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TIL Remoras' front dorsal fins have evolved to enable them to adhere by suction to the smooth surfaces of a host animal such as whale, turtle, shark or ray. Remoras get a free ride and protection, thus saving them valuable energy.The remora is doing its host a huge service by hoovering up parasites.

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j6Ayv TIL: That the tradition of death row meals started due to a fear of ghosts. In ancient Greece they fed them in order to prevent the people coming back from the underworld as "hungry ghosts" as that was one of their greatest fears.
pY67A TIL Andrew Johnson showed up wasted to his own vice presidential inaguration. Witnesses described his speech as "hostile, inane, incoherent, repetitive, self-aggrandizing, and sloppy", and he kissed the Bible he was to swear an oath on
VBGLm TIL Chinese eunuchs, who had both the penis and testicles cut off with a knife at once to qualify as high-ranking civil servants. Eunuchs were considered 'pure', while those under ten were termed 'thoroughly pure'. This system lasted from 146 AD until 1924, and the last Imperial eunuch died in 1996.
ZArD TIL 5000 years ago the Chinese created nail polish and used it to symbolize wealth and power among the elite. It was forbidden among the general population. Reports exist of commoners sentenced to die for wearing it.
DQL8p TIL in 1982 a BA 747 lost all four engines and had its windscreen sandblasted after flying through an Indonesian volcanic eruption. The pilot landed, at night and with limited visuals, and commented afterwards that it was "a bit like negotiating one's way up a badger's arse."