› added 2 years ago

407

TIL that the Hemlock Water Dropwort is the most poisonous plant in the UK. Its poison constricts the muscles, causing death by asphyxia, which also causes a rictus like death grin. Use of this plant in Phoenician Sardinia for executions is the origin of the term "Sardonic Grin".

Read more wildfooduk.com

via reddit.com

BrrDk TIL that the sperm count of males in westernized countries is down by a staggering 59.3%. This change has taken place in just the past 40 years and something needs to be done about it.
W7ypY TIL there is a meditative practice that people do called Sungazing. It's where people stare directly at the sun in hopes of clearing their mind and becoming more focused. But there is no scientific research to support these claims and staring at the sun can lead to blindness in the worst cases.
Brgke TIL when a rookie hits his first home run in Major League Baseball, it's tradition for his teammates to ignore him and give him the silent treatment instead of congratulating him.
l764a TIL: Richard Stallman, accomplished programmer, launched the GNU Project and is an eccentric advocate for Open Software and pirating. He doesn't use a cell phone, canonized himself as St. IGNUcius of the Church of Emacs, and disliked Jobs. However, he has controversial takes and resigned from MIT.
rnax TIL During Apartheid in South Africa, Glasgow renamed the street which at the time was the address of the South African Consulate from St George’s Place to Nelson Mandela Place. Consular officials would be forced to look at his name when reading and addressing postal correspondence.