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TIL that God Bless America was written by a Russian immigrant. This Russian immigrant was Irving Berlin.

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via ift.tt

bK69 TIL In 2006, skydiver Michael Holmes jumped out of a plane at 15,000 ft. Wearing a helmet camera, his first chute failed, then his reserve, then he waived good-bye before landing in a blackberry bush and surviving. It was one highest falls on record.
vB0R TIL that the first unofficial mascot of the USPS, Owney the Postal Dog, actually went “postal” in 1897. After biting a worker, the “Toledo postmaster summoned a police officer, who shot him, thus ending the career of the famous little dog.”
Wj68 TIL chemical engineer Dave Whitlock hasn’t bathed in more than 12 years. Instead, the MIT graduate sprays himself with live bacteria and is working with AOBiome, a company that uses naturally occurring bacteria in skin-care products to clean and eliminate odor and sweat.
EJbV TIL a Japanese interpreter once translated a joke that Jimmy Carter delivered during a lecture as: “President Carter told a funny story. Everyone must laugh.”
E1jYX TIL the first steam turbine was invented in the 1st century by Greek engineer Hero of Alexandria, along with the first wind organ, vending machine, and piston pump. Most of his works were written off as party tricks or display relics for temples.