› added 6 years ago

353

TIL that Benedict Cumberbatch was kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa. He talked his way out of being killed and said "It taught me that you come into this world as you leave it, on your own. It's made me want to live a life slightly less ordinary”

Read more telegraph.co.uk

via reddit.com

w8oo TIL that the cast and crew of Borat nearly started a riot during the filming of the rodeo scene where Borat sings the (made up) Kazakhstan national Anthem to the tune of the American national anthem.
VMGR4 TIL that James Franco launched a college course entitled "Master Class: Editing James Franco...with James Franco," in which student editors are to compile a 30 minute documentary on Franco, using behind the scenes footage of Franco supplied by Franco, to "create a cinematic image of James Franco."
Ooea6 TIL Japanese right-wing nationalists tried to assassinate Matsutarō Shōriki (father of japanese professional baseball) for allowing foreigners to play baseball in the Jingu Stadium. He survived but received a 16-inch-long scar from a broadsword during the assassination attempt.
KQw9 TIL that the youngest American serviceman in World War Two was 12-year-old Calvin Graham, U.S. Navy. He was wounded during the battle of Guadalcanal, and given a Dishonorable Discharge for lying about his age to enlist. His veterans benefits were later restored by an act of Congress.
LQp9d TIL that the city of Basel, Switzerland has many statues and fountains of basilisks. In 1474, the city put a rooster on trial and sentenced it to death, fearing that it had laid an egg which would hatch a basilisk.