TIL after being wrongfully convicted and suffering through the longest period of solitary confinement in American prison history, Alfred Woodfox's conviction was overturned, and he wrote a memoir entitled Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope https://ift.tt/9FSsbRv

TIL about the hijacking of the 1948 seaplane 'Miss Macao'. The lead hijacker, who aimed to rob the wealthy passengers on the plane was unsuccessful, causing the plane to crash, killing everyone on board but the hijacker. The hijacker survived by jumping out of the emergency exit right before impact. https://ift.tt/USHIPe5

TIL that Ranch dressing was invented in Alaska, by a plumber trying to keep his employees satisfied with his cooking https://ift.tt/0UCsrkJ

TIL a man named Thomas Thompson once mistook a dead sailor from the SS James Carruthers as his son, organized a funeral, and then yelled at his son for showing up alive at his own wake. https://ift.tt/kaNqW9z

TIL Bernard Herrmann, composer for films like Psycho, Vertigo, Citizen Kane was asked by unknown director Martin Scorsese to compose Taxi Driver. After completing it, Scorsese asked for one final section. Hermann agreed, brought an orchestra in, completed it, and died hours later. https://ift.tt/XJuIdmS

TIL Shel Silverstein wrote the song "A Boy Named Sue." Johnny Cash's version is a cover. https://ift.tt/lrI0c8H

TIL We could kill all mosquitoes with little to no effect Ecology: A world without mosquitoes https://ift.tt/q3mQcNa

TIL there's a type of broccoli called Romanesco that naturally grows in a fractal pattern https://ift.tt/6sVU1nw

TIL that Sirhan Sirhan, convicted assassin of Robert Kennedy, was granted parole last year and almost got out but Governor Newsom blocked his release in January 2022. https://ift.tt/ZCMPKnw

TIL during the rise of Japan as a major economic power, seen as an economic threat to the US, anti-Japanese sentiment was so high that a Chinese American was beaten to death before his wedding on the assumption that he was Japanese. In 1987, US congressmen smashed Toshiba products on Capitol Hill https://ift.tt/ch5EQmC

TIL landlords in Glasgow, Scotland tried to increase rent by 25% on women whose husbands were fighting in World War 1. The women organised a rent strike and stopped bailiffs entering their buildings by throwing flour bombs at them and pulling down their trousers. https://ift.tt/GNmA9qL

TIL the set for the 1989 movie "The Abyss" was constructed inside an abandoned nuclear power plant, modified to hold water. When filming wrapped, the set was just left there rather than deconstructed. It remained there until 2007 when it was finally demolished. https://ift.tt/O8mpfsu

TIL about the "sleeping sickness," a disease that attacks the brain, which leaves some in a statue-like condition—speechless and motionless. The disease spread around the world between 1916 and 1926, infecting over 1 million people and directly causing over 500,000 deaths. Its causes are uncertain. https://ift.tt/N13u6qw

TIL that a descendant of the Ancient Egyptian language is still used, albeit as the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church and of the Coptic Catholic Church https://ift.tt/JnFxp5t

TIL The American edit of Godzilla 1985 was originally meant to be more comedic but the actors refused. Raymond Burr would not treat Godzilla as a joke because the character was an anti-nuclear war allegory and Warren Kemmerling just refused to do comic material. https://ift.tt/aDn2MXe

TIL That Nicola Tesla invented and patented the first rotating speedometer. https://ift.tt/j3AiKYh

TIL of Mario Salcedo who, with a few exceptions, has been living permanently on Royal Carribbean cruise ships for over 20 years https://ift.tt/E6Y7ax4

TIL closed-cup white mushrooms, common in supermarkets, are all descended from one mutant Agaricus Bisporus (usually brown) mushroom found in 1925. https://ift.tt/RjQMlUp

TIL in the late 1990s, a Paraguayan girl emerged from a coma; when given a wish, she chose a trip to Ohio to see the Hayes Presidential Center. https://ift.tt/nma2R7o

TIL dolphins actually have names for one another, using a unique whistle to distinguish between different members within their pod. https://ift.tt/Rne9bIE

TIL an earth year had more days in the far past. scientists made this discovery after comparing corals/clams which have corresponding growth rings for each day. depending on the age, fossils record 400 to 420 days instead of our typical 365 a year. https://ift.tt/RdTKvh9