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TIL that in the 90s, the US was first to develop an assay to test for HIV contaminated blood products. France refused to adopt the test because it wasn't French and delayed testing until their version came out, resulting in thousands of hemophiliacs being infected with HIV.

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

5M4p TIL: In the US, it’s illegal to fire someone for talking about their salary with their coworkers.
rNJn1 TIL that rockets are launched from near the equator because it gives them a large initial speed, helping reach space with less fuel. Over a 24-hour period, such places travel longer distances than places at higher latitudes, which means that they move faster and have more angular momentum.
Yl8x TIL Mae Jemison, the first female African-American astronaut, was inspired to apply to NASA by the Star Trek character, Lieutenant Uhura. Jemison later went on to make a cameo appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
ANYpn TIL that the Fleetwood Mac song "The Chain" is an assembly of unused material through tape splicing.
6dXX TIL on this day, Congress passed the Sedition Act of 1798, making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the U.S. government. President John Adams later signed it into law.