› added 4 months ago

33

TIL humans were thought to be the only host species susceptible to leprosy until cases were identified in nine-banded armadillos and now Eurasian red squirrels in the UK have been added as a reservoir. 200,000 new human cases of leprosy a year are still recorded but the exact mechanism is unknown.

Read more frontiersin.org

via reddit.com

LkjWV TIL a pigeon, Gustav, carried the first word of the Normandy invasion back to the British mainland in WW2, as the fleet underwent radio silence at that time. He flew 150 miles in 5 hours 16 minutes. He was awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery. He died after the war by being accidentally stepped on.
MeWB7 TIL about the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed 4 media conglomerates to buy out all successful indie hip-hop labels, eventually making hip-hop less about art & social change & more about crime, gang life, & sex as those sold more records, according to Prof Tricia Rose of Brown Uni.
xnNb TIL Henry Beresford, 3rd Marquess of Waterford got drunk with his cronies, wrecked a small town in Ireland, painted it red (literally), beat up a few cops and painted them red too. Thus the term painting the town red was created.
YbBA TIL in 1968, an astronomy student, a dental student and a bass player formed a band called ‘Smile.’ By 1970 the Smile faded, and in 1971 they renamed the band to Queen.
oBOK7 TIL that the image of actor Leo Gorcey was erased from the front cover of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band because he asked for a fee.