› added 7 months ago

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TIL about the Ship of People Incident in which Norman Macleod of the Isle of Skye kidnapped young men and girls to ship them to America and sell them as indentured servants. When the people were discovered, Norman Macleod claimed that he was shipping off convicts, a practice which was legal.

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lokxB TIL that the Chicxulub impact crater (from the asteroid that killed the non-avian dinosaurs) can be seen today as a series of sinkholes. The buried rock on the rim of the crater redirects groundwater that causes the limestone above it to dissolve and form sinkholes called cenotes.
PZ1O TIL that in Papua New Guinea, there is a tribe of people believe that “young boys must ingest the semen of their elders daily from the age of 7 until they turn 17 to achieve adult male status and to properly mature and grow strong.”
9wOvM TIL Russian mathematician and Fields Medalist Vladimir Voevodsky was expelled from Moscow State University for not attending classes and failing academically. He then got a PhD from Harvard despite no degree and having never applied after being recommended based on several independent publications.
VMY7G TIL in 2016 a popular Indonesian singer died on stage after she was bitten by the snake she was dancing with. She kept performing for 45 minutes after the bite, before having a seizure, vomiting and eventually dying.
WkgEN TIL December 25th is the anniversary of Chinese activist Qian Yunhui's death, who was held down in front of then ran over by a large truck.