Today I Learned 🎓

TIL postpartum confinement centres in parts of Asia let new mothers spend about a month recovering under the traditional Chinese practice of "doing the month", based on the philosophy of restoring yin–yang balance after childbirth [Source]

TIL in 1927 Japan and the United States exchanged dolls to improve their relations. 12739 "American blue-eyed dolls" were sent to Japan and 58 Japanese ambassador dolls (one for the Empire and each prefecture, major city and territory) were sent to the USA [Source]

TIL that corn tortillas were not widespread in Mexico prior to the Mexican Revolution in 1920. Before this, parts of the country and parts of society like the North mainly ate flour tortillas or bread. The staple became a nationalistic symbol after the revolution and the growth of tortillerias. [Source]

TIL that Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso, a brutal Lucchese mob boss and later informant, was so unruly in prison that the FBI took the incredibly rare step of kicking him out of the Witness Protection Program. [Source]

TIL that in London from 1760 to 1794 men could buy a pocket book directory detailing the physical appearance, sexual specialities and cost of local sex workers in an annual publication called Harris's List [Source]

TIL that none of the five boroughs of New York have a Walmart store, despite its many attempts to enter the city. However, NYC has many Target and Costco locations. [Source]

TIL Legendary jazz drummer Buddy Rich was famous for his short temper. In one secret recording he threatens to fire one of his band members for having a beard. After putting up with him for several days, Dusty Springfield got so fed up she slapped him. [Source]

TIL that the Earth is technically in an ice age [Source]

TIL 22 June 2005 South Korea's Park Ji-sung joined Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United for a fee of around £4 million in July 2005 despite fans doubts on him. during his time at United won 11 trophies, including four Premier League titles and the FIFA Club World Cup. [Source]

TIL that until 2012, Hasbro used cheap labor from survivors of an Irish Magdalene Laundry to package popular board games like Mouse Trap, KerPlunk, and Buckaroo!. The women, overseen by the Good Shepherd Sisters in Waterford, were paid as little as 50p a week. [Source]

TIL that in 2010, 4 beer stores in Whiteclay, Nebraska sold approximately 4.9 million 12 ounce cans of beer to the Lakota Tribe living on the Pine Ridge reservation. That’s about 13,000 cans of beer per day. [Source]

TIL that there is a theory that the Loch Ness Monster was inspired by a scene from the original King Kong, which had recently come out at around the time the first sightings started happening. [Source]

TIL in 2012 an Islamic cult with ~70 members including over 20 children were discovered living in an 8-level complex of underground chambers that lacked ventilation. Many of the cult's children (aged between 18 months & 17 years) were born underground & had never seen the sun before their rescue. [Source]

TIL in response to the "Miracle on the Hudson", the government killed 70,000 birds. [Source]

TIL in 2013 a man survived treading water for 28 hours in the ocean after he became ill, blacked out, & fell overboard. He woke up in the water with the boat he was on already 15 meters ahead of him. He encountered a shark, was stung by jellyfish & attacked by gulls before he was eventually rescued. [Source]

TIL Nobel laureate Linus Pauling lived into his 90s and believed Vitamin C made him healthy. Everyday he enjoyed 18 grams of pure crystalline ascorbic acid powder--the equivalent of 260 glasses of orange juice and 300 times the Recommended Daily Allowance--mixed in juice or water [Source]

TIL Greek-born U.S. Congressman Lucas Miltiades Miller proposed a constitutional amendment in 1893 to rename the nation the "United States of the Earth," believing it could one day grow "until every nation on earth has become part of it". [Source]

TIL the opening speech by General George S. Patton in May 1944 to his Third Army portrayed in the 1970 film 'Patton' was significantly sanitized for theatergoers. The real speech was far more profanity laden and graphic. [Source]

TIL a single Powerball drawing produced a uncommon amount of million-dollar winners with 91 winners across 20 different states. There were 2 winners of the $143m jackpot, 62 winners of the $1m Match 5 prize, & 27 winners of the $2m Match 5 prize. Indiana (20) & New Jersey (18) had the most winners. [Source]

TIL that the Mitsubishi Pencil Company, which owns uni, has no relation to the Mitsubishi conglomerate despite sharing the same name and logo. It is a total coincidence. [Source]