Submitted by amazem t3_y6gkl7
/f/todayilearned
TIL on March 15, 2011, 51-year-old William Melchert-Dinkel went online under screen names like "Cami" and "Falcongirl" encouraging people to commit suicide. Those who were interested he would instruct them step by step. He admitted to assisting in the deaths of 5 people but was only convicted for 2.
cbsnews.comSubmitted by deeper_with_time t3_y2zibm
TIL that before Lincoln Center could reward David Geffen's $100 Million donation by renaming "Avery Fisher Hall" to "David Geffen Hall", they had to pay the heirs of Fisher - the original donor - $15 million. Geffen's donation has a provision that requires his name to be on the hall "in perpetuity".
playbill.comSubmitted by AspireAgain t3_y464wu
TIL General Hancock chose to sacrifice an entire regiment to save the Union Army during the Civil War. The 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment, 250 men, was ordered to charge a brigade of roughly 1200 men. They suffered a staggering 82% casualties; the largest loss by any surviving U.S unit in a day.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by ChronosBlitz t3_y5q6ka
Submitted by kellenbrent t3_y4z4sq
TIL that it took several years for writer Bruce Rubin to sell the script to Jacob's Ladder, because it was "too metaphysical" and "Hollywood does not make ghost movies". Rubin would later write the screenplay for Ghost, a box office success that grossed over $500 million.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by WouldbeWanderer t3_y2rap1
TIL the US didn’t have the $15m to pay France for Louisiana, so they financed it through a banks in London. Napoleon had made the deal with the US to fund his war against Great Britain and Europe. Britain allowed this deal to go through only because they didn’t want France to have their NA territory
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Gagarin1961 t3_y4oczp
TIL that among the thousands of fans who were in attendance for the Beatles iconic Shea Stadium Concert were Linda Eastman and Barbara Bach. Linda would later marry Paul McCartney in 1969, and Barbara would go on to marry Ringo Starr in 1981.
beatlestrivia.comSubmitted by FranklinDRoosevelt32 t3_xx6czb
TIL that Michael Jackson's Thriller album was the best-selling album in the U.S. for 2 years straight, sold 32 million copies worldwide by 1983, and was certified 34x Platinum by the RIAA in 2021, making it one of only two albums to ever get more than 3x Diamond certified.
nme.comSubmitted by Random_ReditUser t3_y44bqx