TIL in 2008, a single basketball shot may have saved hundreds of lives. Alabama player Mykal Riley made a 3-point-shot that pushed the game into overtime minutes before an EF-2 Tornado passed by. If he had missed that shot, hundreds of fans could have been in the parking lot when the tornado hit. (wishtv.com)
submitted by SonicSingularity
TIL the once-tasty "red delicious" type of apple is now recognized as having declined sharply in quality. Supermarkets wanted to apple to last longer, but the best tasting juicy apples often go bad more quickly. Selective breeding practices changed the red delicious into a more solid & shiny apple. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by sed_non_extra
TIL when Led Zeppelin were set to perform in Denmark in 1970, Eva von Zeppelin, a relative of the Zeppelin creator, threatened to sue the band for using her family name and for the cover of the band’s debut album. To avoid any controversy, Led Zeppelin performed in Copenhagen as “The Nobs”. (faroutmagazine.co.uk)
submitted by waitingforthesun92
TIL the Phantom time Conspiracy theory claims the time period AD 614 to 911 never existed. The Theory claims these extra 300 years of History were fabricated in the middle ages to legitimise Otto's claim over the Holy Roman Empire. According to the theory we should be living in the year 1726. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Hashkovo
TIL the streets of Ancient Rome were filled with jars that Roman men were free to use to relieve themselves. The jars were collected by fullers, who aged the urine and used it to launder clothes. The trade was so lucrative that Emperor Vespasian taxed the urine they collected. (montrealgazette.com)
submitted by SeanAC90
TIL that before he was an actor, Peter Dinklage was in a punk-funk-rap group called Whizzy. While playing at the famed CBGB nightclub, he was accidentally kneed in the face so hard that he started bleeding on stage and now has a scar running from his neck to his eyebrow. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by ProbablySomeBoomer
TIL that Kurt Cobain would find the value of his guitar hilarious. On MTV Unplugged, he joked about a rep from the Lead Belly estate who wanted to sell Kurt Lead Belly's guitar for $500,000. The guitar Kurt's holding while making that joke sold for $6 million in 2020. (fuelrocks.com)
submitted by tobordab
TIL that in 1970, fourteen year James Ingraham was forcibly bent over by Florida school staff and paddled 20 times for not leaving a stage on time. His parents sued the school but lost as the Supreme Court upheld the decision and ruled the act constitutional. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by HorizonStarLight
TIL in the 1893 case of Nix v. Hedden, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, for purposes of the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883, tomatoes are vegetables. The Supreme Court relied on the fact that tomatoes are usually used as vegetables since they're normally served with dinner and not dessert. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by HooptyDooDooMeister
TIL there is a US District (Federal) Courthouse located within Yosemite National Park commonly called the Yosemite Federal Courthouse. The Court handles citations by rangers covering infractions like removing wildlife, improper weapon possession, drunk in public and unlawful hunting. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by KDtheEsquire
TIL Alfred Hitchcock refused to meet Steven Spielberg, who had looked up to him. According to Bruce Dern, this was because Hitchcock had agreed to be the voice of the Jaws ride at Universal Studios, and looking at Spielberg made him feel "like a whore." (faroutmagazine.co.uk)
submitted by Primetime22
TIL that in the year 301, a stonemason was falsely accused of being a woman’s estranged husband. He allegedly fled up a mountain, built a monastery, and lived as a hermit. The isolated mountain community has been self-governing ever since, and is now the modern nation of San Marino. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by ProbablySomeBoomer