› added 1 year ago

209

TIL accidental poisoning by Ratol paste, a highly toxic rodenticide containing yellow phosphorus which can cause organ failure and death, is very common in India because people mistake it for toothpaste.

Read more ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

via reddit.com

pPN4 TIL President Reagan was due to the deliver the State of the Union address the evening of the Challenger Disaster. Instead, he postponed the speech a week and delivered this tribute to the Challenger crew to the nation. It’s been listed as one of the most significant speeches of the 20th century.
JVXQ TIL Cristiano Ronaldo funded the education of a 7 y.o. survivor of the horrific 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. The boy was found 21 days after the disaster, alone and wearing a Portuguese national football team jersey. The boy grew up to be a football player and was signed by Sporting Lisbon last year
EyMP TIL Comedian (and roaster) Greg Giraldo earned a near perfect score on the LSAT, graduated from Harvard Law, and was an attorney for one of the most prestigious law firms in the world.
wLRDY TIL The chief prosecutor for the United States in the Nuremberg Trials was Ben Ferencz, a 27 year old Jewish American lawyer who had never tried a case before. He investigated Nazi war crimes and went on to help establish the International Criminal Court. He's still alive today at 101.
16KNO TIL that the world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued on 1 May 1840. Featuring a portrait of 15-year-old Queen Victoria, it revolutionised mail. Over 68 million were printed, and until 1854, when perforations were introduced, each had to be cut out by hand with scissors.