› added 8 years ago

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TIL when JJ Abrams chose to have John Williams score The Force Awakens, he gave his frequent composer/collaborator Michael Giacchino a role as stormtrooper FN-3181 in the raid on Jakku as an apology.

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X0Am8 TIL in 1925, a forger convinced Portugal's money printer to make him 200,000 bills, worth ~1% of Portugal's GDP. They were easily laundered, since they weren't actually counterfeit. To cover his tracks, he started buying a controlling interest in the Bank of Portugal, but was caught. He was 28.
oX9E TIL once Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World Max Baer wore a Star of David during his title match against Hitler’s favorite fighter, Max Schmeling. Baer won the bout and continued wearing the Star of David throughout the remainder of his career.
Wkn58 TIL that Marie Antoinette’s last words were, “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur.” She stepped on her executioner’s foot on her way to the guillotine.
ppKe TIL of the Harvard Computers. Edward Pickering decided to hire a team of women after his increasing frustrations with his male assistants. He declared that his maid could do a better job so he hired his maid, and subsequently a team of women whom soon discovered how to measure distances of stars.
v8gr TIL that a cat named Tama is a manager at a railway station in Japan, a job which pays her in cat food. During her tenure ridership has increased 10%, leading her to be promoted to super-station manager in 2008.