› added 13 years ago

133

TIL that 64,000+ Americans were forcibly sterilized during the 20th century, to promote “superior genetics”. Backers included Kellogg, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Carnegie Institution. The Nazi’s were partially inspired by Americans

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

epKP4 TIL that in 1950 a recording project of Kenyan songs from Kipsigis people captured songs about Chemirocha or Jimmy Rodgers the blue yodler and father of country and blues. They thought he was half man half goat.
PaPn TIL the native americans planted corn, beans, and squash together so that they would benefit eachother. The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants utilize, and the squash spreads along the ground preventing weeds
m1OkY TIL FBI agents visiting the loan shark and murderer Sam DeStefano to question him, would be served special blend of coffee with an unusual taste. After they discovered this was caused by DeStefano urinating in the beverages, one agent was never able to drink coffee again.
Gk9Q TIL That the main reason the U.S. did not drop the atomic bomb on Kyoto is that Secretary of War Henry Stimson wanted to preserve the cultural center where he had spent his honeymoon.
VMDjG TIL Lagos in Nigeria has a Brazilian Quarter. In the 1800s, formerly enslaved Afro-Brazilians began to return to Africa. They formed an exclusive business elite known as 'Agudas' who intermarried and built their community in the Brazilian style. Descendents hold an annual Brazilian style carnival.