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TIL that the first independent full-length film written and directed by Steven Spielberg was called "Firefight," (inspired Close Encounters) made on a budget of $500, which then 16 year old Spielberg borrowed from his father. It was shown at a local cinema one evening and it earned back its cost.

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ZpeP4 TIL “Blame it on the Boogie” famously sung by Michael Jackson as part of the Jacksons in 1978 was originally written by Mick Jackson, a white soul singer in 1977. Also both versions were released in September 1978 which meant two different Jacksons charted with the same song at the same time.
60Em TIL that Japan still executes people by hanging, with those on death row only notified the morning before the execution and are kept in solitary confinement until execution day.
nWMoW TIL in the 13th century a Hungarian friar discovered a group of Magyars living in the original Hungarian homeland, still speaking the a mutually intelligible dialect despite 400 years of separation. When he returned four years later, the area had been devastated by Mongols
9YOdB TIL the dragon snake's most notable feature is their unusual skin with 3 rows of enlarged, keeled scales running down its back resembling the backs of some crocodilians. When threatened, this non-venomous snake stiffens its body into a straight line. It is native to SE Asia and mainly eat frogs.
LEyQ TIL that autotune was originally developed by Exxon as a method of interpreting seismic data.