› added 10 years ago

105

TIL of Franz Von Werra, a Nazi POW who was transfered to Canada to deter his multiple escapes and recaptures. He escaped again in less than a month, traveling through the US, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and Italy to become the only Western held POW to return to combat.

Read more m.wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

awxYL TIL: Sailors in the Royal Navy would receive a measure of grog (1 part rum, 2 parts water) everyday. The glasses they used were then washed on the outside, but never washed inside, in the belief that residue of past grogs would stick to the side of the glass and make the next grog even stronger!
8an5P TIL in 1783, an Icelandic volcano (Laki) erupted over 8-months spewing poisonous sulfur dioxide across the Northern Hemisphere. It lead to some of the worst winters on record with mass crop failures, famine, disease and is said to have been the trigger for the French Revolution.
j6Exn TIL That the famous Chris Farley Sketch "Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker" was Written by Bob Odenkirk (BreakingBad/Better Call Saul)
axRy TIL Chattanooga broadcast legend Luther Masingill is the only announcer to have reported over the air both the attack on Pearl Harbor and the attacks of 9/11.
W70GB TIL that the song "Down Under" had a major lawsuit 3 decades after its release. Greg Ham, who played the flute riff, was accused of stealing the part from a 1935 children's rhyme song. The band lost the case, and Ham was so devastated that his drug addiction worsened, and he eventually passed away.