› added 5 years ago

148

TIL Sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus), called Jersualem artichoke or Sunchoke, is native to North America. Native Americans were first cultivate sunflower roots for food. Resists cold, drought, wind. The roots contain inulin, which is firmly established to decrease blood cholesterol. Improves beer.

Read more epdf.pub

via reddit.com

oBPO8 TIL when Stalin got his first position as Secretary of the Communist Party, Leon Trotsky mocked his secretarial and low duties by nicknaming him "Comrade Index Card". Stalin eventually rose in ranks to rule the USSR, and eventually exiled Trotsky from the entire country.
X0k18 TIL Father Alec Reid, a Catholic priest who secretly worked to end decades of bloodshed in Northern Ireland between 1960s-1998, unsuccessfully tried to stop two British soldiers (Protestant side) from being shot by the IRA, while carrying crucial secret letter outlining peace negotiations.
KRGa TIL Cats were so revered in ancient Egypt that when a cat died, the household would go into mourning and would shave their eyebrows to signify their loss. However, when the temple of Bast was discovered in 1888, the mummified cats were ground up and sold as fertilizer.
Ld8d TIL In 1997 Charles Barkley was in court because he threw a man out of a first floor window during a bar fight. When asked by a judge if he regretted anything he replied, “yeah, I regret we weren’t on a higher floor.”
l70g5 TIL if you work for the Federal government and own an airplane, you can get reimbursed mileage if you travel in your privately owned airplane at a rate of $1.76 per mile (as of Jan 1, 2024).