/f/todayilearned
TIL in the 2006 documentary "This Film is Not Yet Rated" the director hired detectives to uncover the identities of the MPAA ratings & appeal boards, revealing that the former received very little training for rating films, and the latter consisted of studio/theater execs - as well as two clergymen
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by CaptainJZH t3_y2nn0f
TIL Marjoe Gortner is an Evangelical preacher who decided to pull the curtain back on the scams he and other preachers used. He invited a crew to film behind the scenes as he revealed tricks of the trade and the sacks full of cash he earned nightly. It won the '72 Academy Award Best Documentary
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Bluest_waters t3_y2ewlo
TIL the band Yo La Tengo once reenacted the entire "The Chinese Restaurant" episode of "Seinfeld" live. This was part of their 2011 tour where the first half of every show was decided by a wheel of fortune spun by an audience member. Link includes a video of this moment.
vulture.comSubmitted by Bubbly-Incident t3_y0sptr
TIL the British had a secret WW2 plan called Operation Tracer to leave behind an observation post if the Germans captured Gibraltar. Six men were to be sealed inside a hidden chamber to observer the harbor and Strait of Gibraltar. They would have had 7 years of supplies and bicycle-powered radios.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Bandit_the_Kitty t3_y25jre
TIL in an effort to protect her son and daughter from falling under the sinister charms of Charles Manson, Angela Lansbury relocated her family from LA to Ireland. Describing Ireland as “free from bad influences”, she then refused work to better support their recovery from heroin addiction.
grunge.comSubmitted by Unlucky-Pomegranate3 t3_y252sa
TIL about Ragamuffin Day, a celebration in the New York metro area in the late-1800s and early-1900s in which children wore costumes and went door-to-door asking for candy or money on Thanksgiving. It fell out of favor as trick-or-treating on Halloween gained acceptance in the 1940s and '50s.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by PikesPique t3_y1e2ft
TIL of Joseph Trombino, a security guard who survived the 1981 Brink’s robbery in Nyack, NY. He continued working for the company for the next 20 years, was nearly killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and was ultimately killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by schmo_hawk t3_xydsph
TIL that although the TV Series "I Dream of Jeannie" was never a hit for NBC, when it went into syndicated reruns independent stations in New York and Washington DC ran it in Prime Time and won their time slots against all shows on NBC, CBS and ABC. This was a first for a non-network show.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by AspireAgain t3_y1bwr5
TIL about childhood dementia. It is a result of progressive brain damage and can be caused by over 70 rare genetic disorders. 700,000 children are estimated to be living with some form of childhood dementia today. 48,300 children die from childhood dementia each year.
childhooddementia.orgSubmitted by GremlinBandit t3_xzdz21
TIL about Operation Bernhard. During WWII, Germany attempted to bring about the collapse of the British economy by forging ≈£130 million in British bank notes. The notes are considered among the most perfect counterfeits ever produced, and are very difficult to differentiate from legitimate notes.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by rkadeYT t3_xwv3hr
TIL the Roman Emperor was on good terms with Attila the Hun until his sister sent Attila her engagement ring and asked for help to escape betrothal to a senator. Attila took this as a marriage proposal and demanded half the western empire as dowry. When the Emperor refused, Attila invaded.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by shallowblue t3_y0ylxv