1Queen Mary
The record for passengers on a ship was set in World War 2 by the Queen Mary. There were 16,082 passengers. The ocean liner was so fast it often sailed without escort and could outrun both submarines and torpedoes.
2. In November 1783, when he was in Paris, Benjamin Franklin witnessed the flight of one of the first hot-air balloons. As the balloon soared into the air, a spectator asked Franklin what this new invention could be used for. Franklin responded by saying “What good is a new-born baby?”
3. While on trial for crimes against humanity, as a form of torture, Saddam Hussein was shown the film “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.”
4. Rabies causes hydrophobia, where just the thought of drinking water or seeing water, causes intense clench throat spasms, so the victim cannot swallow the frothy saliva forming in their mouth. The foam is infected heavily with the live virus which increases disease transmission through biting.
5. Don Henley (American drummer) called paramedics to his home on November 21, 1980, where a 16-year-old girl was found naked and claiming she had overdosed on quaaludes and cocaine. Henley got away with only a contributing to the delinquency of a minor charge and a $2,500 fine.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson (American journalist), author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, daily did seven rounds of cocaine by 9 pm, accompanied by whiskey and weed, only to "start snorting cocaine seriously" then, an hour before dropping acid.
7. On the day before the 1996 Presidential election, the New York Times Crossword puzzle had a clue that required knowing the future: "Tomorrows headline". Except, either of the likeliest answers fully completed the crossword.
8. The very first video rental store owned by Eckhard Baum, which opened in Germany in 1975, is still in operation.
9. The police officer (Thomas Delahanty) shot during the assassination attempt on President Reagan sued the gun manufacturer (RG). The case was rejected and set the precedent that gun manufacturers can't be sued for crimes committed with their weapons.
10. When Norman Lear finished shooting the 'All In The Family' pilot he didn't have enough money left in the budget to do a proper main title sequence. So he shot Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton singing 'Those Were The Days' at the piano in front of a live audience.
11Jackie
Jackie the lion, one of the mascots for MGM, not only survived two train wrecks, an earthquake, a boat sinking, and an explosion at the studio, but also a plane crash that left him stranded in the Arizona wilderness for days.
12. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys (American rock band), who wrote such hits as "Surfin' Safari" and "Surfin' USA," has a lifelong fear of water.
13. The Earth has enough Iron to make three new planets, each with the same mass as Mars.
14. 20 minutes spent on the London Underground's Northern Line is as bad for your lungs as smoking a cigarette.
15. Originally, Superman couldn't fly. Until animators wanted him to, he could only "Leap tall buildings in a single bound".
16African wild dogs
African wild dogs vote on important pack matters by sneezing.
17. During World War 2, the Japanese submitted multiple groundbreaking studies to peer-reviewed journals they said were conducted on monkeys. In reality, they have conducted on humans as part of Japan's infamous Unit 731 projects (Maruta).
18. In June 2017, George Clooney sold his tequila company (Casamigos) for $1 billion.
19. Missouri was the first US state to amend wildlife conservation into its constitution in order to prevent it from being easily repealed, by a state-wide referendum. 81 years later, the model Missouri uses for wildlife conservation is still a transnational standard.
20. The ancient Romans built an artificial waterfall (Cascata delle Marmore) which to this day is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world.
21The Misfits
In 1982, The Misfits were arrested in New Orleans on charges of grave robbing while looking for Marie Laveau's grave. They bailed themselves out of jail, skipped their court date, and went to play their next show in Florida.
22. Tom Waits won a lawsuit against Audi when Audi used a song similar to Waits's "Innocent When You Dream" sung by Waits' imitating singer. Waits had previously won a lawsuit against Frito-Lay for a similar commercial. Waits donated his settlement money to charity.
23. In 2009, a woman named Jammie Thomas Rasset was fined $1.9 million by Recording Industry Association of America for illegally downloading 24 songs, i.e., $80,000 per song.
24. The Von Trapp family, made famous by The Sound of Music, lost their fortune in the Great Depression, and the children's singing careers were purely a way to earn a livelihood.
25. Loot Boxes in video games are regulated in some countries under gambling laws.
