1Dante Hicks
The 1994 film "Clerks" had an extended, but a much darker ending, in which Dante Hicks was murdered by a robber who then proceeded to take the money from the cash register. Miramax reacted negatively and ordered writer-director Kevin Smith to delete that ending completely.
2. France has banned children under the age of 15 to use their smartphones in school. This ban also includes smartwatches and tablets.
3. A former engineer in Japan claims to be the only heir to authentic ninjutsu. In his 60s, Jinichi Kawakami decided he will not appoint anyone as the next ninja grandmaster, saying: "we now have guns, the internet and much better medicines, so the art of ninjutsu has no place in the modern age."
4. The Reagan Administration laughed about the AIDS epidemic during three separate press conferences.
5. Nicholas Culpeper was a 17th-century physician who married a wealthy heiress, enabling him to provide services free of charge while translating Latin medical text into English. He then sold them very cheaply for the poor who couldn’t afford expensive physicians.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Neanderthal DNA
Modern humans and neanderthals interbred, and as a result, all non-Africans carry between one and four percent Neanderthal DNA.
7. Because electronic computers were not fast in 1959, the X15 experimental jet used a Fluidic Digital Computer that used water instead of electricity. It featured hypersensitive Fluidic Integrated Circuits and Logic Gates that could make course corrections faster than its contemporary computers.
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger paid Austria to ship him the exact same tank he drove when he was a soldier. It is fully operable (minus the gun) and he uses it to support his fundraising efforts.
9. Stephen Colbert donates his proceeds from the sale of AmeriCone Dream to charity.
10. William the Conqueror’s body exploded at his funeral. He’d died due to an intestinal infection from his horse rearing and throwing him against his saddle pommel. At his funeral, as his too large body was being forced into a too-small coffin, his abdomen burst. Mourners ran to escape the stench.
11Big Bird
When Big Bird appeared on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, Mr. Rogers wanted to do a segment where Caroll Spinney would remove his Big Bird costume, demonstrate how the puppet worked, and talk about what it's like to play Big Bird. Spinney refused to do it, not wanting to ruin the illusion for kids.
12. In 1957, Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashed onto Rikers Island, New York’s 400-acre prison complex. Around 50 inmates rushed to help pull passengers from the wreckage. Later, the governor set those prisoners free or reduced their sentences.
13. Lucy Maud Montgomery stored her now-famous book Anne of Green Gables in a hatbox after it was rejected by every publisher she sent it to. Years later she tried again, and the book has now sold 50 million copies.
14. After retiring from NASA, Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, fell into a deep depression and ended up working as a used car salesman.
15. The biggest infrastructure project in the U.S. ($512 billion), the Interstate Highway System, was built and championed by Eisenhower in 1956 because he thought it was virtually impossible to travel US roads after experiencing the German Autobahn in World War 2 during his experience as General.
16Plastic surgery
The term "plastic surgery" was coined in 1839, 70 years before plastic was even invented. It comes from the Greek word "plastikē" which means "sculpting" and has nothing to do with plastic.
17. Subway chicken was DNA tested by a Canadian firm and was found to only contain about 50% chicken, with much of the rest being soy filler.
18. In Sweden, you agree with someone by sucking in air. In Sweden (and Norway), to show you’re on the same page as someone, you make a sharp sucking noise instead of saying "I agree" or nodding. It’s their way of letting you know they’re listening without interrupting the flow of conversation.
19. In 2012, China's national TV channel – known for its strict censoring of foreign films – stunned viewers by airing the anarchist film ‘V for Vendetta’ fully uncensored. It included the famous quote: "People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
20. Dr. Pepper served hot with lemon was a popular 1960’s holiday beverage.
21Job satisfaction
75% of people who work 4 days a week report high job satisfaction and less illness in the workplace. Over half (69%) report lower stress levels.
22. Daniel Craig has been injured 5 times while playing James Bond. He does all of his own stunts and has had his two front teeth smashed out, lost the tip of a finger, sprained his arm and knee in separate incidents, and pulled his ankle.
23. Granny Smith Apples originated by accident when a lady dumped a crate of old rotten French crab apples in her garden and then later found an apple sapling growing there. The tree grew to produce green tart apples that had never grown before.
24. Jumps are classified by what kind of foot transfer happens. You hop on one foot, you leap from one foot to the other. Jumping is two feet to two feet. Assemble is jumping from two feet but landing on one, and Sissonne is jumping from one foot and landing on two.
25. “The Powerpuff Girls” was originally called “Whoopass Stew!” Rather than adding Chemical X to his formula, Professor Utonium accidentally adds a can of whoop-ass, and the creation was to be known as The Whoopass Girls.
