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TIL Gladiatrix are the female equivalent of the gladiator of ancient Rome and they were almost certainly considered an exotic rarity by their audiences.

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b9Ox7 TIL about the Banana Massacre of 1928, where the US threatened Colombia with military invasion if it didn't end the ongoing Chiquita workers' strike. The Colombian army fired on unarmed protesters, men, women, and children, killing somewhere between 800 and 3,000.
YpJWx TIL that in WWII, John T. "Mike" Wolf joined the navy to become a pilot. Even though he had poor eyesight, he passed his physical when the doctor got distracted and forgot to give him the eye exam. Lt. Wolf went on to become a highly decorated fighter pilot ace, shooting down 7 Japanese planes.
vbO7 TIL the Virtual Reality Analgesia Research Center in Washington uses $35,000 goggles to obtain drops in pain ratings of burn victims by 30-50% through distraction. “VR not only reduces pain perception; it changes the way the brain processes pain signals.”
69vVW TIL that the coat of arms displayed on the Medieval Times location in Schaumburg, Illinois is that of Perelada, Spain, and the Viscounts Rocabertí, lords of Peralada Castle. The company founder, Jose Montaner, was uncle to the Count of Perelada, and incorporated stories from his family in shows.
780Wb TIL there are 'e-books' for the blind/visually impaired. The braille terminal is an electro-mechanical device that displays braille characters, usually by means of round-tipped pins raised through holes in a flat surface