› added 7 years ago

247

TIL that Hiram Revels was the first African-American Senator. He took the seat of Jefferson Davis, who was the president of the Confederacy

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nepjb TIL viruses (100nm) are smaller than the wavelength of visible light (380-740nm), so light doesn't bounce off of them. They are therefore invisible, and can only be seen with electron microscopes.
wLJkJ TIL the spices mace and nutmeg are produced by the same plant
XE9pj TIL Johann Trollmann who was a gypsy boxing champion put in a labour camp in Nazi Germany, was forced to fight against a feared ex-criminal and prison guard and won despite being malnourished and exhausted. The still bitter prison guard sought revenge by murdering Johann with a shovel later.
9jKm TIL The USA is one of the last countries that hasn’t combined Boy and Girl Scouts.
xVPg0 TIL that Aaron Burr once set out to write an official history of the Revolutionary War. When George Washington found out, he blocked then-Senator Burr's access to the National Archives.