In 1998, before YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok, a cat became an internet celebrity. Her name was $Kitty. A webcam was pointed at her favorite chair, creating “KittyCam.” Every few minutes, it uploaded a new photo. Thousands of people started checking in just to see what Kitty was doing. Usually? Sleeping. No memes. No algorithms. No viral videos. Just a cat, a webcam, and the early internet. Kitty was one of the internet’s first celebrity cats.
Sources: Fast Company — "Before Lil Bub: A Curated Look At How Cats Came To Dominate The Internet" https://t.co/BORmmjoU33
Internetmuseum — KittyCam's history https://t.co/TqkWAaKdEH
"A Unified Theory of Cats on the Internet" — historical account of KittyCam https://t.co/N2vadaPRCD
They made this thing for search & rescue…
but I already know where the internet is taking it 😂
Most probably gonna be a dick worm.
Launching $DICKWORM on Pump. 🪱🍆
Let’s see what happens.
Researchers at SDU Soft Robotics developed a worm-inspired limbless soft robot with inflatable muscles and a flexible kirigami skin.
It can crawl, turn, rotate, and avoid obstacles using controlled body movements and sensors.
The robot could be useful for search and rescue, inspection, and exploration.
In 1949, a small black-and-white cat named Simon became a war hero.
He wasn't a soldier.
He was a ship's cat.
Simon was found as a stray in Hong Kong and taken aboard HMS Amethyst, a British Royal Navy ship.
His original job was simple:
Catch rats.
And he was apparently very good at it.
Then, on April 20, 1949, HMS Amethyst was traveling along China's Yangtze River when it came under heavy artillery fire during what became known as the Yangtze Incident.
The ship was hit more than 50 times.
Simon was badly wounded by a shell blast. He suffered burns and shrapnel wounds and disappeared into the lower parts of the ship.
For days, the crew didn't know if he was alive.
Then Simon appeared.
He was injured, but alive.
And somehow, he went back to work.
The ship was stranded on the Yangtze for almost 10 weeks, with food supplies becoming increasingly important.
Simon began killing rats again.
According to the PDSA, he continued disposing of rats despite being wounded by the shell blast.
But he apparently did something else, too.
He became a source of comfort for wounded sailors in the ship's sick bay.
The crew began treating him almost like one of their own.
Eventually, HMS Amethyst escaped and Simon became famous around the world.
He was awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal for gallantry — the highest award for animal bravery in military conflict.
And here's the crazy part:
Simon became the FIRST and ONLY cat ever to receive the Dickin Medal.
He was supposed to receive the medal formally in December 1949.
He never made it.
After returning to Britain, Simon was placed in quarantine, where he contracted a viral infection and died on November 28, 1949.
He was about two years old.
The crew didn't forget him.
Simon was buried at the PDSA Animal Cemetery in Ilford, England, with full naval honours.
His grave still exists.
And the inscription reads:
"Throughout the Yangtse Incident
his behaviour was of the highest order."
A stray cat from Hong Kong.
A ship's rat catcher.
A wounded survivor of a naval battle.
And the only cat in history to receive the Dickin Medal.
Sources / proof:
• PDSA — Simon's official Dickin Medal record:
https://t.co/ZB89vnkWTR
• University of Bristol — Historical Photographs of China, original 1949 photograph of Simon:
https://t.co/7wpfKnWn0B
• Guinness World Records — First cat to receive the Dickin Medal:
https://t.co/S0PVWxFhmI
• Imperial War Museums — Simon memorial record:
https://t.co/JUSNUdNJdm
The photograph above is not an illustration.
It is Simon.
Taken in November 1949.
CA: FPVbC6x3QWsxBGgNyU3qiYd5UH8fv5Eb3Xb99Rcapump
https://t.co/SFA0bdLJka
In 1949, a cat named Simon was serving aboard HMS Amethyst.
During a battle on the Yangtze River, he was badly wounded by gunfire. Somehow, he survived. But Simon didn't retire. He recovered, went back aboard the ship, and kept doing his job: hunting rats and protecting the crew's food supply.
He eventually became the only cat to receive the PDSA Dickin Medal for bravery. A war hero… who happened to be a cat.
Article: https://t.co/jYrx0O6mHO
Just discovered @KAST_official on the
Solana ecosystem call
I got a KAST card in <2 mins to spend my crypto in 100+ countries with apple & google pay
Sounds like they're about to drop some alpha at Breakpoint 👀
Alpha from today’s Town Hall meeting 👀
We are proud to reveal our long-awaited token ticker and image.
🪙 Official ticker: $G
🗣️ Official name: to be announced
Season 2 starts today! (5AM UTC)
Episode 01 has kicked off!
Grab your referral codes from Season 1 participants and let's start Season 2 together!
More details:
https://t.co/OdHdcwnFxY
🏠Airdrop page: https://t.co/djFYMQ241t
📖S2 Ep01: ~ Feb. 14, 2024 (4 AM UTC)
A new milestone for GOMBLE! 🎊
Today we release our Vision Paper!
What to find out more about Game Ecosystem, Tokenomics, and more?
📜Vision Paper → https://t.co/AuFJP64fNj
📄Medium → https://t.co/YvQXgMbGUV
Danav x Degen Fat Cats ✨
We're thrilled to unveil our exciting partnership with @degenfatcats 🤝
We're integrating their amazing NFTs into our multiverse series for an unprecedented level of storytelling that'll blow your mind! 🤯
Stay tuned for more mind-bending updates! 🔔