› added 7 years ago

95

TIL in 1862 Japan four British merchants met a procession of a feudal lord’s regent while traveling. The merchants did not dismount and show respect, and the samurai cut them down. Britain’s claims for compensation were unanswered, which led to naval bombardment of Kagoshima city by the Royal Navy.

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kOmwW TIL about Anna Ladd, an American artist who, while living in France following WW 1, created hand painted copper masks for disfigured soldiers. This allowed soldiers who were despondent to become more comfortable with their appearance.
bVQQ TIL The center of the Earth is hotter than the surface of the sun yet the pressure is so great (3.5 million times surface pressure) that at the inner core, even at that temperature, iron solidifies.
p8omN TIL the "Clear and Present Danger" doctrine is no longer the standard of discerning when speech is criminal. The current standard is called "Imminent lawless action" and was established by the United States Supreme Court in Brandenburg v. Ohio in 1969.
DQpXv TIL Napoleon III was titled "Prince-President" from 1848 to 1852, when he became Emperor
grVx7 TIL The “smoker’s lung” demo in schools is actually “inflatable swine lungs stained realistically” to “unforgettably demonstrate the effects of prolonged smoking”