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TIL: Edward Bernays, in an effort to market bananas to the United States, ended up toppling the Guatemalan government and starting a 30 year civil war

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Me7r7 Unpredictable extremes of weather could be a huge problem. Simon N. Gosling, a geographer at the University of Nottingham in England, and Robert E. Davis of the University of Virginia agree that hotter weather on average isn't as dangerous as unexpected weather. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in April looked at how temperature fluctuations over a single summer affect mortality in vulnerable populations.
NoPJ TIL of Lake Karachay, a lake in Russia that was used as a radioactive waste dump, and has been described as the most polluted place on the planet. Standing on the shore for an hour would give you a lethal dose of radiation.
PYyNL TIL Baileys was invented in 1973 by a South African man, David Gluckman, working for a London marketing agency designing drinks for an Irish company. The name was inspired by a local restaurant, Baileys Bistro.
wLV7P TIL The Simpsons in its early seasons was controversial, with parents and conservatives criticizing Bart Simpson as a poor role model for American children. First Lady Barbara Bush thought it was "the dumbest thing [she] had ever seen", in which Marge Simpson wrote a letter to her in response.
EgWAo TIL in Apartheid South Africa, being black or white was sometimes determined by shoving a pencil into a person's hair and checking to see if it fell out when shaking their head, or by pinching them to see what language they would say "ouch" in