› added 8 years ago

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TIL the USDA has given $130 million to Planet Aid, an organization that claims it is helping poor African farmers, but is actually ran by a cult-leader who is hiding out in Mexico in a $20 million condo from the Danish government. Instead of helping, the cult makes the farmers pay from their salary.

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KYgjB TIL in 1599, when the local Jivaro Indians in Ecuador got tired of enduring the cruel Spanish governor, who heavily taxed gold miners. The Indians caught this lover of gold and poured molten metal down his throat.
8aEdL TIL the terms Top dog and Under dog are thought to originate from saw pits used in shipbuilding. Wood to be cut was placed on planks called “dogs”. The sawyer standing on top was in charge hence ‘top dog’ while the sawyer working in the pit would get covered in sawdust hence 'underdog’.
VMGm0 TIL the Republic of Texas was just one of many secessionist movements in Mexico under the unitary government dominated by Santa Anna. Others include the Republic of the Rio Grande, the Republic of Zacatecas, and the Republic of Yucatán.
rRZ5e TIL that Hooters once had their own airline, Hooters Air, which eventually fell through costing the company an estimated $30 million.
9wY7B TIL about Han Purple, a synthetic pigment used in ancient China, incl on the Terracotta Army. Use stopped in ~220 AD and it was rediscovered in 1990s. It was found that in very low temperatures and high pressure, it "loses" a dimension, acts as a 2D material, and is useful in quantum computing.