› added 9 years ago

97

TIL Giga-Pets were banned in Iceland, Thailand, and Canada for being a distraction, as children were constantly worrying about the wellbeing of their digital pets

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PY0AL TIL that more than 6,500 tigers live in China's tiger farms, outnumbering the 3,900 left in the wild
QJB5e TIL in 1677 the Dutch gave away Manhattan for a small Indonesian island
e0BW5 TIL Monk fruit contains compounds that, when extracted, are natural sweeteners 300–400 times the sweetness of cane sugar but with no calories and no effect on blood sugar.
lowJA TIL that upon the archaeological discovery of Chechen-Soviet soldiers from WW2 in Ukraine, archaeologists discovered letters addressed to relatives in Chechen towns which no longer exist. Further investigation revealed the Khaibakh massacre perpetrated by Soviet forces.
Bgw0e TIL that in 1904, the Olympic marathon in St. Louis became infamous for its chaotic and bizarre events. Runners suffered due to extreme heat, one athlete took a car for part of the race, and another was nearly poisoned by his coach, who gave him brandy and strychnine as "performance enhancers."