› added 10 years ago

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TIL that after losing the Civil War, 10,000 Confederates fled the United States and founded the city of Americana, Brazil, where they rebuilt their plantations and still owned slaves.

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W79RA TIL that the first chemotherapy drugs were chemical weapons related to mustard gas. Scientists noticed that mustard gas victims had reduced blood production, and speculated that injecting the chemical intravenously might also reduce cancer cell growth.
XdPX TIL the crew of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station have an annual winter tradition where they watch all three versions of “The Thing”, a horror film about an alien lifeform that attacks researchers on an Antarctic base.
Ooloa TIL that not all toasters use the numbers on the dial to determine toastiness.
R75gQ TIL that Biggie Smalls had to change his stage name to Notorious B.I.G. because of a lawsuit filed by the Calvin Lockhart - the actor that used the name, Biggie Smalls, in the 1975 film 'Let's Do It Again'.
7rkl7 TIL that they train the crews of giant container ships and oil tankers using ride-on models in a big pond.