› added 11 years ago

127

TIL the cars that were given away by Oprah cost the recipients up to $7,000 due to the fact they were marketed as a prize instead of a gift (the latter is not taxed). Many had to forfeit their prize or sell it if they could not afford their “free car”.

Read more books.google.com

via reddit.com

7rk6X TIL that author Joe Hill, Stephen King's son, went ten years of successful independent writing before announcing his relationship to his dad - not even his agent knew.
a9VM TIL that His Holiness the Dalai Lama feels that the institution of the Dalai Lama has served its purpose and considers himself to be semi-retired.
keP1 TIL: Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni and cheese to the US
oReoL TIL that the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was written about a road in Maryland, by a songwriter from Massachusetts that was living in Washington, DC, and had never visited West Virginia.
8aGL8 TIL about the Tenerife Airport Disaster when, on a day in which there was fog heavy enough to reduce visibility to less than 500 yards, two Boeing 747s had a head-on collision at the runway that resulted in 583 casualties and the deadliest accident in aviation history.