When Thomas Savage attempted to develop the first scientific classification of the large primate we know as the gorilla, he reached back over 2,000 years and found a word in a long-filed and nearly-forgotten report.
Carthaginian admiral Hanno traveled around 60 BC from Carthage (in present-day Tunisia) down the western coast of Africa. Along the way, he encountered hairy, aggressive creatures he called “gorillai” (Γόριλλαι). It was this term Thomas Savage used in naming the modern-day gorilla.
Interestingly enough, that original term can best be interpreted as “a tribe of hairy women.”
The 1945 Japanese Coup Attempt to Stop Emperor Hirohito’s Surrender Broadcast
In August 1945, Japanese officers tried to seize the Imperial Palace, destroy Hirohito’s surrender recording, and keep World War II going. This is the story of hte 1945 Japanese coup attempt to stop the public from hearing the Emperor’s voice.
Famous Typos in History: The Greatest Proofreading Disasters Ever Printed
Discover famous typos and proofreading disasters that changed Bibles, dictionaries, laws, headlines, and publishing history.
When Politeness Had Rules: The Strange Etiquette Rules Everyone Once Knew and We Somehow Forgot
From bowing and calling cards to chaperones and gloves, discover the strange old etiquette rules everyone once knew—and why they disappeared.
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