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TIL: There is a species of octopus called the Argonaut. The male stores up sperm in his penis/tentacle and when he finds a mate, he tears it off and gives it to her so that she can, quite literally, go fuck herself.

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jNb4n TIL that Queen Elizabeth, mother of Elizabeth II, had numerous nicknames, including: Buffy, Cookie, the Dowdy Duchess, the Fat Scotch Cook, the First Lady of the Turf, the Merry Mischief, the Most Dangerous Woman in Europe, the Original Queen of Hearts, the Smiling Duchess, the Upmarket Alf Garnett
p8y9A TIL Roman salt-making entailed boiling the seawater in large lead-lined pans. Salt was used as currency in ancient Rome, and the roots of the words "soldier" and "salary" can be traced to Latin words related to giving or receiving salt.
Br8Kd TIL of the Roman military ritual evocatio, in which they'd attempt to deprive an enemy of divine protection by summoning their god and promising to worship it better
W7yAB TIL British comedian Freddie Starr was accused of eating a hamster by the tabloid newspaper The Sun. Although a complete fabrication, the rumour boosted Freddie's career and led to more tour dates. The rumour had been started by Freddie's manager as a practical joke.
JY8Y4 TIL That Pres. Bush was almost assassinated in 2005 after Vladimir Arutyunian threw a live RGD-5 hand grenade wrapped in a handkerchief at him. Miraculously it failed to detonate because the handkerchief remained around the grenade preventing the striker lever from releasing