Let's give this stunning contest a try!
It's free from doubt that you'll discover at least one fact you've never heard below, so without further due let's begin with the first curious fact.
CURIOUS FACT #1:
Did you know... that Unsinkable Sam is the nickname of a cat who served on and survived 3 sinking ships during WW2? I was so impressed when I read Sam's story that I decided to include it as a writing prompt for my Shipwreck Writing Challenge.
A Portrait of the Unsinkable Sam from iizcat.com
CURIOUS FACT #2:
Did you know... that Harrison Odjegba Okene survived three days in an upside down tugboat at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean and almost missed his rescue diver.
“He came in but he was too fast, so I saw the light but before I could get to him, he was already out. I tried to follow him in the pitch darkness but I couldn’t trace him, so I went back.”
Harrison Odjegba Okene, second left, poses with members of the DCN Diving team who saved his life after being trapped for three days underwater. By the way he was the tugboat's chef.
Image source: AP Photo & content source: nypost.com
CURIOUS FACT #3:
Did you know... that Steven Callahan (born 1952) is an American author, naval architect, inventor, and sailor noted for having survived for 76 days adrift on the Atlantic Ocean in a liferaft. Callahan recounted his ordeal in the best-selling book Adrift: 76 Days Lost At Sea (1986), which was on the New York Times best-seller list for more than 36 weeks. Source: Wikipedia
Image source: Wikipedia
CURIOUS FACT #4:
Did you know... that Poon Lim or Lim Poon BEM (March 8, 1918 – January 4, 1991 was a Chinese sailor who survived 133 days alone in the South Atlantic. Lim was working as second steward on the British merchant ship SS Ben Lomond when it was sunk by a German U-boat on November 23, 1942. After a few hours in the water, Lim found an 8-foot square wooden raft which contained some food and water. When the supplies ran low, he resorted to fishing, catching seabirds and collecting rainwater. On April 5, 1943, he was rescued by three Brazilian fishermen as he neared the coast of Brazil.
Image source:Wikipedia
CURIOUS FACT #5:
Did you know... that Eliza Gladys "Millvina" Dean (2 February 1912 – 31 May 2009) was a British civil servant and cartographer. She was the last remaining survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 15 April 1912. At 2 months old and 13 days, she was also the youngest passenger aboard.
Image source: rmstitanichotel.co.uk
I saved some facts I've collected for some of the future editions of the contest. Thank you @nxtblg for helping me discover this contest. And once again, congratulations for the fresh idea @river-island!
Yours,
@steemfluencer
A few new ones there for me. The guy who found the raft whilst drifting in the south Atlantic is a crazy one. You could call that good luck, but he had just been on a ship that sunk, so that's not so lucky. The ebb and flow of his story sounds dramatic.
His story is epic indeed!
Wow! Now that I know, I have a hunch that this Pink Floyd song was based on the legend of Sam:
Good luck with the contest.
WHOA! Let me add up another appearance in a game I recently discovered thanks to @steemedchitty.
The game is called Divinity: Original Sin.
I went further and found the actual quest featuring the cat.
Thank you for participating in Curious Facts Contest #3
Ok I am also amazed by the Unsinkable Sam who was actually a cat. 😊 Along with the Titanic lady and the other guys they all got so lucky and are true legends now.
Resteemd and upvoted your entry.
The cat was featured in a Pink Floyd song and a game. I could write another post devoted on curious facts only for the cat :) I think @karenmckersie would love reading ;)