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TIL the 1983 film "Talking Tiger Mountain" was based on William S. Burroughs' 1979 novel "Blade Runner: a Movie" which was originally a film treatment for Alan E. Nourse's 1973 novel "The Bladerunner," the title of which (but not the story) was used in the 1982 film "Blade Runner"

LQpad TIL when Mike Meaney began his record attempt at being buried alive he neglected to tell his wife about his plan. She found out from listening to the radio. He staged workouts in a pub while in an oversized coffin, ate a diet of steak and cigarettes, and then spent 61 days buried alive
1aKQD TIL Jim Thorpe, in 1912, has his shoes stolen on the morning of his olympic track and filed events. He simply put on two other shoes that someone had tossed in a trash can. They were different sizes, though, so he had to wear extra socks on one foot to even them out. He went on to win two Gold medal
d8JrE TIL Australia instigated the first naval attack in WW1 where German Steamer SS Pfalz surrendered after being fired on by Fort Nepean in south of Melbourne, Victoria.
V8eD TIL The reason hurricanes and cyclones have human names is that the original meteorologist to name them, Clement Wragge, began naming them after politicians he didn’t like. This let him say they were ‘causing great distress’ or 'wandering aimlessly’.
R5aaQ TIL: Velcro is actually a brand name, and they launched campaigns to get people to stop saying "Velcro". The correct term is actually "hook and loop".