› added 12 years ago

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TIL that in 1890 an Oberlin College professor gave a lecture on then-rare aluminum, stating ‘if anyone could make this on a commercial scale, he would be a benefactor to the world and would also make a great fortune.’ In attendance was Charles Hall, who took him up on the challenge – and succeeded.

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epBPE TIL the Cherokee writing system was invented by one man, Sequoyah. His 6yo daughter was the first to learn it, but they were charged with sorcery. Kept apart, they wrote letters to one another; this convinced the town it was just communication. 25 years later, nearly 100% of Cherokee were literate.
VODk TIL Willie Nelson collaborated with Snoop Dogg on a country track
BpGk TIL there is an international lawyer who specializes in defending “supervillains” and war criminals. His clientele has included Klaus Barbie, Carlos the Jackal, and the former leader of the Khmer Rouge. He refers to himself as “The Brilliant Bastard.”
Z88MY TIL of Terry Grosz, a fish and game warden that caught illegal fishers by waiting in the Eel river in a wetsuit and reeled himself in when the fisherman cast out their lines. After writing citations and confiscating their fishing rods, he went back into the river and swam away.
nWvYG TIL about the 1971 Iraq poison grain disaster, in where grain containing methylmercury never intended for human consumption was imported into Iraq, where it was consumed by Iraqis living in rural areas. The recorded death toll was 459 people, but higher figures have been suggested.