› added 5 years ago

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TIL Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, had written his first book ‘The Gremlins’ for Walt Disney Productions. A full length feature film was planned but was abandoned during pre-production due to British military interference. The 1984 film Gremlins is an homage to the book.

negWB TIL most maps distort the size of many countries. Greenland and South America tend to look roughly the same size even though South America is 8.2 times larger. Canada is also smaller than the typical representation, and South Africa much larger.
m1V4P TIL that in Norway, if you publish a book the government will buy 1000 copies and distribute them to libraries
NXryP TIL about Elan School. Until 2011, this "troubled teens" institution tortured kids physically and psychologically. The only way out of there was to torture and torment your peers, it's called "attack therapy"... Those behind this operation still alive, are still free today, COMPLETELY UNPUNISHED
VMeQB TIL Carol Burnett got her career started with the help of money from a stranger, who asked that he never be identified. (Not only has she never revealed his name, her benefactor also never told anyone else about his help, even after she became famous.)
wLdl7 TIL about Muezza, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's cat. It is said that sometimes Muhammad gave sermons with the cat in his lap, and that Muhammad cut a piece off his clothes as to not disturb the cat from his rest on said clothes. As such, Muslims hold cats as cherished and lovable creatures.