› added 10 years ago

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TIL that in 1971, Saddam Hussein imported 100,000 tons of grain treated with fungicidal mercury. The grain was intended for planting, but the Iraqis, unable to understand the English and Spanish warnings or the “skull and crossbones” image, baked it into bread. Hundreds died.

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M8Z0 TIL of the “Tocqueville Effect” which states that as social conditions and opportunities improve, social frustration grows more quickly.
VMdym TIL Native Americans would herd Bison and run them off a cliff in mass slaughters called "Pushkin"
kONBd TIL that Malta has a total of 359 churches, nearly one for every day of the year. With an area of only 316 square kilometres, the country's "church density" is slightly more than 1 church per square kilometre. It's difficult to get lost in Malta because a church will lead you to its village centre.
JVXQ TIL Cristiano Ronaldo funded the education of a 7 y.o. survivor of the horrific 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. The boy was found 21 days after the disaster, alone and wearing a Portuguese national football team jersey. The boy grew up to be a football player and was signed by Sporting Lisbon last year
5YEn TIL that there are only 22 people still alive who were born in the 1800s. All but 3 live in the United States or Japan.