TIL after Haitians won their freedom from France, they were forced to pay their former slave owners compensation for the “loss” of their own bodies. This debt took over a century to pay off, crippled Haiti’s economy and France has yet to pay it back. [Source]
Bbc
French-Haitian panel to study ex-colony's history
The French president announced the commission on the 200th anniversary of France ordering Haiti to pay a debt for its freedom.
Today I learned that in November 2025, a raccoon walking on the ceiling of a liquor store fell into the store when the roof collapsed, went on a drunken rampage, and later passed out on the bathroom floor. [Source]
NBC News
Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floor
An employee at a Ashland-area liquor store found the trash panda passed out on the bathroom floor at the end of his drunken escapade.
TIL that there was an actual debate among ancient Greek writers on whether Achilles or Patroclus was the dominant ("erastes") or the passive ("eromenos") one in the relationship, with Plato famously arguing that Achilles was a passive "eromenos" who was willing to give his life to avenge his lover [Source]
TIL that tone deafness is a real neurological condition called amusia. People with it have difficulty recognizing musical pitch and melodies, even though their hearing and intelligence are normal. It’s estimated to affect about 1.5% of the population. [Source]
PubMed Central (PMC)
Congenital amusia—pathology of musical disorder
Amusia also known as tone deafness affects roughly 1.5% population. Congenital amusia appears from birth and lasts over life span. Usually, it is not associated with other diseases. Its link to hearing impairment has been definitively excluded. ...
TIL that at least four times as many active duty personnel and war veterans of post-9/11 conflicts have died of suicide than in combat. [Source]
Costs of War | Brown University
High Suicide Rates among United States Service Members and Veterans of the Post-9/11 Wars
Suicide rates among active military personnel and veterans of the post-9/11 wars are reaching new peaks. This report uses governmental data, secondary literature, and interviews to document a suicide epidemic that is emerging among post-9/11 fighters as part…
TIL in 2021 a woman in a hurry checked her scratch-off ticket "real quick" and then gave to the store owners to throw out because she thought it wasn't a winner. Ten days later, the owners returned it to her after scratching off the last number for her and discovering it was a $1 million winner. [Source]
HuffPost
Woman Gets Back $1 Million Lottery Ticket She Accidentally Tossed
“I was in a hurry, on lunch break, and just scratched it real quick, and looked at it, and it didn’t look like a winner, so I handed it over to them to throw away,” Lea Rose Fiega said.
TIL Costco is responsible for 50% of the cashews sold worldwide. The company sources from, and supports, independent nut farmers in at least 20 countries including an estimated 2.5 million independent cashew farmers in Africa alone. [Source]
Tasting Table
Does Costco Really Sell Half Of The World's Cashews?
Costco does indeed sell half of the world's cashews, and employs (and supports) 2.5 million independent cashew farmers in Africa alone.
TIL researchers found that for an average-sized living room a 4K or 8K screen offers no noticable benefit over a similarly sized 2K screen of the sort often used in computer monitors and laptops. In other words, there is no tangible difference when it comes to how sharp an image appears to our eyes. [Source]
the Guardian
Ultra-HD televisions not noticeably better for typical viewer, scientists say
Research shows 4K or 8K screens offer no distinguishable benefit over similarly sized 2K screen in average living room
TIL weeds can evolve to mimic the crops they grow among because farmers remove the obvious weeds, unintentionally selecting for look-alikes. The phenomenon is called “Vavilovian mimicry.” [Source]
TIL that Grape-kun, a Humboldt penguin in Japan, was rejected by his mate Midori and the rest of the colony, after which he formed a deep bond with a cardboard cutout of an anime character, who stayed by his side until his death. [Source]
TIL in 2013 three Berkeley Law Students pled guilty to killing and beheading Turk the flamingo in Vegas [Source]
Above the Law
A Final Guilty Plea in the Berkeley Bird Beheading - Above the Law
The sad story of the Berkeley bird beheading comes to a close, as the third and final defendant pleads guilty.
TIL that in 1961, 90% of doctors surveyed said they would not tell a cancer patient their diagnosis, but by 1977 that had reversed, with 97% saying they would. [Source]
PubMed
Changes in physicians' attitudes toward telling the cancer patient - PubMed
In answer to a questionnaire administered in 1961, 90% of responding physicians indicated a preference for not telling a cancer patient his diagnosis. To assess attitudinal changes, the same questionnaire was submitted to 699 university-hospital medical staff.…
TIL that an individual who shoots a bear in self-defense in Alaska outside hunting season must present the skull and the entire hide with claws to the state. Failure to do so is a criminal offense. [Source]
TIL that the quotes "No man is an island" and "For whom the bell tolls" are both taken from the same brief passage by poet John Donne. [Source]
TIL that in 1453, Henry VI fell into an 18-month long catatonic stupor. Likely triggered by the news of a military defeat, Henry was unable to speak or move, and even failed to respond respond to the birth of his son. His illness was likely inherited from his maternal grandfather, Charles VI. [Source]
TIL that singer Peter Yarrow (of the famous folk group Peter, Paul and Mary) served only three months in prison of a potential three year sentence after being convicted of molesting a 14-year-old girl. He was later granted a full pardon by Jimmy Carter in 1981. [Source]
TIL about Sarajevo Safari, where wealthy foreign men paid huge monetary fees to hunt civilians in the city with sniper rifles for entertainment purposes during the Bosnian war. [Source]
TIL that the United States Coast Guard has only one member, SM1 Douglas Munro, who has been awarded the Medal of Honor. SM1 Munro used his Higgins boat as a shield to protect Marines being evacuated during the Battle of Guadalcanal, dying in the process. [Source]
TIL Vicks VapoInhalers contained an optical isomer of Methamphetamine until 2016 [Source]
Peachtree Recovery Solutions
Is Vicks Inhaler Addictive? - Peachtree Recovery Solutions
Are over the counter medications safe? Peachtree Recovery in Atlanta answers the question, “Is Vicks inhaler addictive?”
TIL that before 1993 women were rarely included in clinical medical trials in the US, and are still "substantially underrepresented in clinical trials for leading diseases." [Source]
AAMC
Why we know so little about women’s health
Before 1993, women were rarely included in clinical trials. Today, the medical field still doesn’t know how well many drugs and devices work for women.