› added 11 months ago

38

TIL the United States and "British North America" received fewer than 10% of the African slaves trafficked to the New World. The largest destinations were Portuguese America >38% (e.g. Brazil) and the British West Indies >18% (e.g. Jamaica).

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

MEZB TIL In 1943, 10 Norwegian Special Operations Executives successfully sabotaged a plant which could produce materials for German nuclear weapons. To do so, they had to descend a 200m ravine, ford an icy river and climb a steep hill. Afterwards, they had to escape 3000 German soldiers.
woO98 TIL that in the background of the movie Stuart Little is a long lost painting. an art historian spotted it and it turned out to be the original.
Gmj4 TIL that salt is iodized because it is the simplest and most cost-effective measure available to battle iodine deficiency, whicih is the leading preventable cause of intellectual and developmental disabilities
rN0AM TIL many survived the Pompeii volcanic explosion and the ones that were buried had time to go home, gather their family, valuables, and religious iconography before trying to flee and being caught in a "traffic jam"
b6Oe4 TIL that tobacco smoke enemas were so accepted as a resuccitation treatment for drowning in 1700's Europe that emergency smoke enema kits were placed next to the River Thames in London. Doubts about the utility might also be the source of the expression about "blowing smoke up your ass."