› added 3 weeks ago

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TIL the saying "Drink the Kool-Aid" comes from a cult mass-suicide of 900 in Guyana in 1978 where the cultists drank it laced with cyanide. I also learned the drink was NOT Kool-Aid. It was actually poisoned Flavor Aid.

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via reddit.com

gMO99 TIL the distinct smell after it rains is called petrichor and it is caused by bacteria called actinomycetes.
KOnX4 TIL that the only authenticated photograph of Billy the Kid was reversed, which led to the misconception that he was left-handed.
yQMOp TIL up until 1982, the British government still had the power to create laws in Canada, including making amendments to Canadian constitutional law. In fact, Canada could not technically make amendments to its own constitution without permission from the British government.
VMKrZ TIL the US government had a program to track infectious viruses that may jump from animals to people, but it was shut down in 2019. It had found 1000 novel viruses.
GYko1 TIL of independent Scotland's only attempt to form a colony in the New World. Their failure to establish a New Caledonia in Panama led to financial ruin and eventual union with England, creating the UK in 1707.