› added 8 months ago

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TIL that octopuses on ecstasy just want to cuddle. Scientists noted that while typically solitary, an octopus will become very social when given MDMA.

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v1BlD TIL: The red flag, when used by pirates, came to mean "no quarter given", meaning that no mercy would be shown, and no life would be spared, while a black flag usually meant that those who surrendered without a fight would be allowed to live.
0wEZL TIL that the guillotine had numerous nicknames. Some of these nicknames include "The National Razor", "Charlot's Rocking Chair," and "The Goncourt Prize for Murderers".
6yyW TIL after 9/11, Iran held a minute of silence, and 60,000 Iranians attended a candlelight vigil for the citizens of their enemy. Many other countries hostile to the US set aside their difference to pay respect to the scale of the tragedy.
x6p4g TIL about the 'Loudness War' - beginning in the 1980s and peaking in the early 2000s, music producers and broadcasters increased the audio levels of albums and radio stations. As a result of consumer complaints, US legislators passed the CALM act which mandated maximum broadcast sound levels.
W7VEA TIL Australian magpies one of the cleverest birds on Earth once helped each other to remove tracking devices researchers took 6 months to create and put on them. Within 20 minutes, one helping magpie had found the only weak point and snipped to remove the device.