› added 7 months ago

25

TIL that Magnesium helped advance photojournalism. The first photography flash, a powder mix of Mg & potassium, created bright light when ignited. Jacob Riis was an early adopter and used it to document life in the often dark NYC's tenements. His work sparked public outcry, and then housing reforms

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

R5gw7 TIL that during America’s post war occupation of Germany between May 1945 and December 1948, nearly 50 American servicemen were murdered.
p86de TIL Classical Greece wasn't filled with pure white marble everything. The statues and ruins we see today were actually painted in all kinds of vivid colors that were just stripped bare back to their original white marble by time.
e0mb6 TIL that the last major outbreak of the black death in Europe was in 1720 in the port of Marseille, France. The merchant ship the Grand-Saint-Antoine was the culprit, and despite it having been quarantined, business men pressured the government to allow it into port because of its precious cargo.
ErPP TIL the United States government is largely responsible for America’s obesity, by supporting corn and soy overproduction, making processed foods derived from those products the only ones affordable for poor americans.
m1r8y TIL that there is a 295-foot-long tapestry retelling the events of Game of Thrones