› added 9 years ago

129

TIL that Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, based the book on his personal experience working for a chocolate factory in his youth, with giant elaborate machines and secretive practices as a result of spies and espionage attempts between competing factories.

Read more showsinlondon.co.uk

via reddit.com

WnbL TIL of the 71 million dollar word. Due to a hospital not using a professional translator they misinterpreted the word “intoxicado” which led to improper treatment leading to the patient becoming a quadriplegic and winning a lawsuit to the tune of 71 million dollars.
ADX0o TIL that a German carpenter named Georg Elser attempted to assassinate Hitler in November 1939, only one month into WWII. His bomb, hidden at a speech venue, went off successfully but failed to kill Hitler, who had finished his speech and left early.
n6Pb TIL Elvis claimed that when he was 8 years old, he was telepathically contacted by two alien beings who showed him his future. Reportedly, the aliens showed Elvis an image of “a man in a white jumpsuit singing to a crowd,” but the eight year old Elvis didn’t understand what it meant.
gML97 TIL As “Taz” the Looney Tunes character portrayed, Tasmanian devils fly about in a rage when threatened. They are notoriously feisty, and will bare their teeth, growl, and lunge at any potential threat. They fight with potential predators, protect their food, and compete for mates.
VBJp4 TIL Roy Orbison's I Drove All Night wasn't released until years after his death, for a Super Mario World-themed compilation album called Nintendo: White Knuckle Scorin' promoting childhood literacy in memory of a talent agent who died in a helicopter crash with Stevie Ray Vaughan