› added 1 year ago

87

TIL during the Japanese wars of unification in the 16th century, while besieging an enemy castle, Toyotomi Hideyoshi purchased all the available rice in the province at several times the market price to aid in the process of breaking the resolve of the garrison. The siege only lasted 200 days.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

rRe9d TIL that Danish Physicist Lene Hau lead a team in 2001 that was the first to completely stop a beam of light in its tracks. Later experiments included turning light into matter, and then matter back into light.
LkoLp TIL that The Big Beat, a 1980 song by Billy Squier, has been sampled in more than 260 recordings including Jay-Z's “99 Problems”, Alicia Keys' “Girl on Fire” and Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Higher Ground". The original song never charted.
nWmOr TIL that the first airplane ticket ever sold was bought by a reporter named Albert Beach in 1908 for a flight from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida. The ticket cost $400, which is equivalent to around $11,000 in today's currency.
epDlb TIL of Nicholas Macdonald Sarsfield Cod'd, an Irishman who in 1830 named himself a pretender to the throne of the new Kingdom of Greece. His attempt to get the job of King of Greece was rejected by the British Foreign Secretary, despite his claim to be descended from a Byzantine emperor.
Y7OYx TIL grapefruit can be detrimental by inhibiting an enzyme in the body involved in processing medication, such as blood pressure medication, and some psychiatric medications