› added 5 years ago

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TIL in 2011 at a rural Western NY high school, 14 students came down with an illness: verbal outbursts, tics, seizures, and speech problems. Fears about the cause of the outbreak drew national media attention. One girl had Tourette syndrome. The rest had mass psychogenic illness: mass hysteria.

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nDXW TIL that the first all-black regiment to fight in WWI was given the name “Harlem Hellfighters” by their German enemies who noted their ferocity. Their French allies, who fought alongside them when other Americans would not, called them “Men of Bronze”
Zp7Wv TIL that adjusting for inflation, McDonalds in 1940 was more expensive than today. For example, the basic cheeseburger cost $3.89
X0Prr TIL of research into genetically engineering humans for space and living on other planets. One method is epigenome engineering and would target genes advantageous for space. Another method is to combine the DNA of other species (i.e. tardigrades) with human cells to make humans better fit for space.
pYdLA TIL that HM Prison Shepton Mallet (UK) was used by the American military 1942 to 1945. At the end of 1944 there were 768 soldiers imprisoned. 18 were executed at the prison: sixteen were hanged and two were shot by a firing squad. 10 of the 18 men executed there were black and three were Hispanic.
mx1v TIL that natural gas doesn’t actually have a smell - the ‘smell’ of a gas leak is actually mercaptan, which is added to warn people of leaking gas.