› added 4 months ago

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TIL the first person to circumnavigate the earth may have been Enrique of Malacca, a slave of Magellan who started his journey in Malaysia.

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via reddit.com

KOgoE TIL: The Japanese term for the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus is "Subaru," which is why Subaru has that 6-star logo.
WawB TIL in 1054 a supernova in the Constellation Taurus was observed that was bright enough to remain visible during daylight for perhaps as long as 23 days. The remnant of the supernova, which consists of debris ejected during the explosion, is now known as the Crab Nebula.
gerL TIL of the Iron Pillar of Delhi, a 1600 year old pillar that’s rust-free
Ypd7v TIL that During Cambodian genocide, the Khmer Rouge killed children of their prisoners by smashing their heads on a "Chankiri tree". Those soldiers laughed as they did it, since not laughing could indicate sympathy, making them targets, too.
jRgj TIL Soviet pseudoscientist Lysenko promoted Marxist theories in agriculture like “there will be no ‘class warfare’ among plants of the same species, so seeds can be planted close together and will grow in harmony.” The adoption of these ideas in China caused crop failure and millions of deaths.