› added 9 years ago

258

TIL J.R.R. Tolkien considered Samwise Gamgee to be the “true hero” of the Lord of the Rings

Read more tolkiengateway.net

via reddit.com

p8wLb TIL the former dictator of the Central African Republic, Jean-Bédel Bokassa, forced the nation's school children to buy expensive uniforms from a company he owned. When the children protested, he had 100 of them executed as an example.
8aWL4 TIL three 13 year old girls submitted a script for "Tiny Toon Adventures". Producer Steven Spielberg was so impressed that he invited the girls to Hollywood to work on the episode and paid them $3,000. This later inspired a Simpsons episode where Bart and Lisa write an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon.
VMjgk TIL that amniotic fluid is mostly made of the baby's urine, meaning we swim around in our own pee while in the womb. This fluid is swallowed continuously by the baby during pregnancy in order to expand the lungs and allow them to mature.
6ZJZ TIL In England, antidepressant prescriptions have increased 108% in the last 10 years, with a 6% increase in 2016 alone.
V7Pm TIL that the Romans were defeated in 67BC by King Mithridates of Pontus. They ate the hallucinogenic honey that was left behind as a beguiling gift by the Pontian army and were defeated while tripping balls.