› added 11 years ago

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TIL that during the cholera epidemic in the 19th century ‘safety coffins’ were developed because of people’s fear of being buried alive

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Bg0vk TIL Daughter from California syndrome is a phrase used in the medical profession to describe a situation in which a disengaged relative challenges the care a dying elderly patient is being given, or insists that the medical team pursue aggressive measures to prolong the patient's life
KY1QQ TIL that the city of Charlotte, NC is nicknamed The Hornets Nest because Cornwallis called it that after Charlotte residents drove his forces out during the Revolutionary War.
b9eBj TIL of the Wake Island Rail, a little-known casualty of WW2; it went extinct when Japanese soldiers were stranded on the island by a US blockade. With no fear of predators, a combo of overhunting by the starving Japanese & the bombing of the island by the US wiped out the entire species in 1 year
P1mwe TIL that there was actually a jelly bean shortage in 2023. Apparently pectin and starch were in short supply a couple years ago.
4kXbN TIL in 2017, a Pittsburgh restaurant hosted an event with French-Canadian chefs serving horse tartare. The event sparked public outrage, USDA investigation, and a petition to ban horse meat in Pennsylvania. Horse meat is a delicacy and staple throughout much of French-Canada, Europe, and Asia.