/f/todayilearned
TIL that Supai, AZ is the most remote community in the contiguous US. It is 8 miles from the nearest road and is only accessible by foot, mule, or helicopter. It is the only place in the United States where mail is still carried in and out by mules.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Lagavulin16_neat t3_xxoz8q
TIL James Brady, who was paralyzed during the attempted assassination of Reagan, was allowed to keep his title of Press Secretary for the duration of the administration. He was considered to be on 'leave-of-absence'. His successor Larry Speaks used the title Acting Press Secretary for seven years.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by ChronosBlitz t3_xxjm76
TIL Charles Schulz resisted adding a black character to Peanuts for fear of being perceived as patronizing. He changed his mind after MLK's death and a letter from a school teacher. In his introductory comic, Franklin meets Charlie Brown at the beach.
mentalfloss.comSubmitted by InfinitelyRepeating t3_xxedgl
Submitted by MightGuy420x t3_xxddlt
TIL Giovanni da Pian del Carpine was the first European to enter the court of the Great Khan. At 63 years old Carpine road 3000 miles in 106 days (including lent when he ate only salt, millet, and water) to appear before Khan Güyük. When Carpine returned he was made the Primate of Serbia.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by jamescookenotthatone t3_xvbt4d
TIL about the lia radiological accident, where three Georgians discovered two abandoned radioactive sources in the forest around which "there was no snow for about a 1 m (3.3 ft) radius, and the ground was steaming", they then decided to use them as heat sources for the night. One died.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by madplayshd t3_xwrcwo
TIL a German scientist named Alfred Wegener was ridiculed in 1912 for advancing the idea that the continents were adrift. Ridiculed as having “wandering pole plague.” or “Germanic pseudo-science” and accused Wegener of toying with the evidence to spin himself into “a state of auto-intoxication."
britannica.comSubmitted by Hot----------Dog t3_xur1gi
TIL that breast cancer used to be known as "Nun's disease" due to the higher prevalence amongst nuns, who were at increased risk due to their celibate lifestyle. An association between reproductive history and cancer risk wasn't proven for about 250 years after it was associated with nuns.
floridatoday.comSubmitted by barrycl t3_xvkjlc
TIL in 2016 a man ate a ghost pepper in an eating contest and drank 6 glasses of water to cool off. He vomited so much he tore a hole in his esophagus and was rushed to a hospital where doctors found his left lung collapsed. He spent 23 days in the hospital and was sent home with a gastric tube.
health.howstuffworks.comSubmitted by LurkmasterGeneral t3_xvh0op
TIL about the first Crowdfunded Indian movie Manthan (Hindi), which was about the dairy cooperative pioneer Verghese Kurien who started the "White revolution" in India. The film was entirely funded by 500,000 dairy farmers each contributing Rs 2, showing the success of "collective might".
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by RealityCheck18 t3_xu19mv
TIL Pope John Paul II forgave his attempted assassin Mehmet Ali Ağca who shot him four times in 1981. At the Pope's request, the Italian President pardoned Ağca of the crime and he was deported back to Turkey. Ağca requested to meet Pope Francis in 2014 but Francis chose to decline.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by ChronosBlitz t3_xv983s