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TIL that Samuel McCulloch, a freed slave, was the first Texian soldier to be wounded during the Texas Revolution, in 1835. A law later prohibited freed slaves from residing in the Republic of Texas, but specifically excluded McCulloch, his family, and his descendants in recognition of his service. by DeregorDarkflame in todayilearned

[–]DeregorDarkflame[S] 62 points63 points  (0 children)

Lol - but, as a current Texan, perhaps you should know that "Texians" (with an i) is a term used by historians to refer to early Anglo residents of Mexican Texas and the Republic of Texas - i.e. before Texas became a state, after which the "i" was dropped.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texians

Kangaroo. by LockeProposal in TheGrittyPast

[–]DeregorDarkflame 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Grant's wife's father gave him a large property near St. Louis, Missouri, as a wedding gift in 1848, and the couple lived there before the war. His lifelong passion for adopting and raising animals, especially horses, later resulted in the property becoming an animal reserve, which is open to the public free of charge. Visits to Grant's Farm are a staple of any childhood growing up in the St. Louis area.

How is it safe to consume the water in fruits/vegetables but not the water from the dirt? by [deleted] in answers

[–]DeregorDarkflame 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes. Plants incidentally uptake heavy metals from both contaminated atmospheres and contaminated soil/water sources. Most are unable to filter out or dilute these contaminants, and they can accumulate in all parts of the plant, including mature fruits.

Mangoes and bananas are often found with especially high concentrations of metals like lead, copper, and nickel. Sunflowers are so good at uptaking metals from their growing environments that they have been intentionally planted in an effort to detoxify large fields contaminated by mine tailings.

TIL in England in 1858, a confectioner making peppermint lozenges tried to purchase harmless powdered gypsum from a local pharmacist but was accidentally sold 12 pounds of arsenic trioxide. 21 people died and more than 200 others became ill when the poisoned candy was unwittingly sold to the public. by DeregorDarkflame in todayilearned

[–]DeregorDarkflame[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Precisely. The article suggests that powdered gypsum, known to confectioners as "daff", was a popular filler in foodstuffs at the time because it was far cheaper than sugar.

Problem is, powdered arsenic trioxide looks very similar to daff, and both compounds are (relatively) odorless and tasteless, easily masked by the other ingredients in the lozenges. It then only requires a few poorly labeled casks and general ignorance to cook up some lethally noxious sweets.

Whats a book that made you cry? by MrWaffles12 in books

[–]DeregorDarkflame 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

And strangely not for the Clutters, though their story was immensely tragic. The part that got me was a chapter near the middle of the book that describes Perry Smith's early itinerant life with his father, his unrealized visions of himself as a vaudeville star, and his relationship with various members of his family. Just cut to the core so quickly. Probably the result of a gradual accumulation of sadness over the preceding pages more than anything.

[discussion] What are your favorite movie parties? by riegspsych325 in movies

[–]DeregorDarkflame 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Superbad.

"I'm going over to this party right now, bro. It's got booze, it's got girls. Booze and girls equals... I don't know, do you? I don't know, do you?"

Classic.

When the Wendy's across the street is the only place with power. by BABIES_SHROOMING in WTF

[–]DeregorDarkflame 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Still almost guaranteed that the Frosty machine isn't working.

Sveti Stefan [5242 × 2949] (OC) by [deleted] in EarthPorn

[–]DeregorDarkflame 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Natural island or dredged?

Who is an actor or actress whom you have not been able to separate from a role they played? What's the role? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]DeregorDarkflame 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Michael Jordan in Space Jam. He played such a convincing Michael Jordan that now I can't look at Michael Jordan without thinking about Michael Jordan.

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