› added 1 year ago

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TIL that for centuries, tuberculosis was thought to be hereditary, or caused by malnutrition, harsh climate, etc. It wasn’t until 1865 that French military doctor Jean-Antoine Villemin proved that TB was an infectious disease by inoculating lab rabbits with material from infected humans and cattle

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6B4W TIL Greenland has to import Christmas trees because they cannot grow that far north
e0xx5 TIL that Vitamin D deficiency is linked with many health disorders, including depression. In a survey of almost 8,000 US residents, it was found that those with lower vitamin D levels "are at a significantly higher risk of showing depression".
9w0ZD TIL in 1874, the Freedman’s Savings Bank, created to help African Americans build wealth, collapsed due to mismanagement and fraud. Over 60,000 Black Americans lost about $3M in savings, devastating trust in financial institutions and crippling Black economic progress many decades.
myXy TIL that Orcas Island, famous for its resident pods of orcas, was actually named after Horcasitas, the Viceroy of Mexico, who sponsored an expedition there in 1791. Whereas the animal name “orca” originated in Ancient Rome. So “Orcas Island” is probably the most coincidental place name on Earth.
j6BAv TIL that Nokia made a taco-shaped phone. The N-Gage was its attempt to enter the video game market, but people mocked the strange shape with "sidetalking" memes. Inserting a new cartridge required removing the battery. Despite big-name games like Sonic and Elder Scrolls, N-Gage was a huge failure.