› added 10 years ago

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TIL a US Mint worker was once sentenced to 10 years after sneaking gold bars out in his false leg

Read more query.nytimes.com

via reddit.com

rN1Nd TIL that Genericide is the term for when the name of a distinctive product becomes the generic term for a general class of products (e.g. Jell-O used to describe all gelatin desserts)
YEMA TIL that Mack Robinson, brother of Jackie Robinson, medaled in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Upon returning home to California, the only work he could find as an African American was sweeping streets, which he did while wearing his Olympic ‘USA’ sweatshirt.
rRWo1 TIL the word quarantine comes from the Venetian "quaranta" meaning 40, for the 40 days that ships were supposed to stay off the coast in Europe to prevent the spread of the black death in the 1300s
GYvPj TIL The "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" Medallion was created in 1787 as part of antislavery campaign by Josiah Wedgwood, famed founder of the Wedgwood company.
78arP TIL Chicken Parmesan is not an Italian dish, it was invented in America by Italian immigrants and the first published recipe was in a NY newspaper in 1953. The dish became wildly popular in Australia where its served with salad and fries, although they hotly debate if the fries go under the chicken