› added 2 years ago

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TIL that Chief Petalesharro, a Pawnee from Nebraska, was received in full regalia by President Monroe at the White House in 1821. The Chief had become a celebrity after rescuing a woman his tribe was attempting to burn at the stake. He rescued her from the fire and rode away with her on his horse.

KOe8G TIL about the "Interrobang" ‽ - a character that combines the question mark and the exclamation point to emphasise excitement, surprise or something rhetorical
5YXJD TIL that yellow fever came to the Americas aboard slave ships. Two hundred years later, it helped end slavery in Haiti. An epidemic broke out during the Haitian Revolution, killing two thirds of the French army and almost none of the slaves, and France was forced to surrender the island.
Oomo1 TIL There was a Chinese man who faked his way into becoming a musician for the King of Qi without knowing how to play the instrument at all. He imitated movements of other musicians and was paid a good salary in the ensemble until the King died. The new King preferred solo performances, so he fled
mBNO TIL a project aims to restore NYC Jamaica Bay’s once thriving oyster population by creating inviting beds for them out of broken toilets. The oysters could help limit erosion and improve water quality by naturally filtering pollutants out.
PYKMJ TIL that Donald Harvey, a nurse who killed 37 of his patients, was only caught because a medical examiner who performed the autopsy on one of his victims had the genetic ability to smell cyanide. This prompted an investigation and Harvey was discovered.