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TIL staghorn ferns exhibit behaviors which are similar to ant and bee colonies (e.g. division of labor and cooperative survival). This phenomenon, known as eusociality, marks a major evolutionary transition for complex lifeforms and has previously only been observed in animals and insects.

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VBJEG TIL Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier from World War 2, was initially turned down from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps for being underweight and underage. He was finally able to enlist after his sister falsified documentation. He ended up playing himself in a movie about him
XEKVk TIL The senate made poor excuse after excuse for taking a summer break, until they finally mandated it in 1970. "members of Congress sought a way to establish a summertime recess. In 1970, finally facing the reality of year-long sessions, Congress mandated a summer break as part of the Legislative"
XwR8 TIL: Spain Cheated in the 2000 Summer Paralympics, 10 of the 12 players on their roster “were encouraged to pretend to be stupid” and had no mental disability.
MevJA TIL that the population of the Inishkea Islands (in Ireland) was until recently unaware of Christianity and the English language, worshipping a magical stone regularly “re-clothed” by a priestess. A catholic priest cast the stone into the sea in the 1890s, then a storm left the islands abandoned.
LkDdv TIL: Kama3 was a pig who learned to surf the waves in Hawaii. He was killed in his sleep by hunters who trespassed into his owner's property.