/f/todayilearned
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 about the void that forms under certain trees when it snows, called tree wells. The upper branches of the tree prevents snow from falling below it, creating a pocket that is a serious peril for skiers & snow boarders. Several die every year from falling head first into these voids.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Roguecop t3_1280l2q
Submitted by PineappleBetter8444 t3_126tg8f
TIL a special law in the UK was created to ensure that the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital will forever be able to collect royalties from stage performances, audiobooks, book releases, etc. of Peter Pan in the UK. This is the only work with an 'exception' to copyright laws.
gosh.orgSubmitted by [deleted] t3_126e6pb
TIL In the West the largest meal of the day has historically been eaten at midday. It was not until Napoleon's empire there was the "abominable habit of dining as late as seven in the evening" as British travelers reported. The British adopted later dinners by 1850 from changes in work schedules.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by jamescookenotthatone t3_127hmlf
Submitted by iamasinglepotassium t3_126mz9g
TIL that New Orleans chicory coffee mix started during the American Civil War when Union naval blockades cut off the port of New Orleans bringing coffee shipments to a halt. New Orleanians looking for their coffee fix began mixing chicory with coffee to stretch out the supply.
smithsonianmag.comSubmitted by GeoJono t3_127nnez
TIL in the 1920s, Coco Chanel accidentally got a tan, and helped inspire the trend of sunbathing. Soon "sunlight therapy" was prescribed for almost every ailment from fatigue to tuberculosis. Before this, tanned skin was associated with the lower classes who work outside, and fair skin was revered.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Pfeffer_Prinz t3_126sj3j
TIL that Hawaii was a sovereign self-governing kingdom all the way up until 1893, totally unassociated with the U.S., until a coup d'état that year by 13 businessmen and 162 U.S. troops, with the openly stated goal of annexing the islands. (They succeeded.)
nvlchawaii.orgSubmitted by DramaGuy23 t3_1281rqj
TIL Arabic numbers have only existed in their present form since about the 10th century. Only a few texts using Arabic numerals appeared outside of Italy until the late 15th century. It wasn't until the mid-16th century that Arabic numbers were in common use in most of Europe
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by joecooool418 t3_127oe4d
TIL Elvis Presley craved the Fool's Gold Loaf, which consists of a hollowed-out loaf of French bread filled with one 1-lb. jar each of creamy peanut and grape jelly and a pound of fried bacon. It packs ~8,000 calories. He and friends once flew from Memphis to Denver to eat 30 of them.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by grandmamimma t3_128068w
TIL that Walt Disney World began as "The Florida Project". Dummy corporations were used, by Walt Disney Productions, to buy up 27,000 acres of land to avoid bursts of land speculation in the Orlando area. Early rumors assumed possible development by NASA, Ford, the Rockefellers, and Howard Hughes.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by jdward01 t3_126m75p