I’ll give it a try, though not in as much detail as Randall goes into…
Finishing school was an institution primarily for young women to teach them the proper way for women to behave in society. It focuses on etiquette and the way to carry yourself to appear “proper” and “ladylike.” It was often seen as a way to help young women be more appealing as they search for a husband.
In this case, they are suggesting that before entering gorilla finishing school, gorillas would inappropriately walk fully upright, until they learn proper gorilla manners and posture.
Did Gary Larson think Alexander the Great was a medieval figure? This comic looks medieval, their clothes look medieval… And I’m pretty sure he’s drawn comics of people in togas and stuff so he has some knowledge of bronze age Greece looking different from medieval Europe. Maybe he just didn’t want to overthink this one.
I don’t understand the message or joke of the cartoon itself, but George Donner was of German decent.
“The Donner party” is the name given to a series of events and dumb decisions in the 1840s that lead to 39 of the 87 American pioneers in the party dying from exposure, starvation, disease, and cannibalism when they ignored expert advice and took a “shortcut” to California, getting trapped in the snow.
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