› added 7 years ago

210

TIL that in 1902, the French, concerned with the large number of rats in Hanoi, instituted a bounty, which would be proven by showing the rat’s tail. People soon began breeding rats for their tails without killing them, causing a bubonic plague.

Read more reddit.com

via ift.tt

grK7W TIL That grocery store margins are only 1 percent to 3 percent of the sales price of an item
XXND TIL During the Black Death, incoming ships were forced to wait for 40 days to prevent possible infection. The Italian word for 40, “quaranta”, is where we get the word “quarantine”.
x6AKb TIL that Napoleon's parents fought against the French conquest of Corsica. Napoleon was born three months after the conquest was successful, thus a French citizen and eventually its emperor.
wgAP TIL German chocolate cake was invented in America. It is named for a chocolate maker- Samuel German
b9GXZ TIL Conan, a military dog who took part in the raid on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named after Conan O'Brien. He chased after Baghdadi before Baghdadi detonated his suicide vest.