› added 4 years ago

73

TIL that the real "Last Samuraï" who inspired the movie with Tom Cruise wasn't American, but rather a French officer named Jules Brunet

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wowlE TIL the Washington Monument was once the tallest building in the world at 555 feet, 5 inches
OY47 TIL Britons eat 97% of the world’s baked beans
9YRlM TIL Omni Magazine was an influential publication that ran from 1978 to 1995. Created by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione and wife Kathy Keeton, it featured interviews with scientists such as Freeman Dyson, art from H.R. Giger and Chris Foss, and original fiction from authors such as Isaac Asimov
gMKYb TIL The Canadian Navy accidentally shelled the US town of Callam Bay after an exercise shooting at drone targets in 1962, they failed to take into account what was behind the targets they were shooting at. Miraculously nobody was killed.
0dG6A TIL, Anna Jarvis, who founded Mother's Day in 1908 (in America), passionately opposed its growing commercialization and eventually campaigned against the holiday.