/f/todayilearned
TIL that Doors frontman Jim Morrison, one of the most iconic figures of the 1960s counterculture, was the son of U.S. Navy Admiral George Stephen Morrison, commander of U.S. forces in the Gulf of Tonkin incident that jumpstarted America's involvement in the Vietnam War.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by A_Real_Standup_Guy t3_11ji4q6
TIL The Japanese government fearing that the Americans occupying Japan would behave as Japanese troops had overseas, set up a front organization (Recreation and Amusement Association) to establish brothels, asking patriotic Japanese women to sacrifice themselves as "comfort women" for the Americans.
dispatch.comSubmitted by NaKeepFighting t3_11hjiop
Submitted by Lupercali t3_11h315u
TIL about Goldbach's conjecture, one of the oldest and best-known unsolved problems in mathematics. It states that every even natural number greater than 2 is the sum of two prime numbers. The conjecture remains unproven despite considerable effort.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by WouldbeWanderer t3_11bxxb1
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 Wolfgang Mozart had a sister, Maria Anna, who was also an extremely talented child prodigy in music. Sadly, she was prevented from performing as an adult. Many of her compositions have been lost, including one Wolfgang wrote that he was in ‘awe’ of, contributing to her obscurity.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by madhatter103 t3_1156jga
TIL about the old Chinese custom of 'footbinding' (also known as lotus feet), and that it was seen as a mark of feminine beauty and a status symbol, raising marriage prospects. Feet were broken and bound together, ensuing in many deformities, infections, and disabilities.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by akisomething t3_111602v
Submitted by chaoswoman21 t3_10ur0je
TIL that following the Black Death in England, peasants were able to negotiate better wages due to labour shortages. In response Parliament passed the Statute of Labourers 1351 which prohibited the soliciting of wages above pre-plague levels. This contributed to the English Peasant's Revolt of 1381.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Methisthopheles t3_10s867j
Submitted by happytree23 t3_10r7sb8
TIL: In 1962, a 10 year old found a radioactive capsule and took it home in his pocket and left it in a kitchen cabinet. He died 38 days later, his pregnant mom died 3 months after that, then his 2 year old sister a month later. The father survived, and only then did authorities found out why.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Flares117 t3_10qplxm