› added 1 month ago

5

TIL Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr. of the USAF was the first American to die in the Vietnam War, but he was not killed in action, he was murdered in Saigon by another American airman, Edward C. Clarke on June 8, 1956.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

QJDm9 TIL of Christopher Langan, the "smartest man in the world" who broke the ceiling of the IQ scale when tested. He worked as a bouncer in Long Island for 20 years while developing his Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe about the relationship of reality and the mind
ZWOv TIL that Claudette Colvin was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation. However, since she was only 15 years old (and pregnant), the NAACP decided their secretary, Rosa Parks, would better represent the movement as the ideal segregation protester who would spark the bus boycotts.
rRPge TIL that Elton John was considered for the role of Harold in the 1971 film Harold and Maude. The director also wanted him to do the soundtrack, which ended up being composed by Cat Stevens.
6E6bw TIL that there was a 'British Hitler' in the 20s/30s. Sir Oswald Mosley is a virulent anti-Semitic fascist leader who was on friendly terms with Mussolini. Hitler was a guest of honour at his second wedding that was held in Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels' house.
5KeB TIL surgeons wear green or blue-coloured scrubs because they’re the complementary to red (blood), thus allowing the surgeon to better visualize the patient’s inside, and avoiding eye strain, loss of concentration and the ‘after effect’ illusion.