› added 5 years ago

89

TIL about Lyudmila Mikhailovna Pavlichenko, a Soviet sniper in the Red Army during World War II, credited with at least 309 confirmed kills. She is regarded being in the top five military snipers of all time and the most successful female sniper in history. Lyudmila was nicknamed "Lady Death".

grO77 TIL, the reason you hold your hand up in court when you take the oath is that centuries ago, criminals were branded on the hand. Different letters were used in England, F for Liar, T for Thief, F for Fugitives, R for Rogue, V for Vagabond, and P for Perjury.
Y7QXW TIL in 1942/WW2 the Japanese army made Allied POWs sign a pledge not to escape. Most Australians POWs signed "Ned Kelly", an infamous australian outlaw, knowing that Japanese administrators who were not familar with english names.
BExe TIL NYPD ex-cop Adrian Schoolcraft secretly recorded corrupt activities for 17 months in 2008, leading to a huge scandal and 4 separate investigations into NYPD. He recorded illegal arrests, superiors giving illegal orders, multiple rape reports getting downgraded to trespassing and more.
xVxVw TIL in 1937, upon meeting Hitler, Viscount Halifax thought he was a footman and handed him his coat upon arrival. A long and barbed meeting with the Führer then ensued.
dDLeB TIL the phrase “growing the beard” describes when a show improves in quality. It comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where Season 2’s stronger storytelling coincided with Riker growing a beard, a look Gene Roddenberry approved and fans embraced as a sign the series had matured.