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TIL that Cicero's cognomen, or personal surname, comes from the Latin for chickpea(a type of lentil), cicer. Cicero was urged to change this deprecatory name when he entered politics, but refused, saying that he would instead make Cicero a glorious name.

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lgBA TIL that a loan of £1000 at the rate of 6% p.a. was given by a UK school to the city of St Albans in 1722. St. Albans City council, despite acknowledging the loan, has not made any repayments on it. As of 2012, the debt stands at £21,800,000,000 (21.8 billion GPB).
N7pve TIL: The world’s oldest living rose is believed to be 1,000 years old. It grows on the wall of the Cathedral of Hildesheim in Germany and its presence is documented since A.D. 815. In 1945 allied bombers destroyed the cathedral, yet the bush survived.
y1DJ TIL that SEGA started as an American company called Service Games which provided leisure time activities on military bases during WWII
GAMWj TIL that seagulls have a special gland that allows them to drink saltwater without getting dehydrated. This gland filters out the salt, which they then excrete through their nostrils. I found it fascinating because it shows how well-adapted these birds are to their coastal environments!
A9Nw TIL During the aftermath of 9/11, Search and Rescue dogs found so few living people, that it caused them great stress because they believed they had failed. Handlers and Rescue workers had to regularly hide in the rubble in order to give the rescue dogs a successful find, and keep their spirits up.