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TIL Agatha Christie’s novel “Elephants Can Remember” reveals distinct signs of Alzheimer’s onset, e.g., 20% fewer words or ⅕ of her vocabulary lost; 6 times more use of nonspecific words such as “thing”, and a sharp drop in “idea density”. That novel's last line is “Maybe it’s OK not to remember.”. (radiolab.org)
submitted by Captain-Janeway
TIL Milton Berle, considered America's first TV star, had a massive penis. In his autobiography, Berle tells of a man who accosted him in a steam bath and challenged him to compare sizes, leading a bystander to remark, "go ahead, Milton, just take out enough to win" (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by szekeres81
TIL Japanese right-wing nationalists tried to assassinate Matsutarō Shōriki (father of japanese professional baseball) for allowing foreigners to play baseball in the Jingu Stadium. He survived but received a 16-inch-long scar from a broadsword during the assassination attempt. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by house_of_ghosts1
TIL that in 1986, serial killer Wayne Nance broke into Doug and Kris Welles’s home. Despite being bound, stabbed in the chest, and then later shot, Doug managed to save his wife by shooting their attacker in one of the few known cases of a serial killer being killed by their intended victim. (murderpedia.org)
submitted by GuidedBySteven
TIL bloodhounds are so adept at scent tracking that the results are admissible evidence in a court of law. One of the greatest sleuths in canine history was a Kentucky bloodhound called Nick Carter. His dogged persistence led to the capture and conviction of 600+ criminals throughout his career. (pbs.org)
submitted by Captain-Janeway
