26Thank You for Smoking
In the film 'Thank You for Smoking', none of the characters are ever seen smoking.
27. In 2000, Pope John Paul II gave his blessing to the Pokémon franchise, saying the games did not have "any harmful moral side effects" and were based on "ties of intense friendship".
28. During the Spanish-American war (1898), a warship named USS Charleston was sent by the USA to capture Guam. It fired 13 shots at the harbor fort without receiving return fire. The Spanish sent an officer out to apologize for not returning the 'salute' as they were out of gunpowder. They hadn't been informed that they were at war.
29. The Soviets had made a prototype laser pistol (Soviet laser pistol) for use by their astronauts. The pistol was designed to burn a hole through the spacesuits of enemy astronauts, killing them via suffocation and/or explosive decompression.
30. In 2006, police at George Washington University used Facebook to learn about college parties and bust them. To fight back, students set up a beer blast event on Facebook. When the cops showed up, there was no alcohol, but cookies with "Beer" written on them and games of "Cake-pong".
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31Wright Brothers
The Wright Brothers hated the first director of the Smithsonian Institution, who claimed that he flew before them. If the Smithsonian ever gives credit to earlier claims of controlled and powered manned flight, the Wright Brothers' plane must be returned to Orville's estate.
32. Two students named Steven Pera and Allan Schwander were arrested in 1972 for a plan to poison Chicago's water supply with typhoid, anthrax, and various other pathogens. Released on bond, they hijacked a plane and forced it to go to Cuba. One died in a prison and the other one eventually made it home, getting 5 years of probation.
33. As a child raised in South Carolina, US political comedian Stephen Colbert observed that Southerners were often depicted as being less intelligent than other characters on scripted television. To avoid that stereotype, he taught himself to imitate the speech of American news anchors.
34. Colorado switched mile marker "420" to "419.99" in order to stop people from stealing it.
35. In North Korea, there is little stigma attached to using meth. "If you go to somebody's house it is a polite way to greet somebody by offering them a sniff," says one North Korean.
