Submitted by Heliochem t3_124tlo7
/f/todayilearned
Submitted by real_aurora_cole t3_1249tqr
TIL that after Leon Czolgosz was executed for assassinating US Pres. William McKinley, the prison warden poured sulfuric acid on the corpse, burned his belongings, and refused to turn over the body to Leon's brother. This was to prevent exhibitions of his life
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by archfapper t3_126s0go
Submitted by ravennesejaguar t3_125kx5s
TIL that traditional lacquer is made w urushiol sap, aka the rash-causing toxin in poison ivy & poison oak. In fact, "urushi" (as in "urushi-ol") is the Japanese for the Chinese lacquer tree (also toxic) & an English word for lacquerware. They all fall in the genus Toxicodendron, or "poison tree".
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by thedamnoftinkers t3_11f51u4
Submitted by johnmyster t3_11so17s
TIL of the Pig War, a border dispute between the US and the UK, around Vancouver Island (present-day Canada) and Washington State. The only casualty was a pig, owned by an Irish farmer, which was shot by an American farmer for eating his potatoes. Both countries deployed military troops.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by drak0bsidian t3_11yvhas
TIL that as President-Elect, US Pres. James Buchanan improperly wrote to a Supreme Court justice asking him to vote pro-slavery in the Dred Scott case. The court would rule 7-2 that Scott was a possession, not a person, and denied his petition for freedom
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by archfapper t3_127safl
TIL that “Stranger Things” star Winona Ryder pushed for Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” to be featured on the show. Ryder also stated that for seven years, she dropped hints on the show’s set by wearing her Kate Bush t-shirts. Winona’s plan eventually worked.
womenshealthmag.comSubmitted by waitingforthesun92 t3_11eiiqv
Submitted by [deleted] t3_11dz2hp
TIL that the library career of the creator of the Dewey Decimal system, Melvil Dewey ended in disgrace, because of his groping of female librarians. Dewey also insisted on seeing photographs of the women before he would hire them, to determine if they were attractive or not.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by VengefulMight t3_11dmsuc
TIL about the unusual death of a man in Spain in 2021, who died inside the leg of a paper-mache Steosaurus. It was thought the man entered the Stegosaurus to retrieve his phone, and days later was found by a father and son who noticed a smell coming from the statue.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by SligPants t3_11dcv0r