Imagine a war-ravaged country, food crisis looming large, its desolate children, and a Messiah in the skies. This all came together once in post-WWII Germany when conflict among the Allied nations reached its peak and spawned Cold War's 1st crisis (1/n)
Soviet Union cut-off road, rail & canal links to Western bloc-held Berlin in the summer of 1948. Thus began Operation Berlin Airlift with US & UK air dropping supplies into the starving city. It is estimated that more than 250,000 sorties were flown (2/n)
One of the many pilots engaged in the airdrops was Lt. Gail Halvorsen from Utah. In his spare time, he often flew into Berlin to do some photography. During one of those visits, he came across a bunch of kids in ragged condition across a barbed wire (3/n)
Halvorsen gave them some toffees he was carrying. The kids distributed the toffees in the smallest of pieces - those who still didn't get one took the wrappers and sniffed them. The sight affected Halvorsen strongly (4/n)
He promised the kids he would be back with more. Gail Halvorsen prepared tiny parachutes with handkerchiefs & socks packing candies, chocolates & gums into them and #OTD in 1948, proceeded to drop them over Berlin. (5/n)
He repeated this several times over coming days and was joined by a few colleagues. Halvorsen rocked his plane a few times before the drops - his promised signal to the kids to help them identify his aircraft. (6/n)
Soon, stacks of mail arrived at the base camp addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings", "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier." In no time, Halvorsen's initiative became a national project with several US confectionary cos. pitching in (7/n)
The Chocolate Bomber Uncle of Berlin had a profound impact on the children of the war. They kept writing letters to him providing a map of their houses and mentioning their most favorite flavors. (8/n)
One such little letter reads, “I'll be in the backyard every day at 2:00 PM. Drop the chocolate there". Gail Halvorsen showed that you don’t need guns, but a only a thriving conscience to win over a million hearts (9/n)
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Charles de Gaulle, the founder of France’s Fifth Republic, is said to have survived more than 30 assassination attempts. One in particular stands out — here’s why. 1/20
On 22 August 1962, Charles de Gaulle, founder of France’s Fifth Republic and then-President, was en route to his country home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Accompanied by his wife Yvonne and protected by elite security personnel, the journey was meant to be routine. 2/20
At around 8 p.m, the presidential convoy passed through Petit-Clamart near Place de la Résistance on Route Nationale 10. 3/20
What began as a policy rift spiraled into one of the most bitter face-offs in 20th-century geopolitics. Indira Gandhi vs. Richard Nixon — a diplomatic Cold War drama, soaked in ego, war, and unfiltered racism. Let’s rewind to the early 1970s. Thread.
1/16
The world was on edge. India was on the brink of war with Pakistan. Bangladesh was fighting for freedom.
Millions of refugees were pouring into India.
And the White House—was furious.
Why? Because Indira Gandhi wouldn’t bend to U.S. pressure.
2/16
In 1971, Indira Gandhi visited the U.S. to explain the refugee crisis and the brewing genocide in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
But President Richard Nixon and his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger weren’t interested in moral arguments.
3/16
Magnus Carlsen’s dramatic fist slam this week after an unexpected defeat by Gukesh Dommaraju sparked waves worldwide. But, chess has always been war. In 1978, a world title match featured hypnotism, black magic, yogurt conspiracies, and a murder trial in India.
Thread
1/20
On the surface, it was a game of 64 squares. But in the shadows, it was war. Not metaphorical war — real, ideological, psychological, and bizarre. It’s a game of strategy and psychology, yes, but history tells us it’s also a theater of madness. 2/20
The 1978 World Chess Championship between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in Baguio, Philippines, was unlike any chess match before or since. This wasn’t just Karpov vs. Korchnoi. It was the USSR vs. a defector. Communism vs. exile. 3/20
In just a few hours, PSG will face Inter Milan—one of Italy’s most iconic clubs—in the UCL final. Indian fans have long held a soft spot for Italian football, yet few remember that it was a group of Italians who sparked Bengaluru’s passion for the game. Thread
1/15
Karnataka has produced many cricket legends — Vishwanath, Kumble, Dravid. In a city that lives and breathes cricket, home to the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium, there’s one neighborhood that worships football: Gowthampura.
2/15
How did the beautiful game take root here? Surprisingly, the answer: Benito Mussolini.
To understand how a small, working-class suburb in Bangalore became one of India’s football nurseries, we need to wind the clock back to 1941 — the world deep in the throes of WWII.
Today being National Biscuit Day, we present to you one of our past threads about an iconic Indian biscuit brand that became a symbol of national pride and a new Indian identity (1)
In 2011, a Nielsen survey report stated ‘Parle-G’ was one of the bestselling biscuit brands in the world surpassing hugely popular international brands like ‘Oreo’. So how did the cheapest teatime snack become the no. 1 choice around the world? (2)
Even in the present times, with inflation rising year on year, you can get a packet of 10 Parle G biscuits for just Rs. 5. Doesn’t that sound too good to be true? (3)
Last month, India hit rock bottom in news culture. But once, there was a journalist so trusted, villagers from remote corners wrote him letters asking about everything from world affairs to kitchen remedies. Meet the forgotten father of Indian journalism. Thread. 1/20
There was a time when if Ramananda Chatterjee said something—people believed it without question. So much so, that strangers from across India would write to him asking things like: "How much does it cost to build a house in Ghatsila?" "Do the floors crack from the summer heat?" 2/20
These weren’t journalists or scholars—just everyday people, sure that if Ramananda replied, it was the truth. And he always replied—privately, precisely, and never for show. 3/20