› added 7 years ago

51

TIL of John Hines, an Australian soldier, nicknamed the souvenir king.

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M7VpK TIL Missouri, United States has a Single Man Tax (bachelor tax): Single men between the ages of 21 and 50 must pay a $1 annual tax. The law was enacted in 1820, presumably to encourage more men to marry.
9wOp6 TIL that the original lyrics to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” were much more depressing. The lyrics were changed because Judy Garland refused to sing those lyrics to a child. The lyrics were then changed once more because Frank Sinatra wanted the song to have a more positive tone.
edRD TIL that Dr. Seuss published a NSFW book in 1939. He wanted to draw “the sexiest-looking women” he could but its failure caused him to abandon the adult audience and focus on children’s books instead.
VBLw0 TIL - "Break a leg" doesn't mean to break an actual leg, but instead means to cross the "leg line" which is the line that actors used to wait behind, and if they crossed, or broke, it they would get paid for their acting.
BpGk TIL there is an international lawyer who specializes in defending “supervillains” and war criminals. His clientele has included Klaus Barbie, Carlos the Jackal, and the former leader of the Khmer Rouge. He refers to himself as “The Brilliant Bastard.”