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15

TIL that in 1972 a 33-year-old Hungarian geologist attacked Michelangelo's Pietà statue in St. Peter's Basilica wielding a geologist's hammer and shouting, "I am Jesus Christ—risen from the dead". Prior to this, he had moved to Rome intending to be recognised as Christ by the Pope.

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P15XV TIL Russell Crowe turned down an offer to play Aragorn in the LOTR trilogy that included 10% of the backend grosses (which would've been about $100 million). He felt WB had forced Peter Jackson to make the offer & that Jackson had somebody else in mind & he should be allowed to hire who he wants.
Z4PQ TIL that just 5 years after its invention, the smallpox vaccine was sent throughout the world by the King of Spain, stored in 22 orphans. The developer himself, Edward Jenner wrote, “I don’t imagine the annals of history furnish an example of philanthropy so noble, so extensive as this.”
VZvm TIL “Suicide” doors, which are hinged at the rear rather than at the front, were popular with mobsters during the 1930s. Supposedly, this was because the design of the doors made it significantly easier to push passengers out of moving vehicles.
v1rxR TIL that Michaelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine chapel, including the last judgement can be seen in their current colourful state only beacause of years of restoration work done by a team led by Gianluigi Colalucci. He is also known for restoring works by Raphael, Giotto, Titian and Buffalmacco.
WkmgL TIL American currency went as high as $10,000, with $5,000, $1,000 and $500 bills also in circulation. They were discontinued in 1969 for “lack of use.”