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TIL Commodus once held a grand 14 day gladiatorial event with himself as the center piece. The "highlights" include him killing 100 bears in a day. The crowd was hesitant to attend the arena due to a rumour that he would start shooting random spectators in reenactment of the stymphalian birds myth

AEBa TIL of Clair Engle, a US Senator who was left unable to speak because of a brain tumor. In 1964, when the Senate voted on whether or not to break the filibuster on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he pointed to his eye, signaling his vote in favor of ending the filibuster (“aye”).
YpyEB TIL "Fourth Turning Theory" generations move in 4 cycles -- High, Awakening, Unraveling, Crisis. The last Crisis generation in the US was the "GI" archetype who witnessed the Great Depression and WWII. Now Millennials are the new "Crisis" generation, which means we could face something similar.
BDkW TIL since 1974, South Korea has discovered four tunnels dug by North Korea with black-painted walls to make them look like coal mines.
OoBaa TIL Oval car stickers were originally a requirement for European vehicles to indicate their country of origin. Travelers from abroad would bring the stickers home to show off their destinations. They have since become a popular style of bumper sticker for many destinations outside of Europe as well.
nBoY TIL in 2004 North Korea demanded that the Czech Republic ban “Team America: World Police” from theaters. The Czech Foreign Minister relied “Obviously, it’s absurd to demand that in a democratic country.”