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TIL The Stubborn Children Law (repealed in 1973) enacted by Massachusetts Bay Colony (1646), Connecticut (1650), Rhode Island (1668), and New Hampshire (1679), allowed a disobedient son "of sufficient years and understanding" (at least 16) to be put to death.

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E65P TIL In 1960, country singer Johnny Horton was killed in a car accident after his last show, held at the Skyline Club in Austin,TX, leaving his wife, Billie Jean Williams, a widow. Billie Jean’s first husband, Hank Williams, died in the back of his car after his last show, also at the Skyline Club.
8amda TIL researchers modeled a system where the Peter Principle holds true and found that instead of promoting the best employees until they reach a level where they stop performing competently, it's more efficient for a company to promote employees at random. For this research they won an Ig Nobel.
VMarp TIL Ellen DeGeneres used to call up Steve Jobs directly to complain about her iPhone, including the font size being too small.
KYdvE TIL that there is a group of Welsh people who have lived in Argentina since 1865
awrXZ TIL: There have been 60,000 attempts to get across the Berlin Wall. 5,000 people managed to escape through the Wall, with an estimated death toll of 136.