Post * GJ54 — Curious Curator

› added 11 years ago

236

TIL five years into their ten-year plan, editors of the original Oxford English Dictionary had only reached the word ‘ant’

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JNBk TIL that the Parrot fish eat coral and poop sand and are responsible for many of the islands and beaches of the Caribbean.

p8v5Z TIL the first 'spam' email was sent 40 years ago this month, when Gary Thuerk sent a message advertising a new model of computer to all 393 ARPANET addresses on the West Coast of the US.

wdbJ TIL When his boat sank off the Jamaican coast, Chris Blackwell - the producer who first discovered Bob Marley - was found near-death by some Rasta fishermen. They nursed him back to full health, forming a bond with their culture that became the basis for his famous investment in the island’s music.

M7Mva TIL During the 50's and 60's, Dr. Chester M. Southam injected patients and prisoners with cancer cells (HeLa cells) for research without their consent. He was reported and suspended for a year despite a cover up attempt. He later became President of the American Association for Cancer Research.

6E8dZ TIL that the United States Government, in response to a failing dairy market, began to stockpile millions of pounds of cheese in 1977. This stockpile still exists and now contains over 1.3 Billion pounds of cheese across the US.