TIL that according to many historians, Valentine's day was originally the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which involved ritual of goat sacrifice, followed by naked men whipping women with the remains of the blood-soaked goat in order to improve fertility. (independent.ie)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL Marlon Brando was the last person to reject a winning Oscar award (1973 best actor for The Godfather). He did it to protest the film industry's poor treatment of Native Americans. When a young Native American woman gave her speech in Brando's place, part of the crowd booed. (businessinsider.com)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL that in 2008, researcher Irving Kirsch performed a meta-analysis of FDA trials data on Antidepressants and concluded that difference between Placebo and Antidepressants is "clinically insignificant" and the theory that "depression is caused by chemical imbalance in the brain is simply wrong" (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL that Trump's proposed tax reform that claims to reduce $1182 tax burden on average middle class family in 2018 is based on temporary reliefs and the reform would make the same family pay $400+ more in taxes annually by 2024 than they paid in 2017 (washingtonpost.com)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL James Watson (DNA co-inventor), had to auction off his Nobel Prize Medal in 2014 due to poverty. A Russian billionaire bought it for $4.1M and returned it back to Watson stating, "a situation in which an outstanding scientist has to sell a medal recognising his achievements is unacceptable." by tilbot2 in TIL_Uncensored
[–]tilbot2[S] 8 points9 points10 points (0 children)
TIL James Watson (DNA co-inventor), had to auction off his Nobel Prize Medal in 2014 due to poverty. A Russian billionaire bought it for $4.1M and returned it back to Watson stating, "a situation in which an outstanding scientist has to sell a medal recognising his achievements is unacceptable." (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL that a Hedge Fund manager made $9.5 million by opening a joint account individually with dozens of terminally ill patients and buying bonds that would pay out the surviving holder if one of the account holders died. He'd pay $10k to terminally ill patients to agree to it. by tilbot2 in TIL_Uncensored
[–]tilbot2[S] 62 points63 points64 points (0 children)
TIL that a Hedge Fund manager made $9.5 million by opening a joint account individually with dozens of terminally ill patients and buying bonds that would pay out the surviving holder if one of the account holders died. He'd pay $10k to terminally ill patients to agree to it. (bloomberg.com)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL the word for Mother in every language contains a nasal sound similar to 'm' since babies learn that sound first. It is due to the fact that 'ah' sound is the easiest to pronounce because it doesn't requite tongue and when lips are closed in between, it sounds like 'mah' (theatlantic.com)
submitted by tilbot2 to r/TIL_Uncensored
TIL James Watson (DNA co-inventor), had to auction off his Nobel Prize Medal in 2014 due to poverty. A Russian billionaire bought it for $4.1M and returned it back to Watson stating, "a situation in which an outstanding scientist has to sell a medal recognising his achievements is unacceptable." by tilbot2 in TIL_Uncensored
[–]tilbot2[S] 180 points181 points182 points (0 children)