TIL that Glenn Jacobs aka Kane of WWE fame has been the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee since 2018.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kane_%28wrestler%29?wprov=sfla1
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9h0hp/til_that_glenn_jacobs_aka_kane_of_wwe_fame_has/

TIL saxophonist Kenny G was one of the earliest investors in Starbucks and claims some credit for the creation of the Frappucino

https://abcnews.com/amp/Business/kenny-starbucks-frappuccino/story?id=28587589
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9gzsi/til_saxophonist_kenny_g_was_one_of_the_earliest/

TIL that Richard Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in 1794, creating the first independent Black denomination in the US. The land he purchased for the first AME church is the oldest piece of real estate in the US that has been owned continuously by African Americans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Allen_(bishop)
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9gbcf/til_that_richard_allen_founded_the_african/

TIL that the pika has a unique adaptation to survive winters in the tundra. Resembling their close relative, the rabbit, they average 14,000 foraging trips in the summer to store enough food. An alpine summer can only last 10 weeks which requires a pika to make 200 trips a day to collect food.

https://pikapartners.org/why-pikas/
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9f0ht/til_that_the_pika_has_a_unique_adaptation_to/

TIL in 1936, Orson Welles adapted and produced Macbeth (which opened in Harlem, NY with an all black cast) changing the setting to a Caribbean island, thus commonly referred to as Voodoo Macbeth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_Macbeth#Reception
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9d69p/til_in_1936_orson_welles_adapted_and_produced/

TIL When Leonard Nimoy started smoking as a teenager, he believed it was part of a healthy doctor-recommended lifestyle. He died from COPD caused by smoking.

https://rememberingleonardnimoy.org/leonard-nimoys-story/
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9cm1s/til_when_leonard_nimoy_started_smoking_as_a/

TIL In 2009, EA sent promotional boxes for the upcoming release of Godfather II to a number of game reviewers. The boxes contained brass knuckles — which are illegal in many states. They then asked the reviewers to ship them back — which would have also been illegal.

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/business/electronic-arts-issues-recall-of-promotional-brass-knuckles/1872474/
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9bx0p/til_in_2009_ea_sent_promotional_boxes_for_the/

TIL Mesopotamian kings appointed "substitute kings" to absorb bad omens and then had him killed. In ~1861 BC, Erra-Imittī of Isin installed a gardener named Enlil-bâni as his substitute — then died choking on porridge. Enlil-bâni simply stayed on the throne and ruled for the next 24 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlil-bani
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9bbf6/til_mesopotamian_kings_appointed_substitute_kings/

TIL an adults-only puppet show with topless puppets called Les Poupées de Paris was a key attraction at the 1964 World's Fair. It took in record crowds partly because a reverend denounced it, complaining that the "women don't wear bras", failing to mention that the women were puppets

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Poup%C3%A9es_de_Paris
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9b15v/til_an_adultsonly_puppet_show_with_topless/

Til Madden 09 was the last video game to have an original Xbox release back in 2008

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_NFL_09
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9ajaq/til_madden_09_was_the_last_video_game_to_have_an/

TIL Oregon banned slavery in the 1840s... because they didn't want any black people in the territory at all

https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/exclusion_laws/
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v9ael4/til_oregon_banned_slavery_in_the_1840s_because/

TIL As a struggling artist in his early 20's renaissance master Michelangelo forged a sculpture to make it look ancient and with the help of a dealer, succesfully sold it to Cardinal Raffaele Riario. After realising he got scammed, instead of seeking retribution, the Cardinal decided to hire him

https://oldmasters.academy/faked-sculpture-made-by-michelangelo
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1v97vo0/til_as_a_struggling_artist_in_his_early_20s/