› added 10 years ago

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TIL that during WWII, Ford profited from its factory in Germany. It used ppl from concentration camps to produce military vehicles for the Nazis. In 1945, the US gov paid Ford $1m for damage to the factory caused by Allied bombings. When Holocaust survivors later sued, Ford got the case dismissed.

dDwd8 TIL About Hart Island. Located in Long Island Sound the island has seen many uses including as a POW camp, as an anti-aircraft missile battery site and a drug rehab facility. However it's primary fame is as NYC's Potter's Field with an estimated one million burials having taken place there.
b6glE TIL it is unlikely that Jack the Ripper targeted prostitutes. There is no evidence to suggest most of his victims were sex workers. Instead, they are likely to have been targeted because they were asleep when he/she approached them.
nejxd TIL that Jeff Skilling, former CEO of Enron, cut a deal with the DOJ that resulted in 10 years being cut from his sentence. He is due to be released next year, February 2019.
569D TIL of the Challenger expedition of 1872-76, one of the first major scientific studies of the ocean depths. It discovered over 4,000 new species and conducted 492 deep sea soundings, including one that first discovered the Mariana Trench. In total, the ship was supplied with 291 km of rope.
QJYl9 TIL Boric acid (AKA Borax) was added to expired milk to feed babies in the Victorian Era. It was believed to "purify" the milk and rid it of its sour taste and smell. The boric acid fed on the bovine TB in the milk, effectively giving babies tuberculosis.