Post * rREx1 — Curious Curator

› added 5 years ago

89

TIL that until 2000 if a director disavowed a film his name was replaced with "Alan Smithee" in the credits. In 1998 Arthur Hiller made a film about an Alan Smithee who tries to disavow a movie, but can't because of his name. Hiller later disavowed it and his name was replaced with Alan Smithee.

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oBPLL TIL the word "literally" has been used figuratively for hundreds of years. Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, and Mark Twain all used it for hyperbole.

9w88M TIL: the main reason why pigeons are so numerous in cities is that this environment is similar to their place of origin: seaside cliffs of the Mediterranean. Pigeons of today are descended from those that escaped captivity when they were popular as pets.

EgDVw TIL that the blue jay can be beneficial to other birds, as it may chase predatory birds and will scream if it sees a predator within its territory. It has also been known to sound an alarm call when hawks or other dangers are near, and smaller birds often recognize it and hide.

BWJk TIL six years after the fall of Communism in Poland, consumption of alcohol grew to five times the average levels of Western countries, and one liquor store for every 300 people serviced the demand.

JW98 TIL The day after Robin Williams’s suicide, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline fielded the greatest number of calls in its history.