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TIL The Sharps Rifle was nicknamed "Beecher's Bible" after abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher: "You might just as well...read the Bible to Buffaloes as to those fellows who follow Atchison and Stringfellow; but they have a supreme respect for the logic that is embodied in Sharp's rifle."

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P0ve TIL in ‘79 a 14 year old created a “Kingdom” in his Milwaukee bedroom when his mother died. Today the nation Talossa claims national sovereignty, various lands, has a constitutional monarchy, its own language, and citizens on 6 continents.
wm4E TIL in the 4th Century BC, an elite military company called The Sacred Band of Thebes, which consisted of 150 male lovers, defeated a larger Spartan army in battle
8a1DV TIL of Gourmand syndrome, a rare eating disorder caused by brain damage in the frontal lobe. The only symptom is a sudden obsessive passion for gourmet food and fine dining
P18RO TIL that it’s currently impossible to cross the Hudson River by car in NYC without paying a toll. The closest toll free bridge is 4 hours away in Albany.
8oEP TIL that Simon & Garfunkel’s first album was so unsuccessful that the duo split. Their producer took one of the songs from the album, overdubbed and remixed it without their knowledge or permission, and after this version of “The Sounds of Silence” became a hit, they reunited for four more albums.