› added 3 years ago

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TIL that breaches of safety procedures at one of Beijing's top virology laboratories were the probable cause of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in the early 2000s, according to the World Health Organization.

Read more ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

via reddit.com

XEn6r TIL that in 1862, the District of Columbia Emancipation Act paid those loyal to the Union up to $300 for every enslaved person freed. The largest individual payout was $18,000 for 69 slaves, which is equal to $556,024.34 in 2020.
8aZAL TIL that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just 2 of dozens of Japanese cities subjected to massive incendiary attacks. Firestorms leveled almost 100 square miles in Japan's three largest cities (Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya) alone. Hundreds of thousands were killed and millions forced to evacuate.
4kV9N TIL NetEase the Chinese internet company runs pig farms.
a8YdZ TIL that Bismuth, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, technically has no stable isotopes - however its most stable and common isotope has a half-life more than a billion times the age of the universe. (Some more facts in the comments)
xVRVo TIL that in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the BBC apologised for a live political debate show where some in the audience told the US Ambassador that America had brought 9/11 on itself as a result of its foreign policy .