Refused Leave facts
While investigating facts about Refused Leave, I found out little known, but curios details like:
In 1959, police were called to a segregated library in S. Carolina when a 9yr-old Black boy refused to leave. He later got a PhD in Physics from MIT, and died in 1986, one of the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger. The library that refused to lend him books is now named after him.
In 2017, a dog named Odin refused to leave his flock of goats behind during the California Tubbs Fire as his owners fled to safety. Days later, the owners came back to their property to find Odin survived and managed to keep all the goats alive.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 50 of the best facts about Refused Leave I managed to collect.
-
The owner of Macy's died on the Titanic. He refused to get in a lifeboat before women and children, and his wife refused to leave without him. She said, "I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die, together." They were last seen standing on the deck, arm in arm
-
Although many Simpsons characters are named after Matt Groening's family members, he refused to name the Simpsons' Grandpa after his own grandfather, Abraham, leaving it to other writers to choose a name. Coincidentally, they chose Abraham, unaware that it was the name of Matt's grandfather.
-
A Russian dog whose owners were killed in a car accident. Despite attempts to adopt or re-home him, the dog refused to leave the site of the accident and waited for them until it died 7 years later. The city informally adopted the dog and dedicated a statue to honor his loyalty.
-
About Viola Desmond, a Nova Scotian woman who in 1946 was charged with tax evasion of one cent for refusing to leave a whites-only section of a theatre. She is featured on the new $10 Canadian bill.
-
In 1964 white business leaders in Atlanta refused to buy tickets to an event honoring recent Nobel Prize winner Martin Luther King. Coca-Cola recognized the potential PR disaster and threatened to leave the city unless people attended. The event sold out the next day.
-
US Army nurse Ruby Bradley. Captured during WWII, she was nicknamed the "Angel in Fatigues", delivering 13 babies and smuggling food to help starving children. During the Korean War, she refused to leave her hospital until everyone has left, despite surrounded by 100,000 enemy soldiers.
-
After describing female journalists as "buck-and-a-half hookers", Frank Sinatra was under siege for 3 days in a Sydney hotel and stranded because airport union staff refused him service, declaring "If you don't apologise, you won't be allowed to leave Australia unless you can walk on water."
-
There is believed to be only one remaining Jew in Afghanistan. He has special permission to butcher his own meat according to Kosher law, and is caretaker to the only remaining synagogue in Kabul. Despite his family having emigrated to Israel, he himself refuses: "Why should I leave?"
-
In 1919, having pitched 8⅔ innings in a game against the Athletics, Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning. Despite being knocked unconscious, he refused to leave the game. He went on to record the final out for the complete-game win.
What is true about refused leave?
You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.
In 1944, on the verge of the Liberation of Paris, Hitler ordered it's governor to leave it a "pile of rubble," and destroy all religious and historical monuments. The Governor refused, saving Paris.
Privately owned stores such as Walmart can't force you to show a receipt before letting you leave the store. You can politely refuse to show your receipt and continue walking out the door. - source
A stray pit bull adopted an orphaned kitten and kept her alive by nursing her on her own milk. After being rescued the kitten was bottle-fed, but the dog refused to leave her side, howling if separated and licking her clean as she ate. Upon adoption from the centre, they came as a pair. - source
There is a Christian cult in China that tortures former members for leaving and killed a woman for refusing to join
15 girls died in Saudi Arabia after the religious police refused to let them leave their burning building because they were not properly dressed. - source
In Russia, a stray cat named Masha kept a three month old baby warm in below-freezing temperatures and refused to leave its side when it was taken to the hospital, the baby lived.
Legendary musician and New Orleans resident Fats Domino refused to leave his home when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, leading him to be presumed dead until rescued by the coastguard. At 88 years old, he is still performing live music!
Tycho Brahe, a Danish astronomer, refused to leave the dinner table to pee during a banquet, as this was considered impolite. This caused him to rupture his bladder and die as a result.
A way to go on strike without leaving work. In "work-to-rule", employees do the minimum possible required of them, and precisely follow all safety and other regulations. Examples: Refusing overtime, nurses not answering phones, police not issuing citations, taking every legally entitled break
The sandwich was supposedly invented by the Earl of Sandwich, who was so addicted to gambling that he refused to leave the table for meals, and demanded something he could eat with one hand. It caught on amongst other players, who ordered "the same as sandwich" - thus, "the sandwich".
The last 2 Afghan Jews lived on opposite sides of Kabul's synagogue, both claimed ownership of the space, refused to leave fearing the other would sell it. The two fought so much over the synagogue's Torah (bible) scroll that, after each called Taliban on the other, the Taliban confiscated it.
