› added 4 years ago

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TIL General Nathan Bedford Forrest, once considered a hero of the Confederacy, changed his views post-war. He encouraged black advancement and endeavored to be a proponent for espousing peace and harmony between black and white Americans.

5Qr8 TIL: Terry Fox, a 21 year old one-legged cancer patient, ran 3,339miles across Canada in 143 days before dying. He ran the equivalent of a full marathon every day and was the youngest person ever named a Companion of the Order of Canada.
x6kmB TIL: About João de Sá, a 15th century African slave who eventually became a court jester in Portugal and then a gentleman courtier. He was frequently mocked by other courtiers for his skin color, but he had the unique privilege of being the only one who can mock nobility without consequences.
wAA6 TIL a second is so called because it is the second divison by sixty of the hour (after the minute). Thirds (1/60 s) and Fourths (1/3600 s) were also previously used.
0dGNv TIL about Fugu, a dish prepared from Pufferfish, which can be lethal to humans if toxic parts of the fish are not properly prepared. In Japan and Korea, by law, only chefs who pass a three-year training are permitted to prepare the dish. Domestic preparation occasionally leads to accidental death.
vPX4L TIL that French schools used to assign 'Le Symbole' to kids caught speaking minority languages(i.e. Breton, Occitan, Basque, etc). The only way to rid oneself of the symbol is to snitch on a fellow student. At the end of the day, the student with the symbol will receive some form of punishment