1Charles Domery
Charles Domery was an 18th-century soldier known for his immense appetite. During his service, he ate dozens of live cats, pounds of raw meat and grass, and once tried to eat a companion's severed leg before it was wrestled from him.
2. A conservative think tank compiled a list of 700 scientists who publicly rejected evolution in favor of creationism. In response, the NCSE launched “Project Steve” and found 1,250 scientists named Steve who supported evolution.
3. Pedro Lascuráin (34th president of Mexico) holds the record for the shortest presidency in the world. He was in office for only 45 minutes and then quit.
4. David Johnson a.k.a “World Famous Bushman” is a busker who scares passers-by along Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. He has been active since 1980. When people approach, he shakes the bush towards the unsuspecting tourists and startles them, sometimes making gruff “oogah-boogah” noises.
5. In 1848, Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman, had a tamping iron--which was 43 inches long and weighed 13 pounds--shoot through his skull. He survived but Gage’s friends later remarked he was “no longer Gage.” He could not stick to plans, uttered “the grossest profanity” and showed “little deference for his fellows.”
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6Ann Hodges
There has only been only one confirmed case of a person being hit by a meteor. Ann Hodges was napping on the couch when the rock broke through her ceiling, bounced off her radio and bruised her upper thigh. The Sylacauga meteorite fell on her on November 30, 1954.
7. Hoover was a "talking" harbor seal who mimicked human speech. After being orphaned as a pup, Hoover was rescued by George Swallow, who raised the seal in his backyard. Over time, Hoover taught himself phrases like "Hello there" and "Come over here!" in a thick New England accent.
8. In one of the only confirmed cases of homicidal sleepwalking, a man drove himself to his in-laws, bludgeoned the woman and strangled the man and drove off while asleep. He turned himself over to the police and was eventually acquitted of murder.
9. The Jumping Frenchmen of Maine were a group of lumberjacks in the 19th century who suffered a rare disorder which caused them to startle extremely easily, often described as an “uncontrollable leap.” Some affected individuals exhibited automatic or “forced” obedience after a startle response during which they automatically respond to simple commands such as jump, run or hit.
10. A boy named David Hahn at the age of 17 attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his backyard, which at one point was emitting over 1000 times normal background radiation.
11Trimethylaminuria
There is a rare human condition called Trimethylaminuria, also known as Fish Odor Syndrome, that causes a person's sweat, urine, and breath to smell like rotting fish. It is caused by a defect in the production of a particular enzyme.
12. Approximately 7000 years ago, humans used to drill holes in their heads to allow spirits to flow in and out of the body. This practice is called 'Trepanation.'
13. There is a rare mental disease called the "Rapunzel Syndrome" named after long-haired Rapunzel from the Grimm's fairy tales. The disorder causes a patient to develop an irresistible urge to pull out their own hair, and sometimes eat it.
14. Mannanafnanefnd is a committee in Iceland that determines whether a name is suitable for integration into the Icelandic language. New names are considered based on compatibility with Icelandic tradition and the likelihood that it might cause the bearer embarrassment.
15. In 1888, a scientist named Gerard Smets found a fossil fragment which he determined was a dinosaur, "Aachenosaurus". When it was proved that the fossil was in fact petrified wood, he withdrew from science completely from pure embarrassment.
16Mumbai "sweet" seawater incident
The 2006 Mumbai "sweet" seawater incident was a strange phenomenon during which residents of Mumbai claimed that the water at Mahim Creek had suddenly turned sweet. Within hours, residents of Gujarat claimed that seawater at Teethal beach had turned sweet as well. This caused mass hysteria among people who started coming in large numbers to drink the seawater.
17. The man with the longest personal name ever used is Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff, Sr. That's only the abbreviation for it; in total his surname is made up of 26 other names and contains 666 letters.
18. The Pauli effect is a term referring to the supposed tendency of technical equipment to encounter critical failure in the presence of certain people. The term was coined after mysterious anecdotal stories involving Austrian theoretical physicist Wolfgang Pauli, describing numerous instances in which demonstrations involving equipment suffered technical problems only when he was present. According to the principal, a functioning device and Wolfgang Pauli may not occupy the same room.
19. Praise-God Barebone (1598-1679) was a radical English Puritan preacher and member of Oliver Cromwell's parliament. He gave his son Nicholas Barebone (or Barbon) the legendary middle name, “If-Jesus-Christ-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned.”
20. There is an Indian politician named "Adolf Lu Hitler Marak". Asked about his name, he said, "Maybe my parents liked the name and hence christened me Hitler... I am happy with my name, although I don't have any dictatorial tendencies."
21English surname
The man often falsely cited as having the longest English surname on record, "Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache de Orellana Plantagenet Tollemache-Tollemache", has a brother whose first 15 initials spell "LYONEL THE SECOND."
22. There is a series of organic molecules called NanoPutians whose structural formulae resemble human form.
23. Medical students’ disease (also known as second year syndrome or intern's syndrome) is a condition frequently reported in medical students, who perceive themselves to be experiencing the symptoms of a disease that they are studying.
24. There was a procedure developed in the 1960s that restored vision to those that were blinded, but a critical step involved pulling a healthy tooth from the patient. It's called osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis.
25. The larvae of the Epomis genus are notable for being obligate role reversal predators. Amphibians such as frogs are normal predators of beetles, however, Epomis larvae feed exclusively on frogs and other would-be predators.