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TIL: The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite force in 4th century BC, consisting of 150 pairs of male lovers. Each pair had an older erastês and a younger erômenos to represent the god Eros and embrace glorious death together. They train with wrestling and dance and were on the front lines.

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0wx55 TIL three films featuring kids' love and fascination with baseball were released within months of each other: "The Sandlot," "Rookie of the Year," and "Little Big League." The last one was released a month before professional baseball games were suspended because the MLB players went on strike.
Wm1B TIL the SAT was adapted to fit an American “Common Core” education. Logic-based word problems for math were replaced with clear equations, arcane vocabulary was replaced with common words from the workplace, multiple choices were simplified from 5 choices to 4, and the essay portion is now optional.
e0OJJ TIL while recording Trout Mask Replica, Don Van Vliet, AKA Captain Beefheart, asserted total control over the project by putting his band mates “in the barrel” and berating them continually, sometimes for days, until the musician in question collapsed into tears or in total submission to Van Vliet.
6NOZ TIL When you tell someone a goal or thing you’re planning on doing, it chemically satisfies your brain in a manner that’s similar to having actually completed the goal.
bRp0 TIL a young Charlie Wilson’s dog was killed by a next door neighbor who was running for city council by mixing crushed glass into the dog’s food. Charlie Wilson retaliated by driving 96 poor black voters to the polls ultimately causing his neighbor to lose the election.