Molon Labe

On August 7, back in 480 BC, there was a battle along the Greek coast that you might have heard of. It involves 300 certain Spartans.

In the event that you haven't heard of it, Victor Davis Hanson has a good article about the fact and fiction about the battle of Thermopylae. If you've seen the movie, you may remember that some of the lines that seem too good to be historically accurate.

Many of the film's corniest lines - such as the Spartan dare, "Come and take them," when ordered by the Persians to hand over their weapons, or the Spartans' flippant reply, "Then we will fight in the shade," when warned that Persian arrows will blot out the sun - actually come from ancient accounts by Herodotus and Plutarch.

This expression of defiance in the face of a large enemy "Come and take them" (in Greek: Molon lable") has actually been adopted by military units throughout subsequent history including, the Greek First Army Corps (duh); the Texas Revolutionaries; and the United States Special Operations Command Central. I've even heard that the Michigan State Football Team has stitched this into their uniforms, but I cannot confirm that. I'll reach out to some sources I have.

Statue of Leonidas (note the inscription)