1 Man Pitches Tent, Gains Fame
In 2012, over 2,000 Koreans gathered to watch a single man pitch a 24-man army tent after he claimed on an internet forum that he could complete the task in under two hours. The event became so large that it attracted corporate sponsors. The man succeeded, taking about an hour to finish.
2. Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, owns an armada of luxury yachts valued at around $1 billion as of 2024.
3. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, an American woman grabbed Adolf Hitler’s face and forcefully kissed him while he was signing autographs. This incident enraged him, leading to the dismissal and demotion of most of his security staff for failing to stop her.
4. Kurt Gerstein, a Nazi officer, attempted to alert the world to the Holocaust by sending detailed reports to Swedish, Swiss, Dutch, and Catholic officials. Despite his efforts, these warnings proved largely ineffective. He died by suicide in 1945.
5. The Spice Girls co-wrote all their songs. When they parted ways with their original management, they allegedly stole the master recordings from the management office to ensure they retained creative control over their music.
6 Code Removal Causes Internet Chaos
In 2016, a software developer named Azer Koçulu deleted his open-source JavaScript package named Kik, which consisted of just 11 lines of code. This small package turned out to be a critical dependency for many major software projects, causing widespread internet disruptions after its removal.
7. In 2005, Joaquin Phoenix flipped his car in an accident. Werner Herzog, who happened to be nearby, told him to “just relax.” When Phoenix responded that he was fine, Herzog replied, “No, you’re not,” and stopped him from lighting a cigarette while gasoline leaked into the car cabin.
8. Tommy Cooper, a Welsh magician and comedian known for his “clumsy magician” act, suffered a massive heart attack, collapsed, and died on stage during a live broadcast. Twelve million viewers and the studio audience initially laughed, believing it was part of his act.
9. Hugh Grant got caught with a prostitute in his car because he repeatedly pressed the brake pedal with his foot, causing his brake lights to flash erratically and attract police attention.
10. David Letterman once insulted Quentin Tarantino on his show. In response, Tarantino called him, threatening to come to New York and “kill” him. Letterman countered by offering to pay for Tarantino’s flight and letting him choose the method of battle. Tarantino agreed and chose “bats.”
11 Flappy Bird: Addictive Hit Game
Released in May 2013, Flappy Bird became a sleeper hit in early 2014. By the end of January, it was the most downloaded free game on the iOS App Store, earning its developer $50,000 daily. However, he removed it, citing guilt over the game’s addictive nature and excessive use.
12. In 2015, a man named Joel Burger married Ashley King. To celebrate the union, Burger King paid for their wedding.
13. On November 29, 2001, Mike Myers received the final letter George Harrison ever wrote. A fan of satire, Harrison handwrote the letter to express his admiration for Myers’ Austin Powers movies. Myers received it on the set of Austin Powers 3 the same day Harrison passed away.
14. The oldest barrel of drinkable wine, produced in 1472, has only been tasted three times: in 1576 to celebrate an alliance, in 1716 after a fire, and in 1944 when Strasbourg was liberated during World War II.
15. Chinese eunuchs, who had both their penis and testicles removed in a single procedure, served as high-ranking civil servants. They were considered “pure,” and those castrated before the age of ten were termed “thoroughly pure.” This system, which began in 146 A.D., lasted until 1924, with the last Imperial eunuch passing away in 1996.
16 Orangutan Star’s Hollywood Downfall
Joe Martin, a captive Hollywood orangutan actor from the black-and-white era, starred in over 50 silent films and lived a life resembling that of a free human. He wore clothes, carried his own keys, attended film premieres, and even worked with children. Unfortunately, his career ended after he attacked multiple people, leading to his downfall.
17. Martha Stewart did not go to prison for insider trading. Instead, she was convicted of lying to the FBI.
18. Movies starring or produced by Will Smith or Adam Sandler generated $3.7 billion in gross revenue from 2000 to 2015. These films contributed 20% of Sony Pictures’ domestic gross and 23% of its profits during that period, making the studio heavily reliant on these two actors.
19. Despite its popularity and cult following, the movie Idiocracy grossed only $495,303 at the box office, far below its production budget of $2.4 million.
20. Switzerland abolished tipping in 1974, following a tax dispute over gratuities. Prices incorporated service charges and replaced tipping with higher wages.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Cher’s Racy Navy Music Video
The US Navy had no idea Cher would wear a racy outfit when they agreed to let her film “If I Could Turn Back Time” on the battleship Missouri. They only saw her now-iconic fishnet bodysuit once filming began, and the crew’s wild reactions in the video are completely genuine.
22. While filming Metropolis (1927), filmmakers often ended up with more children on set in the evening than they had in the morning. Children from the poorest areas of Berlin would sneak onto the set or climb fences to enjoy the warm rooms, games, toys, cocoa, cake, and regular meals.
23. The famous painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch does not depict a person screaming. Instead, it shows someone reacting to hearing a scream.
24. Chuck Jones, one of the original Looney Tunes directors, strongly disliked Space Jam. He criticized the premise that Bugs Bunny would ask for help to fight the Monstars, believing Bugs would have handled them on his own.
25. Children develop and share their own unique folklore, known as “childlore,” which includes rhymes, games, and rituals. This folklore typically fades by adolescence and often goes unnoticed by adults.
RE: Fact #24 (Looney Tunes Director Critiques Space Jam) – Seriously, it’s true. If it wasn’t a big deal to the movie, Bugs would’ve totally skipped the basketball game and spent the whole time messing with the Monstars’ heads for even *thinking* about challenging him.
Around here, we call him Big Bugs, and he was seriously not someone you wanted to mess with. He didn’t need anyone’s help to handle things. If you asked Bugs for a hand, he wouldn’t ask you for one in return.
Nah, I think he totally would’ve played along. He’d show, the ref would say they needed four more players, and Bugs would be all “Sure thing!” Then *poof*, he’d be behind the ref with a funny mustache, “Dugs Dunny” he’d say. Then *poof* again, and it’s “Mugs Munny” in cool shades. He’d keep doing that, “Hugs Hunny” and “Lola”—Bugs in lipstick.
The Monstars would complain, but the ref (who’s also Bugs, obviously) would just shrug and say, “Whatever.”
RE: Fact #40 (Johnny Depp Saves Courtney Love) – Ugh, not again! Time for CPR.
RE: Fact #25 (Children’s Unique Folklore: Childlore) – We’d make up games and stories, mostly to pull the wool over younger kids’ eyes. They’d believe anything!
It wasn’t really harmful, but it had a spooky vibe, so we felt safer in a group.
The main parts were: making up possessions, running from a ghost we never actually saw (that would send us scattering around the farm, finding new hiding places), and splitting up so someone could have a solo scare – we’d build it up so much!
I think they sometimes figured it out, but they went along with it anyway.
Good times.
Also, clouds are made of cotton candy, and airplanes sometimes use nets to catch it.
My four-year-old thinks there’s a real haunted house in town because some older kid told her. I’ve said ghosts aren’t real, but she says the kid saw it, so it must be true! I just told her it’s miles away, so no ghosts can get to us.
RE: Fact #48 (Checkmate Decides Chess Title Once) – In shogi, not resigning when you’re clearly beaten is bad form. It’s like saying your opponent’s too dumb to win.
RE: Fact #42 (Eel Reproduction Mystery Solved) – Nobody’d ever seen humpback whales mate before 2022. Then someone got a picture, only it was two males getting busy. Talk about a rollercoaster! That photographer—picture of a lifetime, right? Then BAM! It’s two guys. THE PICTURE OF A LIFETIME!
RE: Fact #28 (Texas Two-Step Bankruptcy Explained) – I just saw that on Matlock.
Just wanted to mention that.
RE: Fact #11 (Flappy Bird: Addictive Hit Game) – Remember those crazy expensive used phones, just because they had Flappy Bird? Those were the days!
RE: Fact #36 (Empress Elisabeth Assassinated Anonymously) –
Like the title says, just any random royal will do.
RE: Fact #35 (Limb Surgeons Share Common Surname) – Stay away from Dr. Killem?
RE: Fact #25 (Children’s Unique Folklore: Childlore) – Anyone remember any childhood stories?
RE: Fact #48 (Checkmate Decides Chess Title Once) – They played D4, and I’m done for.
RE: Fact #15 (Chinese Eunuchs’ Remarkable Civil Roles) – Some parents would even castrate their sons—a desperate attempt to escape poverty. Working in the Royal Palace as a eunuch meant wealth for the whole family. They’d keep the, uh, removed parts, drying and saving them to be buried with the eunuch, hoping he’d be whole again in the afterlife. Sadly, many kids died from infection or bleeding during the procedure. The survivors were left incontinent, needing diapers. Though they couldn’t have kids, they’d often adopt a relative’s son to keep the family name going.
RE: Fact #50 (‘Going Postal’ Slang Origin) – I worked Postal Service help desk support back in ’06 and ’07. First day, they made it clear: joke about “going postal,” you’re fired.
My uncle worked for the post office from the late 90s to 2003, right when they were updating things. His county decided not to replace their delivery jeeps; instead, they’d have employees use their own cars as the jeeps died. So, my uncle put two bumper stickers on his car: “Disgruntled Employee Of The Month” and “AK-47, weapon of choice of the U.S. Postal Service.” They tried everything—making him remove them, fining him, firing him—he even went to court! Because it was his personal car, the stickers were on before he used it for work, and he hadn’t agreed to any restrictions, he won! He kept his stickers, and that old jeep got fixed for way longer than they planned. He’s the reason for all those strict rules now. He thought the whole thing was hilarious.
RE: Fact #39 (Japan’s Exploitative Black Companies) – Being an American in Japan, I’ve seen a lot of shady companies taking advantage of foreigners, especially those who aren’t familiar with their rights. Many of these places, and I worked for one, make you sign totally illegal contracts because they know you don’t understand Japanese law, and some people are just desperate to be here. If you complain, they’ll usually just pay you off rather than fight it in court. Japan doesn’t have the same legal culture as the US, so it’s easier for them to get away with it.
That’s why anyone thinking of teaching English in Japan should know it’s all about the money, not the quality of teaching. They just want bodies in the classroom, and they’ll use and abuse you until you quit.
And the way Japanese bosses treat their staff is crazy! I’ve seen people in tears after a boss chewed them out. It’s usually Japanese workers, they’re less likely to do it to foreigners, but even small mistakes get you a serious scolding. American bosses would get punched if they talked to their employees like that! Sometimes, after messing up, workers have to write apology letters.
Let’s just say I’ve seen some crazy stuff.
Me too! I teach English in Tokyo, so I can still do my Kyokushin and MMA training. They’re only interested in the contracts, though.
I had my appendix out and they wanted me back at work the *very next day*! They really laid on the guilt trip when I said no – I couldn’t even stand up straight because of the pain.
I love Japan, but the work culture is brutal.
My first job here was awful. It wasn’t even teaching English, but they totally took advantage of the fact that most of us were foreign workers on visas, using every manipulative trick in the book to control us. Even though I knew my visa didn’t depend on staying with them, they really made me think I’d never find another job. I only realized I was being abused after I randomly tossed my resume online, got a job at a much better (though boring) Japanese company, and read an article about workplace abuse—it was like, a NYT article or something. It’s like seeing someone in a bad marriage—you wonder why they stay, right? That’s exactly how it felt. The abuse only stopped after my husband and I got married and I got my three-year visa; they suddenly lost their control over me.
RE: Fact #26 (First Alleged Space Crime Disproved) – I picture robot cops arresting people for space crimes.
I picture the Men in Black.
RE: Fact #23 (The Scream Depicts Hearing Scream) – After checking out the Munch Museum in Oslo, I’d say *The Scream* isn’t even one of his ten best.
RE: Fact #39 (Japan’s Exploitative Black Companies) – Quitting your job in Japan is seriously tough – it’s seen as super disrespectful. People often work for the same company their whole lives!
It’s a real problem.
Lots of Japanese workers pay for help quitting; it’s like the cost of a nice dinner for peace of mind.
Crazy, right? A whole industry popped up because workplaces are *that* bad.
Some people even had their resignation letters ripped up THREE TIMES! They even bowed and begged to quit, and still got nothing.
I thought *my* old job was bad!
Some people are forced to do over 100, or even 200 hours of overtime each month!
Wow.
RE: Fact #2 (Valve’s Gabe Newell’s Yacht Armada) – He’s got a bunch of yachts, not warships. Or if you want to be fancy, a flotilla.
RE: Fact #19 (Idiocracy’s Disappointing Box Office Run) – My buddy and I snuck into a theater after seeing *The Illusionist*. Only a handful of other people were there. Right before the movie started, the lights came on – turns out, none of us had tickets. We all just kind of looked at each other, shrugged, and left.
RE: Fact #20 (Switzerland Ends Tipping Practice) – In Japan, tipping just isn’t a thing. If you try, they’ll probably give it right back, thinking you made a mistake. It’s just not part of their culture; they expect everyone to do a good job.
In the US, though, tipping’s all messed up. Because there’s this unspoken minimum tip, it’s not really a reward for good service anymore—it’s more like a hidden extra charge, a way to get away with paying low wages.
RE: Fact #45 (Daryl Hannah’s Autism Journey) – That diagnosis was pretty rare back then, even a decade later. I wonder what the whole story is.
Back then, they just put people away. It was rough, but times were tough all around. No special school programs, no early help, and almost nobody knew about it.
Especially for women and girls.
RE: Fact #16 (Orangutan Star’s Hollywood Downfall) – They should totally make a movie about this guy.
RE: Fact #20 (Switzerland Ends Tipping Practice) – It’s just fair, right? Servers deserve a good wage, not just tips.
RE: Fact #42 (Eel Reproduction Mystery Solved) – They hadn’t actually *seen* it happen before 2022, so no solid proof. Why? Tracking eels to the Sargasso Sea is a real pain. Ever tried catching one? They’re slippery little buggers, and they’ll wrap themselves around your arm to get away! The whole eel story is pretty amazing, though. Check out this Radiolab episode about it.
RE: Fact #23 (The Scream Depicts Hearing Scream) – Seemed like a little kid home alone, splashing on some aftershave.
RE: Fact #13 (George Harrison’s Final Letter to Myers) – For a sec, I thought his gushing letter was sarcastic.
RE: Fact #33 (Marathon Winner’s Public Toilet Break) – I saw a funny clip the other day – some Aussie runner told the cameraman to stop filming her butt ’cause she’d had an accident! Happens more often to top runners than you’d think.
Edit: Turns out it was Taylor Knibb, the American triathlete. Big respect to her.
RE: Fact #50 (‘Going Postal’ Slang Origin) – I worked for the US Postal Service briefly. Any postal employee using the term “going postal” or any variation, even as a joke, results in being immediately fired by the USPS.