› added 2 years ago

313

TIL about the WWII L4 Grasshopper plane named "Rosie the Rocketer" that it's pilot, Major Charles "Bazooka Charlie" Carpenter, had attached six bazookas to. It took part in the battle at Arracourt, forcing a tank column to retreat. He racked up 6 tank kills, including two Tigers.

Read more americanheritagemuseum.org

via reddit.com

l7YE5 TIL about the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that killed an estimated 224,000 people. It is not even not even in the top 10 for deadliest natural disasters in history.
4k8Eg TIL of the "Dawson Film Find". 1900s Dawson was a remote gold rush town with a cinema. Film's sent there were never returned, accumulated, buried, covered by a hockey rink and forgotten. Years later diggers unearthed the 533 reels of lost films, and rare footage, including the 1919 World Series.
9bvG TIL that in 1944, on the verge of the Liberation of Paris, Hitler ordered it’s governor to leave it a “pile of rubble,” and destroy all religious and historical monuments. The Governor refused, saving Paris.
4wwb TIL that at a London Gentleman’s Club, to avoid confusion, all male staff members are referred to as ‘George’. This caused a dilemma when the first (and so far, only) female steward was hired in the 1980s. The problem was solved when it was decided that she would be called 'Georgina’
69DrZ TIL in 1995 John Steele visited Al Mac's Bar in Toronto, but found he didn't have enough money for a tip. So he left a lottery ticket with his favorite waitress, Tracy Dalton, & told her he'd share any winnings with her. The ticket was a winner & ended up being worth $185K. The two split it evenly.