› added 13 years ago

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Today I learned a Russian woman came to American in escape of military conscription as result of WW1, started a furniture business with $500 savings, and turned it into the largest home furnishing store in North America. She worked until 103 yr old, and she could neither read or write.

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

Me55b TIL that in Japanese baseball there is a tradition that when a great pitcher is retiring, their final opposing batters will strike out on purpose. The video is hilarious in its obviousness and truly touching as a show of respect for the player (Takashi Saito) and his career.
K5jJ TIL President Andrew Jackson had to leave for a hotel when roughly 20,000 citizens celebrated his inauguration inside the White House. His aides ultimately had to lure the mob outside with washtubs filled with a potent cocktail of orange juice and whiskey.
kO8dW TIL Larry Bird got bored halfway through a game and decided to challenge himself by only shooting left handed. He scored 20 points using only his left hand.
mxlmy TIL that in 1986, serial killer Wayne Nance broke into Doug and Kris Welles’s home. Despite being bound, stabbed in the chest, and then later shot, Doug managed to save his wife by shooting their attacker in one of the few known cases of a serial killer being killed by their intended victim.
wLPP6 TIL that a 6 year old boy acknowledged by the Dalai Lama as the next "Panchen Lama", the 2nd highest Tibetan spiritual leader, was kidnapped by China in March 1995. He was replaced by the son of members of the Chinese Communist Party. China has not mentioned the boy since May 1995.