› added 12 years ago

235

TIL Many people killed in crowd disasters die standing up

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l781A TIL the reason why Wine Coolers dropped in popularity in the USA after the 80s was because in 1991, the US excise tax on wine was raised from $0.17 per gallon to a $1.07, making it uneconomical for Wine Cooler makers to produce at a palatable price for buyers.
mReo TIL that the custom of the ace being over the king and queen originated after the French Revolution, to symbolize the lower classes overthrowing the nobility.
m1GPY TIL researchers studying nominative determinism found that orthopedic surgeons are more likely to have the surname "Limb" than is expected by chance (Limb, Limb, Limb, & Limb, 2015)
m11jO TIL of the Sydney Tar Ponds, an area in Sydney, Nova Scotia where a local steel mill was continuously pouring over 750,000 tons of sludge and toxic chemicals into the area for over 100 years. The $400m cleanup finished by burying the sludge in concrete and turning it into a local park.
Jojm TIL of the 1902 Mt Pelée eruption which killed 30,000 island occupants leaving 3 survivors: one girl rowed to safety in a cave she played in, one man survived it and two future eruptions, and one survived by blocking the 1,000 degree ash from his prison cell with urine drenched clothing.