/f/todayilearned
TIL about Saint Josaphat (aka Būdhasaf), a legendary Christian saint whose life is based on Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. His life story tells of how Josaphat, a son of an Indian kind that persecuted the Christian Church in his kingdom, converted to Christianity.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by kweenllama t3_118qa85
TIL - English physician William Harvey was a prominent skeptic regarding allegations of witchcraft. He was one of the examiners of four women from Lancashire accused of witchcraft in 1634, and as a consequence of his report, all of them were acquitted.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by wendalltwolf t3_118oggo
TIL: Since 1199, two counties in England will annually hold a competition event called "Atherstone Ball Game", in which participants from each towns fighting over a giant football for 2hrs. The only two rules are 1. It has to be held at the certain street and 2. No killing.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by poclee t3_118qzan
TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by jamescookenotthatone t3_1181yq6
TIL Jonathan Goldsmith, AKA The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis commercials, has been an advocate for landmine victim support, has assisted the effort to prevent and cure cancer in dogs, save the Siberian Tiger, and end child sex trafficking in Cambodia.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by meep_launcher t3_1194dze
TIL that George Washington signed the 1794 Slave Trade Act, which banned U.S. ships from participating in the Atlantic Slave Trade, as well as forbid the exportation of slaves for foreign sale. It was the first major piece of legislation against slavery passed by the United States government.
battlefields.orgSubmitted by HawkeyeTen t3_118zkj4
TIL: If you cut 2 different sponges up, disaggregate them (push them through a sieve), and mix the 2 cell-slurries together - the sponge cells reassociate with their own cells, but not cells of the other species. This is being studied to understand tissue repair and transplant rejection.
tandfonline.comSubmitted by Geek_Nan t3_116vvau