› added 8 months ago

22

TIL about Guy Gabaldon, the Pied Piper of Saipan. Of Mexican descent, having learned street Japanese as a child growing up in Los Angeles. During WW2 convinced over 1,000 Japanese to surrender during the battle of Saipan. Was awarded the Silver Star, later upgraded to the Navy Cross.

Read more military.com

via reddit.com

R5m7 TIL that during filming of Schindler’s List, a survivor of the concentration camp in Płaszów Poland met actor Ralph Fiennes, who played Nazi captain Amon Goeth; she began to shake uncontrollably at the sight of him because he was so convincing; Goeth was responsible for tens of thousands of deaths
v0b7 TIL that a “band-aid” for “people of color” was marketed in the late 90s and early 00s, but failed to gain traction, partly due to retailers insistence on only featuring the item in the “ethnic sections” rather than in-line with its “white” counterparts.
JkOj TIL that so many American Indians joined the military during WW2 that had all Americans joined at the same proportion, conscription would not have been necessary. The Blackfeet tribe mocked the idea of a draft: “Since when has it been necessary for Blackfeet to draw lots to fight?”
9JZ6 TIL that on Saint Patrick’s Day began as a “feast day” in honor of the anniversary of the day he died. To honor him, Christians could put aside their Lenten restrictions on food and alcohol consumption on this day, which is why excessive drinking has become so permanently linked to the celebration.
M7EO0 TIL the deadliest hurricane in US history was a hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900. It killed between 6,000 and 12,000 people. Debris and dead bodies spread so far that trains 6 miles (9.7 km) from the city were forced to stop. All bridges to the island of Galveston were washed out.