› added 10 years ago

1244

TIL That the word “bedlam”, meaning chaos, is derived from the infamous Bedlam insane asylum established in 1247. It was notorious for its brutal treatment of the mentally ill, and for allowing fee paying spectators to watch the “bedlam”.

OGGAe TIL in the UK, it is a legal requirement for at least 5% of all broadcasts on a channel to be in sign language. At least 10% must have audio description. This is on top of a requirement for 90% of programmes to be subtitled.
11n4 TIL the liqueur Curaçao is made from orange trees brought to the Caribbean from Spain in 1527. The trees failed to thrive and were abandoned. The fruit evolved from sweet orange into bitter green. Experimentation with dried peels of the fruit later led to the creation of the liqueur Curaçao.
5EM9 TIL 2,4-dinitrophenol, a widely used chemical in industry, is also a powerful weight loss agent with severe side effects. In some people, it can burn food energy so fast that their body isn’t able to expel the heat quickly enough, thus causing them to die by literally burning from the inside out.
mxPNy TIL During WW1 the british army created “Pals Battalions” which let men fight alongside their friends, neighbours and colleagues. The objective of these battalions were so soldiers would fight harder and keep each others spirits up.
M7keV TIL southeastern Pennsylvania has several towns with "delightful" names within close proximity, including Blue Ball, Intercourse, Pleasureville, and Fertility