› added 13 years ago

117

TIL that Kodak invented the first digital camera, then went bankrupt because they didn’t convert to digital

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

XEOeP TIL snake oil was introduced to the US by Chinese laborers who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. Derived from the Chinese water snake, snake oil was rich in the omega-3 acids that help reduce inflammation and was quite effective, especially when used to treat arthritis and bursitis.
p840Q TIL that Angkor, the capital of the Khmer empire, was the largest city in the world during the middle ages. At 1,350 sq. miles, it was bigger than modern day NYC and Tokyo combined.
X9lr TIL that back in 1990s, a chinese gynecologist discovered AIDS and its nature to spread by blood. She tried to warn and save thousands of uneducated farmers, but got hunted down by the Chinese government because they were profiting from the incident, forcing her exile.
b9PMQ TIL that "Social Urbanism" approach to urban planning helped take Medellin from Pablo Escobar's most dangerous city in the world to a "model city" tourist destination. Medellin tackled crime and violence "not through more policing but through urban planning, infrastructure, and social programs."
8aoPb TIL Manhattan's current population and density is 40% lower than it's peak, which was reached over 110 years ago in 1910.