› added 11 years ago

69

TIL that George Orwell fought with anarchists in the Spanish Revolution and was shot in the throat.

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RDw6 TIL German shepherds where renamed to “Alsatian Wolf Dog” after World War I due to the anti-German sentiment of the era.
YpWGP TIL President Jimmy Carter was in Mexico City on Valentines Day, 1979. At the opening ceremonies in Mexico City, Carter remarked that he could not "imagine a more appropriate day" for Mexico and the United States to meet "and to express the feelings that the people of my country have towards yours"
VBXwG TIL That the McDonald Observatory in Texas, it's primary mirror has 7 bullet holes in it. This has caused it to only reduce in effectiveness by approximately 1%.
jxda TIL a consortium of American and German organizations cut a hole in the side of a 747 to install a 2.5m telescope. This modified plane is flown above most of the atmosphere so infrared observations can be made.
Y7YG TIL Nikola Tesla, towards the end of his life, fell in love with a white female pigeon and spent over $2000 USD building a device that could support/heal her broken leg and wing.