› added 11 months ago

91

TIL: The Roman punishment of Relegatio is the mildest form of exile. You are banished from Rome, but get to keep your citizenship, property, land, etc. One senator chose the famous island of Lesbos. It is a light punishment meant for adulterers, pimps, abusers, and manslaughter.

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5v09 TIL that a carrot farmer trying to cut back food waste (over half of carrots produced are too ugly for grocery shelves) carved & created the first batch of ‘baby carrots’ using a green bean cutter. 30 years later, these carrots account for 70 percent of all carrot sales
BrWpr TIL That the Etoro people of New Guinea believe that in order for a boy to achieve manhood they must first ingest the semen of their elders through fellatio. The nearby Kaluli tribe find this barbaric, and instead believe that the semen should be delivered to the boys in the anus.
wooko TIL Warthogs don't actually have warts. Their "warts" are really just tough protective skin to help cushion blows during fights.
6EPO7 TIL that Haiti—the only nation born of a slave revolt—could have been a prosperous country but was impoverished by a crippling, decades-long embargo imposed by Europe and the U.S. after former slaves overthrew the country's European ruling elites.
5YBe9 TIL within a span of 60 years in the 16th century, 3 epidemics (1 Smallpox and 2 Cocoliztli) killed an estimated 40%, 80% and 50% of the population (at the time) of Mexico. They started with the arrival of the Spanish and particularly targeted the indigenous people. Estimated 25 million deaths.