› added 4 weeks ago

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TIL about the Zong Massacre. In 1781, the crew of the British slave ship Zong threw overboard a total of 142 African slaves, claiming a shortage of drinking water. The Zong's owners then made an insurance claim that was first denied, then litigated, granted, appealed, and finally rejected.

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5V0Wr TIL I learned about the Seneca Falls Convention, that fought for the social, civil and religious rights of women.
DQEAj TIL that Atropine (the drug used to dilate eyes) is made from the "Belladonna plant". The name "bella donna" is derived from Italian and means "beautiful woman", because the herb was used hundreds of years ago by women to dilate their pupils to make them appear seductive.
pYRBA TIL: During the One World Trade Center construction, workers had the choice of bringing lunches or facing the nearly impossible task of descending to ground in 30 minutes for food. To solve this, a Subway franchise created a full shop in a shipping container, which was lifted to the workers daily.
jRxv TIL Disney world doesn’t use correct/current American Flags, so they do not need to be taken down or lit up at night.
groW7 TIL that canned tuna (and other fish) contains small doses of mercury (the poisonous metal found for example in old thermomethers)