› added 5 years ago

75

TIL San Francisco had a bubonic plague epidemic in 1900-04, but the governor ignored medical experts and denied that it existed, because he feared its impact on businesses

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

x69Y7 TIL - Cyprus, a Mediterranean island had its own species of dwarf elephants and hippos
xjo0 TIL Nazis use to sterilize prisoners by placing in a room and asking to complete forms, which took two to three minutes. In this time, the radiation treatment was administered and, unknown to the prisoners, they were rendered completely sterile
Wk4Y9 TIL that Dolly Parton lost a Dolly lookalike contest. The winner was a man.
pYWAO TIL that Ruth Handler, the inventor of Barbie, later created a breast prosthesis to be used by women who've undergone mastectomies due to breast cancer. The prosthesis, called "Nearly Me" was very popular, with then-first lady Betty Ford being personally fitted for one.
41Xo TIL Norway introduced sushi salmon to Japan in the 1980s