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TIL that the Soviets used to send astronauts up with a sawed-off shotgun to fight off bears when they returned to Earth in the Siberian Wilderness.

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Ook1g TIL The red-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini) lives in the Galapagos. It has large, pouting red lips, uses its fins to walk or scurry along the sea floor, and has an illicium in the center of its head that resembles a human nose. The standard lifespan is 12 years.
78Lxr TIL that Helium is the only element that is not a metal with the -ium suffix and it’s because Helium was named before -ium was used to indicate metals.
R7JBQ TIL that the giant prickly thistle "Miss Willmott's Ghost" gets its name because eccentric horticulturist Ellen Willmott would secretly plant its seeds in friends' gardens. She also employed a hundred male gardeners, and carried a revolver in her handbag.
N7yYQ TIL the Spartan Pausanias was accused of treason for conspiring with the Persians, but seeked refuge in a temple so he couldn't be tried and executed while inside. His mother went to the temple to lay the first brick at the door, which was sealed until he died of starvation
GAyPE TIL songwriter Trevor Rabin wrote the entirety of the Yes song "Owner of a Lonely Heart" while sitting on the toilet.