› added 1 year ago

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TIL: The Great Slave Auction occurred in 1859 and consisted of 436 slaves auctioned over 2 days to over 200 buyers and sightseers. It was heavily advertised and netted over $9.9 million in today's money. It was considered the largest slave auction until 2022, when historians found a larger auction.

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X1Qr TIL Twenty years ago 29,000 rubber ducks fell overboard and they still float around the seas.
nJnb TIL when the Comanche shaman White Eagle’s magic failed to protect his warriors in battle, they renamed him Coyote Vagina
QJoGX TIL about Nikolai Vavilov who, obsessed with ending famine, created the world's largest collection of plant seeds, advancing the genetic study of cultivated plants. He faced anti-Mendelian forces during the Stalin era, leading to arrest in 1940. Ironically, he died in captivity, by starvation.
PJvE TIL that the New London, CT police department was sued when it refused to hire an applicant it judged too smart to be a police officer.
1Nd4 TIL Theodore Roosevelt Jr was the only general to land on the beaches during D-Day. Although he was the oldest man on the beach and walked with a cane, he was the first man out of his landing craft. He recited poetry and joked with his men to keep them calm. He was awarded the Medal of Honor.