In 1972, a lieutenant of the the Norwegian King’s Guard decided to adopt a King penguin at the Edinburugh Zoo, and named it Nils Olav in honor of himself and King Olav V of Norway. He was initially given the title of lance corporal, and was promoted to sergeant shortly before his death in 1987. He was succeeded by a two-year-old King Penguin named Nils Olav II, who quickly rose up the royal ranks from honourable regimental sergeant major to Colonel-in-Chief. In 2008, he became the first penguin ever to be awarded knighthood by the Norwegian Army. The Norwegian king, King Harald V, himself attended the ceremony, declaring that Nils had shown himself “in every way qualified to receive the honour and dignity of knighthood.” And for more astonishing trivia about our crazy world, here are 100 Awesome Facts About Everything.