› added 7 years ago

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TIL Doris Miller was a cook who saved lives and gunned down Japanese warplanes while serving on a ship during WW2. He had no previous training with an anti-aircraft gun and was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart. Despite his heroism, he was assigned as a cook on Liscome Bay and died by torpedo.

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WBW9 TIL that Melvil Dewey, creator of the Dewey Classification System, had “a persistent inability to control himself around women”. At Columbia “it was rumored that he asked for their bust sizes with their applications”; not true, but he did ask for photographs because “you cannot polish a pumpkin”.
69RaZ TIL only 31 cities in Australia have a population of over 50,000. In the US, 50,000 is about the size of Enid, Oklahoma or Galveston, Texas.
XE0vj TIL of the Cocaine Bear who was found dead in the woods after eating 76 pounds ($15 million worth) of cocaine
ByEK TIL that it is not illegal to fix a sporting event for profit-driven but non-gambling schemes such as clandestine manipulation for the purpose of increasing suspense, viewer engagement and advertisement effectiveness
ne10B TIL the Internet meme Nyan Cat originated from 25-year-old Christopher Torres from Texas, who created the animated GIF in 2011. In a livestream, two different people had suggested he draw a pop tart and cat, so he created a hybrid. The design was inspired by his pet cat Marty, who died in 2012.