› added 6 years ago

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TIL in 1975, Joel Kaplan escaped from a prison in Mexico without breaking a single law. He didn't bribe or assault the guards since they were on a break, the helicopter and plane used in his breakout were bought legally, his flight followed FAA guidelines, and he entered the US with his real name.

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x6a9g TIL of the United States military training film A Welcome to Britain. Released in 1943, it educated GI’s about the less ethnically segregated UK and was narrated by Burgess Meredith.
l7xA1 TIL about a $25.5 million lawsuit filed against Mattel over a Cabbage Patch Kids "Snacktime Kid" doll that was made to chew on plastic french fries and carrots. It allegedly gnawed a girl's hair down to her scalp and the lawsuit stated that the entire family would require psychological help.
1axWP TIL that director William Friedkin first approached Audrey Hepburn for the role of Chris MacNeil in "The Exorcist" but she was only willing to take the role if it was shot in Rome, as she had recently moved to Italy. Also considered, ahead of Ellen Burstyn, were Anne Bancroft and Jane Fonda.
Vxj4 TIL that the line often attributed to John Lennon - “Ringo isn’t the best drummer in the world. He isn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles” - was actually said by comedian Jasper Carrott three years after Lennon’s death
16X47 TIL that in 1964, Australian athlete Reg Spiers was stranded in London. He successfully posted himself to Australia in a wooden box, surviving 63 hours in air freight.