› added 5 years ago

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TIL that the king of Belgium enslaved African men to force them to harvest rubber for European tires. If the harvest was short their wives and children were murdered and their hands and feet were given to the male workers as punishment.

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GARRj TIL that some bird species are toxic, even to the touch. There are no known venomous birds, though
GYj9j TIL That Reverse Racing was a huge and very challenging motor sport in the Netherlands thanks to the sale of DAF cars that had no speed limit for driving in reverse. It was eventually stopped because those cars were becoming collectors items and the sport was considered too dangerous.
ZpMDa TIL of a Dry Bite, a bite by a venomous animal in which no venom is released due to a number of reasons. The phenomenon can be misinterpreted as evidence for the effectiveness of supposed miracle cures.
boYp TIL Oprah Winfrey’s first name was originally Orpah, but it was misspelled on her birth certificate.
y99a TIL a Russian mathematician solved a 100 year old math problem; he declined the Fields medal, $1 million in awards, and later retired from math because he hated the recognition the math community gives to people who prove things.