› added 10 years ago

89

TIL when corn was first utilized by colonists and Europeans, they ignored the Native American’s process of first treating it with lime-water, which makes available the corn’s niacin to the body. As a result of their dependence on the crop, hundreds of thousands died of Pellagra, a niacin deficiency.

9YLGM TIL 3 men were shipwrecked in the south Pacific; buoyed by life vests, they swam to the deserted island Fanadik. After 3 days on the island, a US Navy plane spotted a fire the men made and then saw the men waving life vests next to palm fronds that spelled H-E-L-P.
6nZQ TIL every time Io passes into Jupiter’s shadow, Io’s atmosphere freezes solid and smashes into the surface. When Io moves back into sunlight, the frozen atmosphere thaws and returns to a gas.
gMQbL TIL After bragging to fellow insurgents about shooting down a Chinook with an RPG which killed 38 US and Afghan army personnel, US intelligence traced and tracked the individual before dropping four 500lb bombs on his truck and following up with attacks by a C-130 gunship and Apache helicopters
woroM TIL the EU is working on a "Digital Product Passport" so consumers can track where a product comes from, what it's made from, how to repair it and how to dispose of it. This includes clothing, chemicals and electronics.
9YKGM TIL following his death at the Battle of Little Big Horn, the reputation of General George Custer was rehabilitated by his widow, who spent decades promoting his image as as the "gallant fallen hero amid the glory of Custer's Last Stand".