› added 3 months ago

84

TIL that George Washington moved his slaves in and out of Pennsylvania every 6 months to avoid them taking advantage of a law whereby slaves residing in the state longer than that could claim freedom

Read more history.com

via reddit.com

dDwr TIL it is believed that the invention of the wheel was so challenging that it probably happened only once, in one place. Before its invention in 3500 B.C., humans were already casting metal alloys, constructing canals and sailboats, and even designing complex musical instruments such as harps.
nex87 TIL Medieval copyists wrote the Latin word io (meaning "hurray") at the end of a sentence to indicate joy. Over time, the i moved above the o, and the o became smaller, forming the modern exclamation point.
R7pjj TIL of the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant. It was much closer to the epicenter of the 2011 Earthquake than the Fukushima Power Plant, yet it sustained only minor damage and even housed tsunami evacuees. It's safety is credited to engineer Hirai Yanosuke who insisted it have a 14m (46FT) tall sea wall
8a14a TIL As part of a 1991 ocean dumping ban, NYC was allowed to transport their sewage to Sierra Blanca, TX. The train became known as Poo Poo Choo-Choo.
e0VML TIL the man who campaigned to legalise the potato in France then promoted it by keeping potatoes under armed guard to give the impression they were valuable and instructing the guards to accept any and all bribes by civilians wanting to steal them