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TIL in 1944, countries agreed with the US to settle their international accounts in dollars to have gold converted at a fixed rate of $35 per ounce. In 1971, President Nixon announced the US would no longer do it, thus completely abandoning the gold standard. This was known as the 'Nixon Shock'.

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ZpYnD TIL that the 1927 film "Napoléon" which spans 5 1/2 hours, was originally envisioned by its director Abel Gance to be first of six films about Napoleon's career. After the difficulties encountered in making the first film, he realised that the costs involved would make the full project impossible.
eA1b TIL that a young entrepreneur secretly lived in AOL’s HQ for 2 months, eating free food, using gym & showers, sleeping in conference rooms while working on his start-up. Everyone assumed he worked there
E1LVd TIL that electronic television was first successfully demonstrated in San Francisco on September 7, 1927. The system was designed by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a 21-year-old inventor who had lived in a house without electricity until he was 14.
loLDr TIL Alex Trebek has been in broadcast for almost 60 years. He hosted many shows that flopped before found by Merv Griffin and put on Jeopardy.
9Y6Pp TIL: a holocaust denial group offered $50k to anyone who could prove that gas chambers were used to intentionally kill people at Auschwitz. They were forced by a judge to pay the money, and an additional $40k, to Auschwitz survivor Mel Mermelstein who gave proof of that very fact.