› added 8 years ago

219

TIL in 1946, a local chicken farmer offered 100 chicks for each homer the Nashua Dodgers hit. Newcomer Roy Campanella hit 14 in his first season and sent all 1,400 to his father who used them to start a thriving poultry farm. He also went on to become one of the first black major league players.

Read more atlasobscura.com

via reddit.com

LkalP TIL that Jill Dando, presenter for the BBC "unsolved crime" series Crimewatch, was murdered during her time as host for the show. Crimewatch reconstructed her murder and a suspect was convicted. However, the conviction was overturned, he was acquitted upon retrial, and the case remains unsolved.
Z8grY TIL that The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, the abandoned prison where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed, was purchased for $1 and converted into a tourist attraction that nets $16 million annually.
d8NLE TIL Robert Blake, star of the 70s detective series "Baretta", was acquitted of his wife's murder in 2005 after a contentious 4-year legal drama. He was, however, found liable by a civil suit brought by his children.
grnpy TIL that Pearl Jam was originally called Mookie Blaylock, after an NBA player they admired. However they were forced to change the name and instead settled on naming their debut album "Ten" after Blaylock's jersey number.
aebM TIL that one show during Guns N Roses “Use Your Illusion Tour” was delayed because frontman Axl Rose was watching the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and refused to take the stage until it had finished.