› added 6 years ago

65

TIL that Donkey Kong creator Miyamoto used "donkey" to convey "stubborn" in English; the name Donkey Kong was intended to convey "stubborn ape" to the American audience. When he suggested this name to Nintendo of America, he was laughed at, but the name stuck.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

p8XXG TIL the Statue of Liberty's eleven-pointed star pedestal is the remains of Fort Wood, originally one link in a chain of defenses protecting New York City and its vital harbor.
84Ka TIL: Donghua Li was a gymnast from China who got kicked out of the Chinese Gymnastics team after he wanted to marry a Swiss girl he met whilst recuperating from an injury. He became a naturalised citizen of Switzerland and won the gold medal in Atlanta for the pommel horse event.
7wBM TIL that all through the 20th century, and up until 2007, parts of Lower Manhattan were still wired up with and using Edison’s original 110V DC.
e0Ajb TIL that MArriage between two people of different religions is illegal in Israel.
gM96D TIL- during the Krakatoa eruptions and resulting tsunamis, a javanese lighthouse keeper refused to leave his post, survived after the lighthouse collapsed, lost his wife and child, and built a makeshift light just a few hours afterward so that ships wouldn't run aground.