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TIL To get a convincing performance out of the boy that played the kidnapped child in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg&Co. wore gorilla and clown costumes off-camera to surprise him, and slowly opened presents to get his wide-eyed amazed reaction to seeing aliens in his kitchen.

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Z8KgB TIL Wayne and Brent Gretzky hold the NHL record for most combined points by two brothers: 2,857 for Wayne and 4 for Brent.
4XeJa TIL a former Michelin Guide inspector said an inspector's life is lonely, underpaid drudgery, driving around France for weeks on end, dining alone, under intense pressure to file detailed reports on strict deadlines, the guide had become lax in its standards, & some famous chefs are "untouchables".
5YEkR TIL the FAA manager who ordered all U.S. flights to be grounded on 9/11 was working his first day on the job that day.
OoXwL TIL about the title Nebraska Admiral. The title, which officially grants control of all of the landlocked state's "Navy officers, seamen, tadpoles and goldfish" to its recipients has been awarded to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr. and Queen Elizabeth II. among others.
4kRlg TIL: 1) The Latin word for "ants" is "formica". 2) Formic acid is produced by ants. 3) Engineers invented a plastic laminate to replace mica as an electrical insulation and named it Formica ("for mica", get it? ). 4) Despite its name, Formica is not made with formic acid. Whew!