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TIL the Ancient Roman Legions, rather than promoting men with orders from senior officers, held elections from within a Contubernium (equivalent to a squad or platoon) to elect a "Decanus," (roughly a corporal or sergeant, in charge of 10 men).

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wLPJ TIL that Switzerland has no single Head of State, and instead has a seven-member executive council which serves as the Swiss collective head of state.
LQQdV TIL that prehistoric humans found fossils and used them to decorate their stone tools. The oldest such fossil is in a knife made by Homo heidelbergensis 400,000 years ago.
Wk4Zd TIL that in November of 1999, Kevin Smith attended a protest against his own movie: "Dogma." He even made it onto the local news, when the on-the-scene reporter asked him (not knowing it it was him) his thoughts on the movie. He responded: "I don't know, but I've been told, 'not good.'"
dDV7r TIL, Hisashi Ouchi was kept alive for 83 days after absorbing 17 Sieverts of radiation, the highest level for any human being. Doctors kept him alive via blood transfusions and stem cell grafts. He had 3 heart attacks but was revived by doctors. This was all done at the request of his family.
BgyJL TIL about Wawpawwawqua ('White Loon'), a Miami war leader who fought against the United States, but was later excused from a Miami removal because he paid property tax. He was said to be 107 years old at the time of his death, in 1876.