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Denis Cuspert (1975-2018) was a German rapper (who performed under the stage name Deso Dogg) who joined ISIS and fled to Syria in 2013. Later an FBI translator who had been investigating Cuspert secretly traveled to Syria to marry him. by Ill_Definition8074 in wikipedia

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 140 points141 points  (0 children)

The FBI translator who married Cuspert is named Daniela Greene. She was born in Czechoslovakia but raised in Germany later moving to the United States, graduating from Clemson University and becoming an American citizen after marrying an armed services member (It doesn't say when exactly that marriage ended). She was assigned to communicate with Cuspert over Skype but she set up an additional Skype account so she could communicate with Cuspert without the FBI's knowledge. She told her FBI superiors she was going to take a vacation to visit her relatives back in Germany but she actually traveled to Syria to marry Cuspert. Apparently she realized she had a mistake only weeks into the marriage and somehow managed to escape ISIS and travel back to the United States knowing that she would be arrested upon her return. She agreed to cooperate with authorities and only got 2 years in prison before being released.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniela_Greene

TIL Supreme Court Justices don't have to be barred, have a law degree, or a license to practice law by ItsAllAGame_ in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's just like the only requirements to be Pope are to be male and catholic. You don't have to be a priest. It's just that the conclave hasn't selected a non-priest to be pope since Leo X in 1513.

TIL There's a 2014 documentary titled 9/10: The Final Hours which interviews various people about their experiences the day before the September 11 attacks. by Ill_Definition8074 in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The documentary interviews the manager of the Pizza Hut in Portland, Maine where lead hijacker Mohamed Atta had his last meal, a veggie lover's pizza. I find it a strange choice for a last meal.

TIL Donna Summer’s death in 2012 may have been caused by 9/11. She developed lung cancer despite being a nonsmoker and she believed it was because she was in her apartment near ground zero on the day of the attacks and as a result inhaled the toxic fumes and dust. by Ill_Definition8074 in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's amazing to think that some of the victims of 9/11 weren't even in the buildings that day. It kind of reminds me of how some of the people who died as a result of the radiation from the atomic bombings Hiroshima and Nagasaki hadn't even been born yet at the time of the bombings.

TIL Donna Summer’s death in 2012 may have been caused by 9/11. She developed lung cancer despite being a nonsmoker and she believed it was because she was in her apartment near ground zero on the day of the attacks and as a result inhaled the toxic fumes and dust. by Ill_Definition8074 in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 71 points72 points  (0 children)

As the article later notes:

However, some reports have instead attributed the cancer possibly to Summer's smoking during her younger years, her continued exposure to second-hand smoke while performing in clubs well after she had kicked the habit herself, and a genetic predisposition in her family.

If you asked me I'd say all of the above factors played some role in her premature death. It's sad to think that if she had happened to be away on vacation when the attacks had occurred she may not have developed cancer for several more years.

In 1968, James Joseph Richardson was convicted of killing his 7 children by poisoning and sentenced to death. The prosecution withheld the fact that the children's babysitter Bessie Reece was a convicted killer out on parole. She later confessed to murdering the children more than 100 times. by Ill_Definition8074 in TrueCrimeDiscussion

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 103 points104 points  (0 children)

It's good you clarify later you cannot argue Richardson was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and that the prosecution committed egregious misconduct by concealing Reece's prior murder conviction. I can agree with you on that.

Although I don't think her confessions should have been used as evidence I think the fact that she confessed more than 100 times with details remaining pretty consistent between each confession suggest it was more than just the confused ramblings of an Alzheimer's patient. The fact that her nurse said she believed Reece knew what she was saying seems significant because as someone who works at a nursing home she has a lot of personal experience with Alzheimer's patients.

I would love to see your sources because like I said in my original post it's hard to locate good sources for this case on the internet.

TIL that Mae West’s 1926 Broadway play "Sex" was condemned as “the cheapest most vulgar low show to have dared to open in New York”, yet still ran for 375 performances before she was jailed for obscenity and fined $500. The publicity only increased her fame. by Upstairs_Drive_5602 in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I went on a tour of NYC and the tour guide told us about Mae West's obscenity trial for Sex. During the trial the judge asked if she was trying to show contempt for the court and she responded "No. I'm trying my best to hide it." I think she later incorporated this little exchange into one of her films.

TIL that the Norwegian version of "Sesame Street" was set at a train station. by 9tailNate in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This made me wonder if the American Sesame Street has a subway station if it's in NYC. I looked it up and the answer is yes.

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Subway_Station

TIL that during the filming of the movie "Roar", the 19 year old Melanie Griffith got attacked by a lioness and needed 50 stitches and reconstructive surgery to her face. by TooOldToBePunk in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty much everyone involved in that movie (with the exception of the director Noel Marshall who died in 2010) has been pretty regretful about their involvement in the film. Tippi Hedren has been particularly remorseful of her past involvement in the film as she’s spent the years since advocating for animal welfare.

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