› added 3 months ago

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Today I learned that the influx of silver from the discovery of the Potosi mines indirectly caused the collapse of the Ming Dynasty.

Read more theguardian.com

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AD8gw TIL of a man in England was jailed for the manslaughter of his ex-girlfriend, after she came to his home with an 8 inch kitchen knife in her handbag, that she fell on after he pushed her during an ensuing argument
5VPDn TIL of Joice Heth who, in 1835, was sold to PT Barnum and took on tour and displayed as the 161-year-old nurse of George Washington
oYB8 TIL that the flu kills an average of 26,000 people in the United States each year.
78A9X TIL that electric cars are not a modern invention. In the early 1900s, electric vehicles accounted for about a third of all vehicles on the road and were popular due to their quiet and clean operation, especially in urban areas.
neN1P TIL about, "The Thing." It was an American seal gifted to the American ambassador to Russia. Contained in it was one of the first examples of a passive listening device that was powered by an external radio source. It also hung in his study for 7 years.