› added 5 years ago

193

TIL That the famous deaf-blind writer Hellen Keller received a gift from a Japanese police officer who gave her an Akita dog named Kamikaze-Go as a present. After the dog's death Japan’s government gifted another Akita, making her the first person to bring the dog breed to the U.S. In 1948

Read more akitaclub.org

via reddit.com

nedd7 TIL that on Dec. 3, 1965 Keith Richards nearly died when his guitar touched a microphone stand, sending a massive electrical surge through his body and a flame out of the microphone. It is speculated that he survived only because of the thick soles of his suede Hush Puppies.
odeR TIL in the 1800s it was common practice for museums to fix sculptures that had broken-off noses by creating & attaching a plaster replica. Today, Copenhagen’s Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum removed over 100 plaster noses, to give their sculptures a more pure look, & put them on display as a Nasothek.
EgQm0 TIL in World War II several U.S railroad companies sponsored military “railway battalions” to help with the war effort. Company bosses became military officers and 1000’s of American railroad employees joined the effort throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
neGBW TIL the habitat of the American alligator goes as far north as the North Carolina/Virginia border.
KO5RE TIL female gladiators or "gladiatrices" existed in ancient Rome, but were rare because it was considered unwomanly. One gladiatrix of note was a woman who fought wild boars with a spear while topless, and who would squat to urinate in front of a stunned crowd.