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TIL: A POW during the Vietnam War named James Stockdale said to survive in such arduous conditions you must renounce optimism for stoicism. His optimistic fellow captives all died. Having a blindly optimistic view worsens your chances of survival. This is called ‘The Stockdale Paradox’.

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7r66X TIL that after Hippocrates started going bald, he prescribed himself a topical concoction of opium, horseradish, pigeon droppings, beetroot, and spices. After noticing that eunuchs never went bald, he also prescribed castration to prevent hair loss - and researchers in 1995 proved that to be true
wLa1o TIL until the 1952 Olympics, cavalry soldiers were not allowed to compete in the modern pentathlon in the Olympics, due to being considered professional athletes, because they rode and trained horses for a living. Cavalry officers were however considered amateurs and allowed to compete before 1952.
ADKYo TIL in 1987 director John Landis was acquitted on 3 counts of involuntary manslaughter after actor Vic Morrow and two children aged 6 and 7 were decapitated on the set of The Twilight Zone movie in 1982.
KYwMw TIL of James Riley. On Aug 19, 1871, Riley was involved in a shootout in Newton, KS. When the fight ended, Riley had shot 6 people, 2 mortally, and walked away never to be seen again.
XEZl6 TIL when Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, multi-millionaire pastor Joel Osteen initially refused to open the doors of his megachurch as a shelter, instead offering prayers. When criticized, he claimed it was inaccessible due to floods, despite dozens of pictures proving otherwise.