TIL eccentric 18th-century American businessman Timothy Dexter authored a book complaining about politicians, the clergy, and his wife. The book contained no punctuation, so in the second edition, he added a page with 11 lines of punctuation marks, for the readers to distribute them as they pleased

TIL that English cricket great Denis Compton was renowned for his absent-mindedness. He once arrived at a match without his kitbag, so he used an antique bat from the stadium's museum; and during a major celebration in honour of his 70th birthday, his mother rang, telling him that he was only 69

TIL George Clooney purchased a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig named Max as a gift for then girlfriend, actress Kelly Preston. When their relationship ended, Clooney kept the pig for an additional 18 years until Max died in 2006. He has jokingly referred to Max as the longest relationship he had ever had

TIL Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919) was a dirt poor Scottish kid who immigrated to the U.S. where he became the richest man in the world. He gave away $350 million, nearly 90 percent of the fortune he accumulated through the railroad and steel industries.

TIL of the Inughuit of northwest Greenland, the world's northernmost people. When contact was made in 1818 they had been isolated for several hundred years and were completely unaware of the existence of other humans.

TIL I learned Sue, the most complete T. Rex skeleton, was discovered by paleontologist Sue Hendrickson when she and her crew got a flat tire at the end of their field season. During repairs, Hendrickson found bones at a cliff face leading the discovery of larger bones in the cliff's formation.

TIL: Movile Cave is an ancient cave that had been sealed off for over 5.5 million years in Romania. It contains an endemic ecosystem based completely on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis. To date over 69 unique species of flora and fauna have been discovered.

TIL: Tim Burton did not direct "Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas." Henry Selick, director of "James and the Giant Peach" and "Coraline," carried out the task, due to Burton having prior commitments to "Batman Returns."

TIL Janis Joplin's will stipulated that $2500 go to throwing a hard-partying funeral for her. The funeral was held in a popular rock venue she used to have shows at and many of her musician friends performed. The 300 attendees got drunk and partied hard.

TIL in 1714, 2 gunships fought for 14 hours, before one ran out of ammunition. The captain messaged his opponent, thanking him for a fine duel, and asking for more ammunition, so that the fight could continue. His opponent refused, but they then agreed to sail away in opposite directions.

TIL that Jamie Foxx got the stage name of Jamie when he was starting out in doing stand up comedy and found out that female comedians usually got called up first on stage to perform. By choosing a more feminine sounding name, he tricked the promoters into putting him higher in the performing order.

TIL Edgar Allen Poe died mysteriously after having been missing for six days. Though still alive when he was finally found, he was wearing someone else’s cheap clothes and not coherent enough to tell where he’d been. He had disappeared en route to his own wedding.

TIL scientists developed an experimental "universal treatment" for allergies. While still being tested, it works by wrapping allergens in a nanoparticle which sneaks it past the immune system. This helps the body understand it to be harmless. They so far successfully cured mice with egg allergies.

TIL a man was attacked for having a beard in 1830, then imprisoned for defending himself. He died in 1873, by which time beards were fashionable. His tombstone reads, "Persecuted for wearing the beard."

TIL Mr. Rogers loved to fart in public to amuse his wife when they attended boring parties or gatherings. According to Joanne Rogers, "He would just raise one cheek and he would look at me and smile." She also said Rogers enjoyed listening to her tell dirty jokes

TIL Macy's Department Store declined to be featured in the movie "Elf" because they didn't like the idea that there was a fake Santa working there and felt it would blow the illusion for kids.

TIL in the sea between Australia and New Zealand, there's an island taller than it is wide. Ball's Pyramid only measures 300m across, yet peaks at 562m in elevation.

TIL about Hannah Sabata, a 19 year old Nebraska woman who stole $6000 from a bank in 2012. After the crime she immediately posted a video to YouTube titled "Chick Bank Robber" where she held bundles of cash up to the camera and bragged about what she'd done. She was caught the same day.

TIL why Five Guys gives extra fries at the bottom of the bag. They do it so the guests think they are getting a good deal. However, the extra fries are already factored into the menu price. Founder Jerry Murrell also says it is better for customers to feel that their serving of fries was too large.

TIL that when Die Hard was finally made, Bruce Willis was mostly known for TV. His $5 million fee was seen as a huge risk. The film ended up taking at least $140 million.

TIL President Kennedy was prescribed a rocking chair for back pain. He found one he liked so much he bought 14 copies for the Oval Office, Camp David, Air Force One, and homes of his family. He also gifted them to heads of state.

TIL of the Kengir Gulag Uprising, where inmates assumed control over a camp. Due to the large body of educated inmates the 40 days of freedom saw the creation of plays, an ex-noble organizing a café, priests organizing marriages, engineers creating improvised radios and a hydroelectric powerstation

TIL I learned the first American soldier to land on the beach durning the invasion of Normandy was shot twice and not only survived, but lived to be 90 years old.

TIL Lillian Brown, the makeup artist of nine US presidents, stopped Richard Nixon's sobbing before he was about to go on national television to announce his resignation by telling him a funny story so that his makeup wouldn't be ruined.

TIL Elvis's autopsy revealed morphine, Demerol, chlorpheniramine, Placidyl, Valium, codeine, Ethinamate, quaaludes; an unidentified barbiturate, diazepam, Amytal, Nembutal, Carbrital, Sinutab, Elavil, Avenal, and Valmid.

TIL in nightclubs in Ireland in the 80's & 90's the music had to be turned off and lights turned on half ways through the night because the nightclub had to serve a substantial meal by law so the clubs could keep their alcohol licence

TIL that Jason Paige, the singer of the original Pokémon Theme, didn't expect the song to become popular and knew nothing about the franchise when he recorded it. He considers the song to be a relatively minor part of his career, as he has worked with Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, and Frankie Valli.

TIL Frederick the Great, Prussian Monarch from 1740 to 1786, known for his tactical genius on the battlefield, is considered by historians to be primarily homosexual in orientation. Following a demoralizing defeat, he wrote "Fortune has it in for me; she is a woman, and I am not that way inclined."

TIL [in 1926] Overcome with grief after the death of his wife, famed sharp shooter Annie Oakley, Francis Butler refused to eat and died of starvation 18 days later at the age of 78.

TIL That Milhouse from the Simpsons was named after U.S president Richard Milhous Nixon. The name was the most "unfortunate name Matt Groening could think of for a child". Later in the series, it was also revealed that Milhouse's middle name was Mussolini

TIL when actor Nick Frost (Cornetto Trilogy) was young his parents' business tanked. They had to move into a neighbours’ home and his mother suffered a stroke from stress. Nick dropped out of school and worked to support his family. He was just working as a waiter when Simon Pegg cast him in Spaced.

TIL Dave Thomas named the hamburger chain “Wendy’s” after his daughter Melinda. Wendy was actually born Melinda Lou Thomas but her siblings had difficulty pronouncing her name and called her “Wenda.” Thus, the nickname Wendy was born.

TIL the 1947 classic "It's a Wonderful Life" was a box-office flop, and didn't become popular until the late 70's when its copyright expired and TV channels could play it for free.

TIL Chuck E. Cheese Pizza was created by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell created the pizza & arcade restaurant to serve as a distribution network for his Atari games.

TIL Burger King has the rights to use its name throughout the entire United States, with the exception of a 20-mile radius surrounding a totally unrelated restaurant, also called Burger King, in Mattoon, Illinois.

TIL a woman sued a TV weatherman after he predicted a sunny day, causing her to go out lightly dressed - and when it turned stormy, she caught the flu, missed 4 days’ work, spent $38 on medication, and suffered stress. The case was settled out of cоurt for $1000, and the weatherman apologised to her

TIL that Frank Sinatra Jr. was once kidnapped. His captors demanded all negotiations be conducted by payphone. During these conversations, Frank Sr. became concerned he wouldn't have enough coins to keep talking, prompting him to carry 10 dimes in his pocket for the rest of his life.

TIL, the Brussel sprouts grown today taste better because they are genetically different. In the 1990's a Dutch research identified heirloom varieties that are less bitter and bred them to be tastier and have a higher yield.

TIL that the Japanese, other than nobles or samurai class families, did not have surnames until 1868, when the government required commoners to adopt surnames. Names were chosen based on locations, occupations, or simply were made up, explaining the diversity in Japanese surnames (100,000+ present).

TIL There's a natural phenomenon known as “thundersnow”, which happens when thunderstorms form in wintry conditions, giving rise to heavy downpours of snow, thunder and lightning.

TIL In 1939 a 24 year old Orson Welles attempted to adapt Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' but had to cancel due to budget constraints. The studio asked him for a more conventional project. He suggested a B film of his, an exploration of a newspaper tycoon’s rise and downfall. He called it Citizen Kane.

TIL Because of a typographical error, a “wicked bible” stated that “thou shalt commit adultery." Published in 1631, this Bible is also known as an “adulterous Bible” or the “sinners’ Bible.” Only several hundred copies remain and they're worth $100,000 to collectors.

TIL Billy Bob Thornton did get drunk for scenes in Bad Santa. In the escalator fall scene Thornton actually passed out after drinking 3 glasses of red wine for breakfast followed by vodkas and cranberry juice then a few Bud Lights.

TIL there was a product sold in the 80's and 90's called the "Electric Worm Getter". It was sold to fishermen for the collection of earthworms for bait. It sent an electric shock through the top layer of soil forcing the worms to surface. It had to be recalled in 1993 after 30 people died using it.

TIL that there are no Wendy's in Europe due to a local Dutch snackbar owner owning the Wendy's trademark in Europe. They have been in a legal battle for years and Dutch courts side with the snackbar every time.

TIL about "Myst Island" a proposed theme park at Disney World. A limited number of guests would get ferried to an 11-acre island designed like Myst. They'd spend hours there, exploring areas and discovering clues non-linearly. Theoretically, no 2 guests would have the same adventure.

TIL:"A Fistful of Dollars" from Sergio Leone, which was a nearly shot-for-shot remake of "Yojimbo" by Akira Kurosawa was never authorized by Toho/Kurosawa. The letter Kurosawa sent to Leone contained the line ‘I’ve seen your movie. It’s a very good movie. Unfortunately, it’s my movie.'.

TIL The Earth's rotation and speed changes with the weather and geological events. This means atomic time and solar time may not be identical. Sometimes leap seconds are needed for an adjustment. On 31 Dec 2016, a leap second was added, and the time 23:59:60 existed.

TIL "Sardines" aren't a specific fish. The word is used for multiple species of small, oily fish. The definition for what constitutes a sardine varies by government and region with the UN citing 21 different species classified as sardines.

CIA revealed a "heart attack" gun in 1975. A battery operated gun which fired a dart of frozen water & shellfish toxin. Once inside the body it would melt leaving only a small red mark on the victim where it entered. The official cause of death would always be a heart attack.

TIL that when dreaming, hardcore video gamers have been reported to be able to toggle between first and third-person point-of-view; readily take control over and even enjoy nightmares; and have more dreams that involve far-fetched or impossible scenarios, like imaginary characters or space travel

TIL Henry Cavendish, noted for his discovery of hydrogen, was a "notoriously shy man". He communicated with his female servants only by notes. By one account, Cavendish had a back staircase added to his house to avoid encountering his housekeeper.

TIL In 2009 John Kane found a vulnerability in video poker machines that would allow him to cash out winning hands at a much higher bet amount than he actually wagered. Since it was determined that he was simply pressing buttons that he was allowed to press, he was able to keep the money.

TIL NBC executives hated the script for the Seinfeld episode, 'The Chinese Restaurant', and only agreed to allow it to be filmed after co-creator Larry David threatened to quit. It is now considered a ground-breaking episode of TV, and the best example of Seinfeld's 'show about nothing' premise

TIL that Prince’s “Breakfast Can Wait” album cover features Dave Chappelle impersonating Prince. Chappelle said he had to appreciate the way his joke was co-opted. "That's a Prince judo move right there.”

TIL that in 1990, a man named Iben Browning predicted a massive earthquake would hit New Madrid, Missouri on December 3rd. The prediction sparked a panic. Schools in 5 states closed, and over 200 media outlets sent reporters to the area. Browning had no seismology expertise, and nothing happened.

TIL Drew Carey had eye surgery in 2001 and no longer requires glasses but continues to wear them as part of his celebrity persona.

TIL Not long after Julius Caesar was assassinated, a comet shone for seven successive days. This signified Julius Caesar's ascension to Godhood, and propaganda for Caesar's nephew. The comet was described as: "To make that soul a star that burns forever, Above the Forum and the gates of Rome."

TIL Zach Galifianakis had a two-week trial run as a writer on “SNL” before being let go. He wrote a sketch with Will Ferrell being the bodyguard of Britney Spears’s belly button that bombed so bad in the writer’s room that Tina Fey put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

TIL Will Smith was about to declare bankruptcy until he was picked to star in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and had to pay the IRS 70% of his salary over the first three seasons

TIL The Three Stooges performed at the very first Super Bowl Halftime Show. During their performance, Larry Fine spotted a football player hitting on his wife. He flipped him the bird, and for this he got in trouble with CBS and had to pay a fine of $42.50.