The unknown minority, exploding Haribo, and what if the US invades The Hague.

Cagots

In medieval France there was an oppressed minority known as the Cagots. And there is one interesting detail about them.

They are mentioned in sources between the 13th and 17th centuries, and in 1819 a law was passed prohibiting persecution of the Cagots.

They lived in separate districts at the edge of the town. They were not allowed to marry non-Cagots. They could enter churches only through a separate side entrance. They were buried in separate cemeteries. Cagots were allowed to work only in certain fields: as carpenters, masons, butchers, woodcutters, and so on.

At certain times they even had to wear special elements on their clothing (a duck’s foot).

What’s striking is that there is not a single reliable explanation of what made them different. What even made the cagots.

People are typically discriminated against because of ethnicity, religion, profession, caste, something!

The Cagots, however, did not differ from their neighbors in appearance, religion, or names. Those around them simply “knew” that specific people and their relatives were Cagots and always would be. Even the etymology of the word itself is unknown to us.

There are only theories:

• They are direct descendants of the Visigoths.
• Conversely, they are descendants of Arabs left after the Reconquista.
• Their ancestors converted to Christianity late.
• They are descendants of the carpenters’ guild that became too influential and provoked hatred.

They were suspected of suffering from leprosy, as certain restrictions suggest, but no description includes any symptoms or unusually early deaths. Moreover, Cagot women often assisted with childbirth.

Nearly all the old and modern theories are unsatisfactory ... the real "mystery of the cagots" was the fact that they had no distinguishing features at all. They spoke whatever dialect was spoken in the region and their family names were not peculiar to the cagots.

Haribo's hot battery

A few months ago everyone was raving about this battery pack from Haribo. For just $25 it was the lightest 20,000mAh power banks around. How did they achieve this? Turned out, by cutting corners (literally). All these packs were recalled due to fire hazard.

Stop using it if you have one.

Hague Invasion Act

The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court. Under the American Service-Members’ Protection Act their president is authorized by default to use all necessary means up to a military invasion in The Hague to secure the release of U.S. or allied personnel.

Blade sharpeners exist or how to be the most frugal person

You might have met someone who'd try to convince you to switch to safety razors instead of buying cartridges. Now somebody on Twitter found a blade sharpener, a old device people used to sharpen used blades.

Turns out there's a reason why people don't.

Modern razor blades have platinum anti-friction coatings that blade sharpeners remove, and they’re stainless steel underneath that doesn’t sharpen well. Older blades were carbon steel that could be stropped easily.

Safety razors also look cool, here's a selection of particularly beautiful ones.

Worst decisions/mistakes in human history

Great collection of the biggest blunders in business history.

My favorites:

• Ron Wayne selling his 10% stake in Apple for $800 in 1990 (would be $400Bn now)
• Excite turning down a Google acquisition for $750k because “Google’s algorithm is too good and would reduce page views as people leave”
• Kodak inventing the digital camera then not selling it because they were worried about suppressing film sales
• SoftBank selling 4.9% of Nvidia in 209 to plow money into WeWork