/f/todayilearned
TIL that the Brazilian village of Candido Godoi, 7k inhabitants mostly of German descent, have the greatest birth rate of twins in the world (1/5 births). Some believe it is the result of genetic experiments of nazi medic Mengele, notorious for his obsession with creating an Aryan race.
theguardian.comSubmitted by greenland1237 t3_10gyp6f
Submitted by No_Visit8945 t3_10iyvdc
TIL about Sarah Josepha Hale. She wrote the poem "Mary had a Little Lamb" and was editor of the most influential women's magazine of the time. Helping to found Vassar College. Over the course of 17 years she wrote five different presidents urging them to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by marmorset t3_103zcvo
Submitted by [deleted] t3_10lhsyg
TIL that the first use of the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" in American literature was in the 1823 book "Seventy-Six" by John Neal about the American Revolutionary War. Seventy-Six was criticized at the time for its use of profanity and was noted for its use of colloquialisms.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by vrphotosguy55 t3_10p6fjv
TIL that the NYC neighborhood of Marble Hill is part of Manhattan despite not being connected to Manhattan Island. Instead it is connected to the Bronx. It was separated from the island of Manhattan by the construction of the Harlem Ship Canal in 1895
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by IAmDavidGurney t3_10eucva
TIL the first known résumé was written by Leonardo da Vinci, when applying to be a military engineer for the Duke of Milan. It's mainly just a list of his designs for siege weapons (including trebuchets). He briefly mentions his art: "In painting, I can do everything possible." He got the job.
lettersofnote.comSubmitted by Pfeffer_Prinz t3_10jfshm
TIL that Titanic crewman Herbert Pitman made an attempt to row his lifeboat over to rescue people in the water, but was overruled by the other occupants of the boat, who were worried about people swarming them and duly complied. Pitman said that this haunted him throughout his life.
wikipedia.orgSubmitted by ChadExtra t3_10iuu73
Submitted by GriffinFTW t3_10j43bk
Submitted by nilogram t3_103akx0