› added 10 years ago

107

TIL that in 1996, a female gorilla named Binti Jua saved the life of a 3 year old boy who fell into her encampment by carefully carrying him to the door and growling at any approaching gorilla

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

6Edm8 TIL, luxury department store Harrods in London has a strict dress code for their customers and has turned away the likes of Kylie Minogue and an entire futbol team for not abiding by it
XEmK8 TIL of “The Custom of the Sea,” an old tradition among sailors where in dire circumstances, such as being stranded at sea and on the verge of starvation, the remaining sailors would all draw straws and whoever drew the shortest would then be killed and eaten to ensure the survival of the others.
N7W68 TIL that even though Canada did not participate in the Vietnam war, some Canadians volunteered to fight alongside the US. 134 of them lost their lives in the war.
rNA70 TIL a 1993 clan feud between 2 villages in China's Hunan province turned into all out warfare as the villagers armed themselves with homemade guns, dynamite and even cannons to settle old scores. They even constructed trenches and fortifications. After 34 hours, the police quashed the fighting.
YLGv TIL M&Ms were invented in 1941 as a means for soldiers to enjoy chocolate without it melting. During the war the candy was sold exclusively to the military.