› added 3 years ago

97

TIL that the first westerners to discover Gorillas were Carthaginians who believed them to actually be primitive humans, and named them Gorillai. they referred to them as savages with "shaggy bodies". They then captured, killed and skinned some, taking the skins back home.

Read more youtu.be

via reddit.com

d8NvK TIL that Charles Kelman, a pioneer of phacoemulsification, a modern cataract surgery method, was also a successful jazz musician, entertainer and Broadway producer. He regularly appeared on TV shows in the 70's and 80's in part to promote his surgical innovations.
yQ8La TIL a man in Berlin was whipped with a belt in an attack for wearing a Yarmulke (Jewish hat). The man who was whipped wasn't actually Jewish but was trying to convince his Jewish friend he had nothing to worry about wearing a Yarmulke in public.
mxEDE TIL The last time China held contested elections was in 1913. It ended when Song Jiaoren, a young successful politician who pushed for democracy, was shot that year. Song crafted an election platform that appealed to the bulk of the 10% of the population entitled to vote, or 40 million men
YpDZA TIL Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Amélie, was deeply opposed to the musical adaption of his movie, but eventually sold the rights of the film for the piece to donate money to the Mecenat Chirurgie Cardiaque (Cardiac Surgery Patronage), which sponsors operations for needy children around the world
d8Z7E TIL that bleachers are so named because, early on, the generally uncovered wooden boards were "bleached by the sun.”