Post * rRXJ1 — Curious Curator

› added 5 years ago

85

TIL Wang Meng was sent to Xinjiang to be "reformed" through labor in 1963 for writing a controversial piece. During this period of hardship he accrued much of the experience that would later become the material for his short stories and novels, and he later became China's Minister of Culture

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DBvr TIL Richard Feynman volunteered for hypnosis on two occasions and wrote about it. During one demonstration he decided to disobey the hypnotist’s suggestion but wasn’t able to because he suddenly felt uncomfortable

7rKO7 TIL that in 1946, the University of Tennessee forfeited a basketball game against Duquesne because they had one black player in Chuck Cooper on the team. Tennessee's coach asked Duquesne's coach to not play Cooper "unless he had to", but Duquesne refused. Duquesne won 2-0 due to Tennessee's forfeit.

ADWM4 TIL that many decorative glass crystal products (e.g. decanters, wine glasses, etc.) contain lead at significant enough levels that liquids stored in them for more than a few hours are no longer safe to drink (or any length of time for children).

6rNY TIL there are more slaves today than at any time in history. While American slaves in 1809 were sold for around $40,000 (inflation adjusted), a slave nowadays can be bought for just $90, making replacement more economical than providing long term care.

YpbGW TIL fish can be 'right handed.' When hunting or being hunted, fish typically have a side for attack or direction to turn when chased. 'left handed' fish may find themselves separated from the school by a sudden turn when chased by predators.