› added 12 years ago

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TIL “step on a crack, break your mothers back” was originally the more offensive “step on a crack, turn your mother black”

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yQyOw TIL that the method of pasteurizing grape juice to halt it from naturally turning into wine has been attributed to a British–American physician and dentist, Thomas Bramwell Welch. Welch was also active in the Underground Railroad and aided in the transportation of freed slaves to Canada.
6njJ TIL - Ireland was one of the earliest countries to adopt a system of hereditary surnames (11th century)
E1jZo TIL that the acclaimed writer Leo Tolstoy converted to Christianity and became a anarchist and a pacifist based on the teachings of Jesus. He was a major inspiration to Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
wea6 TIL personal genomics company 23andMe has used customer genetic information to obtain a patent to test for propensity to develop Parkinson’s disease, and has also received a patent allowing parents to hand-pick genes for their children.
8kwa TIL A retired U.S. Army Officer led a 12-member mercenary group to successfully rescue his mother’s friend who had been kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Malaysia