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TIL that the makers of Donkey Kong Country wanted the Kongs to be voiced by actual gorillas and spent hours recording some at a zoo, only to realize that gorillas are actually very quiet. Finding themselves without sounds to work with, they had a programmer do gorilla impressions instead.

rRD1x TIL: Embodied cognition. A counterintuitive concept in cognitive science, which says that not only is the mind and body interconnected but that the body actively influences the mind thereby shaping how we process our surroundings and environment.
LQDxV TIL Coyote howls act as a population census and if their howls are not answered by other packs, the result is a biological response that produces large litters.
VMPd4 TIL while monkeys have the vocal cords to speak like humans do, their brains lack the wiring necessary to control their voices for precise tones. This prevents them from making the wide range of sounds necessary for speech. If their brains were wired like a human, they could theoretically talk.
pyBN TIL between 1949 and 1952, The White House was completely gutted, leaving only the outer walls around a shell. The mansion was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists
PY9BV TIL of Dick Trickle, the NASCAR driver ESPN anchors Keith Olberman and Dan Patrick would always be sure to announce the results for because they thought his name was funny. Trickle had a hole drilled in his helmet so he could smoke cigarettes during races, and won rookie of the year at 48 years old