› added 10 years ago

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TIL in 1999, Ben Stiller made a pilot starring Jack Black as a former astronaut. He was exposed to inappropriate levels of solar energy, giving him superintelligence. And Owen Wilson played Heat Vision, a talking motorcycle.

e09eD TIL of the Astor Place Riot of 1849, in which 22-31 people died and over 120 were injured in a riot stemming from a dispute over whether an American or a British actor was the best Shakespearean actor
grP5b TIL Colin Farrell was accused of murder in Australia. The thing that got him off was that his friend had a diary entry saying that they done ecstasy together that day - on the opposite side of the city from where the murder took place
1aD0D TIL when German Instrument of Surrender was signed on May 7, 1945, Allies' journalists were banned from reporting it until Soviet Union hosted the repeat signing on May 8. Edward Kennedy from AP violated the ban, was subsequently ostracized, fired, and apologized to 60 years later.
Km4B TIL even though statues from Ancient Egypt portray pharaohs as thin and healthy, archaeological evidence (analysis of mummies) reveals that most of them were diabetic, had heart disease and had bad teeth due to having a diet rich in sugar.
5Yewp TIL of Punch and Judy, a popular puppet show from the 1600s. In the show, Punch usually ends up killing his baby, his wife, a policeman, the devil and a variety of other characters by beating them with his ‘slapstick’. The phrase “pleased as punch” comes from Punch’s gleeful self-satisfaction.