1 Dr. Dre’s 2021 Health Crisis
Dr. Dre survived three strokes over a two-week period after being hospitalized for a brain aneurysm in 2021. This ordeal led Eminem and Snoop Dogg to end their feud, realizing it was “stupid as hell” for them “to be feuding right now.” They reconciled after talking it out.
2. No one knows who named Earth. Unlike other planets, there are no records of how Earth got its name. The name Earth and its variations have been in use for over 1,000 years.
3. Steve Jobs had a tendency to eat only one or two foods, such as carrots or apples, for weeks at a time. Ashton Kutcher attempted to replicate Jobs’ diet while making a film about him, resulting in two hospitalizations for pancreatitis. Jobs died of pancreatic cancer.
4. A tech company in China motivates its programmers by hiring “cheerleaders.” These attractive girls chit-chat, get food, play ping-pong, and clap for the programmers. The HR manager noted that because most programmers are male and terrible at socializing, the presence of girls improved their motivation.
5. In the Vietnamese version of Cinderella, Cinderella boils her stepsister to death, turns the remains into sauce, and sends it to her stepmother to eat. The stepmother enjoys it until she discovers the skull and dies of shock.
6 Benkei’s Legendary Final Stand
Sait? Musashib? Benkei, a Japanese warrior, reputedly killed over 300 trained soldiers while defending a bridge single-handedly. His combat prowess in close quarters was so formidable that his enemies resorted to killing him with a volley of arrows. He died standing upright.
7. When Vincent Price agreed to lend his voice to “Thriller,” he had to choose between a share of the album’s profits or a flat fee of $20,000. He chose the flat fee.
8. In the 1950s, Disneyland offered fishing on Tom Sawyer Island in an area called Catfish Cove. Guests could borrow a pole and a can of worms to catch fish. Disneyland offered to clean, ice, and store the fish at a restaurant until closing time. After guests began discarding fish all over the park, Disneyland stopped this service.
9. Some ethnic groups in the African Congo Basin lack a term for masturbation and find it confusing.
10. In 2023, during the ascent of Mt. Everest, Gelje Sherpa spotted a Malaysian climber struggling in the ‘death zone.’ He ended his client’s bid for the summit to rescue the climber, strapping him to his back and carrying him down 600 meters over six hours. Another guide then helped complete the rescue.
11 Unattended Valuables in Japan
Theft is so rare in Japan that people often save seats in cafes and public places by leaving wallets, purses, laptops, or phones unattended while they buy food or go to the bathroom.
12. Graffiti artist David Choe turned down a $60,000 offer to paint murals at Facebook headquarters in 2005 in favor of stock, which has since grown to be worth more than $200 million.
13. Wildlife painter John James Audubon ate all the birds he painted, including bald eagles, snowy owls, sparrows, robins, and whooping cranes.
14. Lady Gaga’s manager denied Weird Al’s approval to release a parody of one of her songs on his 2011 album without Gaga’s input. After Weird Al released the song for free on YouTube, Lady Gaga heard the parody for the first time and allowed him to release it with the album.
15. George Washington’s favorite food was hoecakes, a type of pancake made from cornbread.
16 Queen Victoria’s Matchmaking Impact
Queen Victoria of England was such an avid matchmaker that the marriages she helped arrange are credited with shaping modern Europe.
17. BBC executives decided not to air the pilot of the sitcom “Are You Being Served?” but needed filler material to broadcast when the 1972 Summer Olympics were interrupted by the Munich Massacre. The show then went on to run for 10 seasons and spawned a movie and a 2-season spinoff series.
18. In 1996, Wendy Day took Eminem’s demo to different labels but couldn’t get any of them to consider signing him because he was white. She created the Rap Olympics to showcase his talent and bring attention back to lyricism. At the event, Eminem made the contact that led to his record deal.
19. After receiving a sentence for nursing her infant while driving on the Ohio Turnpike, a woman successfully appealed her case in 2007. Her car was registered in Michigan, and the judge ruled that the state law forbidding breastfeeding while driving applied only to cars registered in Ohio.
20. In case Star Wars failed, George Lucas commissioned a low-budget sequel called “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye.”
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Creation of Pizza Rolls
A cook working for a Chinese food company created pizza rolls in the 1960s while searching for new uses for their egg roll machine. She tested several sandwich fillings, but pizza flavors performed best, leading her to say, “Pizza rolls are nothing but egg rolls with pizza crust and filling.”
22. Former U.S. First Lady Jane Pierce was extremely reluctant to move into the White House. Before her husband, Franklin Pierce, became president, she prayed every night that he would lose the presidential election. She reportedly fainted upon hearing about his nomination.
23. Due to their value as non-perishable snacks, the U.S. War Production Board ordered in 1942 to turn California’s entire wine grape crop into raisins.
24. The ILOVEYOU worm, also known as the VBS/Loveletter and Love Bug worm, was a computer worm written in VBScript. In 2000, it infected millions of computers worldwide within a few hours of its release and is considered one of the most damaging worms ever.
25. In medieval France, authorities generally outlawed personal ovens, compelling commoners to use communal ovens for a fee to bake items like bread.
