› added 3 months ago

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TIL an endocrinologist irradiated the testicles of Oregon and Washington prisoners. He gave them $5/mo, and $100 when they had to receive a vasectomy upon conclusion of the trial. The surgeon said it was necessary to "keep from contaminating the general population with radiation-induced mutants"

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via reddit.com

VMa1G TIL that we’ve had the technology for over a decade to create an embryo using only an egg and stem cells - rendering male sperm unnecessary
R7D8 TIL that when challenged to use the word horticulture in a sentence, Dorothy Parker famously said: ‘you can lead a horticulture but you cannot make her think’
JYV4Q TIL of Samuel L. Gravely Jr. He was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become a flag officer, retiring as a vice admiral.
p8k4A TIL Mozart had Tourette’s syndrome. 11 out of 25 people that were associated with him talked about “his perpetual movements and mannerisms, which were regarded as facial and bodily tics”.
K4RG TIL that Army officer Hugh Thompson prevented the deaths of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians including women and children, by a group of American soldiers. Thompson, an Army helicopter pilot, landed between the soldiers and the villagers and threatened to open fire if they continued their attacks