› added 10 months ago

35

TIL that Tommy’s character in O’Brother Where art Thou was based on a real man who actually “borrowed” the story from another blues singer, Robert Johnson.

Read more mississippiencyclopedia.org

via reddit.com

P18bO TIL about Tulare Lake, once the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi, covering an area from Fresno to Bakersfield at its maximum size. It steadily shrunk from the mid 1800s onward before eventually vanishing due to water diversion for crops. It occasionally reemerges in flood years.
R78OQ TIL in 1828, Eastern State Penitentiary opened with a ground breaking agenda to rehabilitate prisoners. Prisoners had a cell each, and were comforted with central heating and flush toilets, something which even the White House didn't have at that time.
rRPje TIL Maserati worked hard and failed to construct a V16 town car for Benito Mussolini before Ferry Porsche of Volkswagen built one for Adolf Hitler
VBo4Z TIL that the author of "The Last Ringbearer", a retelling of "Lord of the Rings" from Mordor's point of view, also wrote "The Gospel of Afranius", a retelling of the New Testament from an atheistic point of view
rV71 TIL “Great Scott” may have referred to US General Winfield Scott, who at 6'5" remains the tallest man to receive a US presidential nomination