› added 5 years ago

111

TIL that in 2006 after a man shot 10 Amish children then committed suicide, the Amish went to the his family to offer them support. They also set up a charitable fund for his family and during the shooter's funeral they surrounded the family to provide them privacy from the media.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

xVDM1 TIL after the Reagan assassination attempt, the top aides didn’t have the briefcase containing the codes for launching nuclear missiles, the Veep was unavailable, & no-one knew what to do. A Soviet sub then moved closer than usual to the US.
gyk8 TIL that U.S. Route 491 had its name changed from Route 666 in 2003 after people petitioned the American Association of State Highway & Transport Officials as they believed altering the name might lift the curse that many thought had been placed on the road.
X0ZJQ TIL while most people think of elephants and rhinoceros when it comes to poaching for their ivory, hippopotamus are also a victim. Hippos may not have tusks or horns, but their front teeth are made of ivory, which is even harder than an elephants. This greatly contributes to their endangered status.
m1Gdp TIL that The Terminator originally considered casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as the hero. Director James Cameron envisioned the Terminator as a more inconspicuous figure. However, after meeting Schwarzenegger, Cameron realized his imposing presence was ideal for the Terminator role.
gMvvb TIL Nestlé pays $524 yearly on an expired permit to pump and bottle about 30 million gallons of water from California, even during droughts. To explain this, a supervisor claimed that the Forest Service didn't have the money for a proper review of the permit; he later became a consultant for Nestlé.