26Draco
Draco was the Ancient Greek legislator who wrote the first code of law in Athens. Over time his laws were seen as increasingly harsh and punitive, which is why we say a law is "draconian" when the punishment is too extreme for the crime.
27. The Greek poet Hipponax was so good at insulting people that his victims sometimes killed themselves.
28. Young Greek hoplites (citizen soldiers) had to dress in heavy armor and run a foot race of 1,300 feet in the Olympics. This was done to develop the battlefield tactic of rushing to the Persian lines in rapid pace so as to counter their archers.
29. The Ancient Greeks didn't like Ares that much. He represented the violent and untamed parts of the war, as opposed to Athena, who was the Goddess of military strategy.
30. When Socrates was asked to propose his own punishment, he suggested a wage paid by the government and free dinners for the rest of his life.
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31Temple of Artemis
One of the seven wonders of the world, the Temple of Artemis, was burned down by an arsonist who wished to be famous for his crime. Following his execution, the Ancient Greeks made it an offense subject to the death penalty to mention his name.
32. Ancient Greek mathematician Hero of Alexandria invented the first vending machine which dispensed holy water after you put in a coin. He also invented the first steam engine and the first wind powered the machine, 2000 years before the industrial revolution.
33. Alexander the Great once asked Diogenes, a homeless Greek philosopher who lived in a barrel, if there was something he could do for him. Diogenes replied, "yes, get out of my sun". Alexander left saying, "If I wasn't Alexander, I'd like to be Diogenes," to which some records say Diogenes replied, "If i wasn't Diogenes, I'd like to be Diogenes".
34. Apelles, an ancient Greek painter, was considered by many, including Pliny, to be the greatest artist in the world. Pliny recorded that Alexander the Great so admired Apelles's work that he gave his concubine to him. Today, none of Apelles's original works have survived.
35. The Ancient Greeks had a word, akrasia, to describe the lack of will that prevents us from doing something that we know is good for us.
