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TIL of Cymothoa exigua, a parasite that consumes the tongue of a fish, attaches itself to the blood supply, and becomes a newly functioning tongue, gorging itself until the host slowly dies of starvation. It’s one of few known parasites that consume and replace a host’s organs.

RQXl TIL that the word “ok” as we know it today, as a synonym for “alright”, is only about 175 years old. It was originally written as a joke that went viral in 1839 by a Boston editorial writer satirizing people’s bad grammar and use of abbreviations, and was an abbreviation for “oll korrect”.
PYjOJ TIL the reason the marathon is 26.2 miles long is due to the British Royal Family. At the 1908 London Olympics the race was started from Windsor Castle to accommodate a younger member and an extra 385 yards was needed so as to finish at the Royal Box in the White City stadium.
yVoae TIL The Australian Parliament can't legally operate without a ceremonial mace, representing the monarch's authority, being present. In 1914 a member of parliament hid the mace and it was not found for two hours, and police were called in as it was assumed to have been stolen.
neeab TIL Early versions of the Jimmy Croce 1973 smash hit, "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" included the line, "meaner than a concentration camp dog," but Croce decided that it was unpleasant to the ear and it was also offensive to Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals.
pRvZ TIL that nearly 4 million Indians died in 1942 because of an artificial famine caused by the British government