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TIL The term Smoke testing comes from the initial test of a circuit board. If there’s no smoke coming out when it’s first powered up, then the board’s probably okay.

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v1Oj4 TIL in 2013 police busted a meat packing plant in Guangxi, China that was selling 20 tons of chicken meat slaughtered in 1967. It had been treated with hydrogen peroxide to make it look presentable in markets and stores.
Lk0pv TIL that the literary works of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov were all introduced to the English-language world by one woman, who didn't start learning Russian until she was 29, and learned via a dictionary and grammar book. She ultimately translated over 70 volumes.
loNx1 TIL the first virus discovered is the Tobacco mosaic virus, over 100 years ago. It causes a mosaic looking disease in tobacco plants; it can survive for years in cigars and cigarettes made from infected leaves. Wendell Stanley won the Nobel Prize in 1946 for discovering that it's made from protein.
v1EBL TIL In 1673 Thomas Cornell Jr. was accused, tried, convicted and hanged for the alleged murder of his mother. He was convicted using spectral evidence, where witnesses recounted DREAMS involving GHOSTS pointing to his alleged guilt.
dD8ej TIL in the 70's and 80's, dead acidic lakes were fairly common in the US, Europe and Canada because of acid rain. The acidity in lakes killed all microbes and aquatic life, resulting in crystal clear water that allowed the lake bottom to be visible.