xd TIL that Happy Days producers intentionally sought a short actor to play Fonzie. They didn't want his character to overshadow the rest of the cast who were all under 6 feet tall.Despite their intent, Henry Winkler (5' 6") still became the breakout star.
wLyN6 TIL that what I thought was a knife sharpener isn’t actually a knife sharpener at all. It is called a honing steel. It realigns a curled edge on the knife to straighten out your blade. And now I need to buy an actual knife sharpener.
6ExdX TIL Oranienburg is considered "the most dangerous city in Germany." Not because of crime, but because of the hundreds of unexploded bombs and other ordinance from WWII. As of 2017, there's an estimated 350-400 bombs still buried in the city.
QNVkE TIL that Thomas Edison not only did not invent the incandescent light, but it had been around in some form for over a century before him. He improved upon inventions which has been invented gradually as early as 1705, and had been in its present form (a glass bulb powered by arc lamp) since 1802.
VMarB TIL British breweries donated free beer to soldiers during WWII, but after D-Day, there was no room for it on the ships going across the English Channel. Spitfire mechanics and pilots worked together to modify pylons to carry beer kegs and deliver brews to the troops. Flying high enough chilled it.