› added 5 years ago

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TIL Melinda Liu not only saw this pandemic in 2017, but she, named the very town in China where it would originate.

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via reddit.com

p8PwO TIL that in 1933 6000 people were deported by the Soviet Union to an island in the middle of Siberia and were abandoned there without food or shelter. Within three weeks most of the prisoners were dead due to the widespread episodes of cannibalism. The island became known as “Cannibal Island”.
5Ygbk TIL that "the" was originally written as "þe" in old english. It was eventually abbreviated to "þͤ". Since "þ" looked similar to "y" in old english blackletter script, they were both mixed up. So, in old english, "Ye olde" was simply pronounced "The olde."
15EW TIL that Jon Burge, a Chicago police officer, tortured over 200 primarily black suspects and forced many of them to falsely confess.
awmmM TIL: There's a skyscraper with a Ferris wheel built in. The first-of-its-kind ride is mounted over 300 feet above street level. Plans for the project fell through and the building currently stands empty.
9R16 TIL that if you bend your middle finger under your palm on the table, you can lift the thumb, index, and little finger, but it is impossible to lift your ring finger. This is because the tendons in all fingers are independent, except those on the middle and ring finger.