› added 6 years ago

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TIL that Kodak discovered the US was testing atomic weapons due to problems appearing on their consumer film. Kodak was worried about their product and profits ultimately striking a deal with the US Government in order to get schedules and maps of future tests in exchange for Kodak's silence.

Wk5Nd TIL that by 2011, 10 tons of human excrement had been excavated from a cesspit beneath Herculaneum, one of the towns that was destroyed Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Due to how much time had passed since the eruption, the excrement had no unpleasant odor when it was discovered
b6ja4 TIL that in the 19th century, photographers used a technique called "combination printing" to create seamless images by merging multiple negatives, allowing for artistic compositions and overcoming technical limitations of early photography.
Pg8Z TIL that in 1775 the royal governor of Virginia offered slaves freedom if they fought for the british in the American Revolution. After the war, the promise was kept with about 14k slaves being freed.
99mr TIL Alaska has the highest botulism rate in the U.S. and one of the highest worldwide. According to the CDC, close to 40 percent of food-borne botulism cases reported in the U.S. between 1990 and 2000 (103 of 263) occurred in Alaska, one of the least populous states.
grOa9 TIL Only 15 of 38 starters finished the men's individual cross country event at the 1924 Summer Olympics due to a difficult course, 40°C weather and noxious fumes emitted from a nearby power plant.