› added 12 years ago

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TIL in 1959, a white author underwent skin treatments to appear African-American, hitchhiked around the Pre-Civil Rights South to experience hatred and racism firsthand, then wrote a bestselling book about it.

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R70b4 TIL in 2013 a dog named Killian saved a baby boy from an abusive babysitter. He alerted his owners by growling and standing between the baby and the sitter whenever she was there. Suspicious, the parents left an iPhone under the sofa recording audio. The sitter was later convicted on what they heard
1aGJ8 TIL of Ben L. Salomon, a dentist in the Battle of Saipan whose field hospital was overrun by the Japanese. He provided cover fire for the wounded to escape and then manned a machine gun for additional cover fire. When his body was found, 98 dead enemy soldiers were piled in front of his position.
JY84k TIL in the ancient epic Mahabharata (c.a 400 BCE), the King Yudisthira reaches paradise but is told his dog is not allowed in. Shocked that his dog could not be allowed in, the King choses to return to Earth or go to Hell. The guard then reveals it was only a test of his virtue, and allows both in.
N7d5J TIL during WWII a Japanese Kamikaze hit the USS Missouri and his body landed on deck. Though an unpopular decision, the Captain demanded a proper burial for the Japanese soldier. He explained to his crew that: after death, he is no longer your enemy, and the crew hand stitched a Japanese flag.
vP49D TIL that as early as 1802, Thomas Jefferson designed a cypher wheel to encrypt messages. It's unknown if he ever actually built or used one, but a similar tool was invented for the U.S. Army to use from 1920 until the start of WWII. Jefferson's designs were discovered shortly after.