Post * wLRWJ — Curious Curator

› added 4 years ago

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TIL that stunt double Brett Beattie spent so much time playing Gimli in Lord of the Rings that he nearly earned a co-credit, and that he, not John Rhys-Davies got the elvish "nine" tattoo with the rest of the cast.

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Z8jwD TIL the key to American victory in the Revolutionary War was the 75-ton “Great Chain” that stretched across the Hudson River to prevent the British from moving inland. It was such an obstacle, they paid Benedict Arnold £20,000 for the plans to the Chain’s main defenses, at Fort West Point

DQEaY TIL that when England held its first lottery in 1567 everyone who bought a ticket got immunity from one arrest as long as it was not piracy, murder, felonies, or treason. Prizes for winning the lottery were £5,000 in cash, but also goods like plate, tapestries and “good linen cloth.”

yQyWX TIL After the death of the first Chinese emperor, Shi Huangdi, his second oldest son forged a letter in the emperor's name, stating that the eldest son is to commit suicide and the second oldest son would become emperor. That plan worked.

aw1j9 TIL that the last confirmed use of armored trains in combat was during the Yugoslav conflicts in the period between 1991-1995 in the areas of Croatia and Bosnia & Hercegovina. Many of these trains were made using on-site materials and were equip with various ordinances of many types and calibers.

wo5jP TIL about Virginia Hall, an American woman who worked as a secret agent in France during WWII by supporting, organizing, arming, and training the French Resistance. She was reportedly considered “the most dangerous of all Allied spies” by the Gestapo. “A Woman of No Importance” by Sonia Purnell.