› added 8 months ago

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TIL that Henry Knox, namesake of Fort Knox where much of the US’ gold reserves are stored, ran a number of failed business ventures and accumulated large amounts of debt. When he died after swallowing a chicken bone, he left an estate that was bankrupt.

PYl8L TIL Nazi Germany destroyed the city of Warsaw virtually completely following an uprising that resulted in the 500k citizens being taken captive. Germany had plans to turn the city into a manmade lake to erase it completely from history.
v1BMD TIL that Queen Elizabeth of United Kingdom (then princess), joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) as a mechanic and a driver in 1945 and became the first female member of the Royal family to become an active full-time member of the armed services.
4k8w6 TIL African-Americans enjoyed equal rights in the aftermath of the Civil War. It was a series of policies and Supreme Court decisions that disenfranchised the black community and stripped them gradually over the decades over their newfound freedoms. In 1873 there was even a Black Governor of LA.
W7MDL TIL that Stromatolites can still be found off the coast of Western Australia. They are microbial reefs created by cyanobacteria as they photosynthesise and release oxygen into the ocean. Stromatolites first appeared on Earth around 3.5bn years ago.
b9agE TIL: Some occupations are overrepresented in serial killers. The skilled labor jobs are aircraft mechanics, shoemakers, and car upholsterers. The semi-skilled/ unskilled jobs are arborists, Truckers, laborers, hotel porters, and gas station attendants.