› added 7 years ago

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TIL in 1946, a local chicken farmer offered 100 chicks for each homer the Nashua Dodgers hit. Newcomer Roy Campanella hit 14 in his first season and sent all 1,400 to his father who used them to start a thriving poultry farm. He also went on to become one of the first black major league players.

jNmxR TIL Australia bans nuclear power plants, but at the same time export enough uranium to produce the equivalent of 97% of its domestic electricity (which is 80% from fossil)
nAMd TIL that in WW2, US Ships used rubble from the English city of Bristol as ballast for the journey home to New York. They dumped the rubble on the bank of the East River, where Waterside Plaza now stands.
wRyM TIL that in the 18th century John Harrison claimed that he could build a clock to keep time to within a second over 100 days; it triggered widespread ridicule at his time. The clock had been built to his exact specifications in 2015; it was declared the “most accurate mechanical clock”
P108V TIL of American mercenary William Walker. After failing to conquer parts of Mexico, he overthrew the Nicaraguan government in 1856 and ruled as its president for nearly a year, receiving recognition from President Franklin Pierce. He was overthrown, and executed after preparing for another invasion.
kXKe TIL A chicken can be hypnotized by holding its head against the ground and drawing a line along the ground with a stick or finger, starting at the beak and extending straight in front of the chicken. It will remain immobile between 15 seconds and 30 minutes, continuing to stare at the line.