› added 5 years ago

85

TIL that the Krypteia, a super secretive special unit in ancient Sparta, was the unit given the dubious task of controling their slave population by annual massacres. Even more messed up: they had to do the killings in secrecy and was punished by whipping if anyone caught them.

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via reddit.com

vBRR TIL of Mexican singer Chalino Sánchez failed assassination attempt on. In 1992 while he was performing at a club, a patron came up to the stage, pulled a gun, and shot Sánchez in the side. Sánchez immediately pulled a gun of his own and returned fire, the would-be killer was shot to death.
9JJD TIL that a bug researcher named Schmidt volunteered to be stung by insects, no matter the pain, and created the “Schmidt Sting Pain Index” even describing the sensations much like a wine taster
JJO8 TIL a man with brain damage stuck in a coma-like state for 6 years was brought back to consciousness by doctors who implanted electrodes in his brain.
J18VB TIL of the Nika Riots in Byzantium in 538 AD. They lasted a week, destroyed half the city, and killed tens of thousands of people. The riots were started over a chariot race
Oxj4 TIL: “One man actually succeeded in reinventing the wheel. John Keogh … submitted a patent application for a ‘circular transportation facilitation device’ in May 2001, shortly after a new patent system was introduced in Australia. His 'wheel’ was issued a patent.”