› added 5 years ago

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TIL: Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense, the pamphlet that helped gain support for American Independence, was one of the first people to publicly doubt Jesus Christ existed. Prior Christian skeptics simply believed Christ wasn't the son of God.

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nWEaG TIL that Pop-Tarts are not named that because they, you know, pop out of the toaster. They’re named Pop-Tarts as a pun/reference to Pop Art, because they were invented in 1964
78p0b TIL There was a lottery in the 1800’s in America that was sued for not actually paying out the prizes contestants won, it had been the National Lottery established by the US congress
Lk7VQ TIL that agriculture workers in early 20th century California were often forced to use "short-handled" hoes so supervisors could easily spot when they stood up to rest, despite contributing to severe injury. Thanks to Cesar Chavez and the UFW, its use was prohibited in 1975
9YW0D TIL that during World War I, a series of wolf attacks made Russian and German soldiers team up to fight wolves. After seeing wolves attack wounded soldiers and children, the commanders on both sides signed a temporary armistice, and killed hundreds of wolves. They then resumed fighting each other.
Y7WEB TIL that in 1844, Professor H. Booth claimed “from inhaling the odour of beef the butcher's wife obtains her obesity.” This was part of the 19th-century miasma theory, which linked diseases and weight gain to inhaling “bad air” from rotting matter, influencing public health during cholera outbreaks.