For seventy years, Martin Tytell rented, repaired, reconfigured, restored and rebuilt typewriters for customers such as Dorothy Parker, Adlai Stevenson, Dwight Eisenhower, David Brinkley, Harrison Salisbury, Richard Condon and a host of others. He could reproduce keyboards in 145 different languages and dialects with his stock of two million type fonts, including Farsi and Serbo-Croatian, Thai, Sanskrit, Coptic and Ancient and Modern Greek. Born on the Lower East Side, ninth child of Russian-Jewish immigrants and former U.S. Marine, he worked for the O.S.S. in WWII and any letter addressed to "Mr. Typewriter, New York" would get to him at his second floor shop at 116 Fulton Street, where a sign "Psychoanalysis For Your Typewriter" hung. Ian Frazier, one of my favorite authors (Coyote vs. Acme, Travels in Siberia) tells his story here.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_Reeves
Reeves worked for thirty-two years as a Federal peace officer in the Indian Territory. He was one of Judge Parker's most valued deputies. Reeves brought in some of the most dangerous criminals of the time, but was never wounded, despite having his hat and belt shot off on separate occasions.
In addition to being a marksman with a rifle and pistol, Reeves, during his long career, developed superior detective skills. When he retired in 1907, Reeves claimed to have arrested over 3,000 felons. He is said to have shot and killed fourteen outlaws to defend his own life.
The earth to them is but a silly ball
To them, through which they simply pass,
Like dustmaids down a drafty hall,
Or photons through a sheet of glass...
-- Updike
