› added 3 years ago

132

TIL that on two separate occasions (first in 1869 and again in 1912) the sitting president of Haiti was killed when a stockpile of ammunition placed in the National Palace ignited, destroying the structure in a massive explosion.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

eprAb TIL that Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, an abolitionist, suffragist, surgeon, and the only female recipient of the Medal of Honor, was arrested for wearing men's clothes. She famously said: "I don’t wear men’s clothes, I wear my own clothes."
Lky69 TIL of Anthony Ashley-Cooper 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, a 19th century MP . He was involved in the reforming of insane asylums, responsible for several important child labour laws, and campaigned against the opium trade. As a result of his philanthropy he was known as 'The poor man's Earl'.
05gv TIL that a long-term 30-years study found that post-operation Transgender persons are 20x more likely to commit suicide when compared to the general population
R59M4 TIL that porcupines are indeed defenseless against one predator I had never heard of before. A vicious weasel-like creature called a "fisher" (although it doesn't fish) that is also known for killing lynx. They are one of the rarest carnivores due to hunting for their fur a century ago and logging.
NXxaQ TIL Gotham City from Batman is named after an English village known for being full of fools; in legend, in order to avoid a visit from the king, the villagers carried out absurd tasks, such as drowning an eel in water, to convince the king’s messengers they were imbeciles