› added 5 years ago

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TIL The Ming Dynasty did not have the Ancient Chinese Secret Commercial, much less the Calgon. They use artificial alkali to clean their clothes. This gives us an idea of what detergent the ancient Chinese used. A very good Ming Dynasty blog post.

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Lkj1P TIL that many of the former statues and monuments of Soviet Union went into a gorgeous park where their historical context is taught and modern art hosted - Moment Park in Budapest is one example.
v1WlD TIL that Memorial Day in the U.S. was started to honor Civil War dead, that it was originally called Decoration day, and that it's purpose was to set aside a day to put decorations on the graves of fallen soldiers. The date was chosen because it was not the date of any particular battle.
BrYrb TIL that women are naturally more affected by alcohol than men because they don't produce an enzyme in their stomachs that starts metabolization early like men do.
16yA8 TIL that the first laws outlawing food coloring were in regards to bread. White bread was expensive and some bakers added chalk to lighten dark bread. King Edward I (1272-1307) created a law saying anyone caught using whiteners in bread would be put in the public pillory for one hour.
JADm TIL 70 years ago today, the Polish attacked the Nazis to liberate their capital. During the 9 week rebellion that followed, more than 200,000 died, mostly civilians. Now, every August first, the entire city of Warsaw stands still for a full minute to commemorate their fallen.