26 First Alleged Space Crime Disproved
In 2019, after her estranged wife accused her of accessing her bank account from space, astronaut Anne McClain became the first person under investigation for a “space crime”. Investigators later found the allegations false, and her ex-wife faced charges for making false statements.
27. After the release of the 2017 movie “It,” there was a noticeable increase in coulrophilia-attraction to clowns-particularly among women. Vice interviewed Sugar Weasel, a clown escort, who revealed that women made up most of the clientele and that props played a significant role in the scene.
28. The “Texas two-step” bankruptcy is a legal strategy where a parent company creates a new company to offload liabilities. The new company then declares bankruptcy to avoid litigation. Johnson & Johnson used this strategy to handle lawsuits related to asbestos in talc powder.
29. After Fred Rogers passed away, his wife revealed that he had a playful, raunchy sense of humor. During dull events, he would look at her, secretly lift a butt cheek to signal he was farting, and smile to lighten the mood.
30. Botulf Botulfsson was the only person executed for heresy in Sweden. In 1311, he denied that the Eucharist was the body of Christ, telling a priest, “If the bread were truly the body of Christ, you would have eaten it all yourself a long time ago.” He was burned at the stake for his statement.
31 Capsaicin Tape Deters Rodents
Car manufacturers sell “spicy tape,” a capsaicin-coated wiring tape, to prevent rodents from chewing on wires.
32. Augustus Pugin, the designer of Big Ben in London, went insane a few months after completing the clock’s design. He handed it over to the project leader, who never credited him for his work.
33. During the 2005 London Marathon, Paula Radcliffe desperately needed a toilet break. She stopped by the roadside in full view of the crowd and live TV cameras to defecate but still won the race with a time of 2:17:42. This was the fastest time for a women-only marathon by over a minute at that time.
34. In 2000, a hijacker named Reginald Chua seized Philippine Airlines Flight 812, robbing passengers before attempting to escape with a homemade parachute. Struggling to jump, he required a flight attendant to push him out. Tragically, his parachute failed, resulting in his death, while all other passengers emerged unharmed.
35. Researchers studying nominative determinism discovered that orthopedic surgeons are more likely to have the surname “Limb” than expected by chance. Limb, Limb, Limb & Limb authored the paper in 2015.
36 Empress Elisabeth Assassinated Anonymously
An anarchist assassinated Empress Elisabeth of Austria, intending to kill any random royal he could find. Traveling under a fake name without security to avoid processions, Elisabeth’s location became known after a local newspaper leaked her whereabouts.
37. The 1997 film Trojan War had a $15 million budget but earned only $309 at the box office because it played in just two theaters before being pulled.
38. In the 1980s, a panic emerged over reports of 1.5 million children being abducted annually in the U.S. However, this figure was later revealed to be the result of poor record-keeping.
39. Many “black companies” in Japan are well-known for their exploitative practices, which include unpaid overtime, verbal abuse, harassment, forcing employees to work on weekends and holidays, and even threatening to discredit them at future workplaces to prevent resignations.
40. In 1995, Johnny Depp saved Courtney Love’s life outside The Viper Room in Los Angeles after she overdosed. Before paramedics arrived, Depp performed CPR, reviving Love before rushing her to the hospital.
41 Stegosaurus Skeleton Fetches Millions
The most expensive fossil ever sold at auction is a mostly complete Stegosaurus skeleton, known as Apex, which fetched $44.6 million. Billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin purchased it. Apex is the largest and most complete known Stegosaurus skeleton, with 254 of its approximately 319 bones preserved.
42. Until 2022, scientists didn’t know how eels reproduced. Recently, scientists discovered that eels only develop their sexual organs when they migrate and reach their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea, located in the central Atlantic Ocean near America’s East Coast.
43. The liquid ban on planes wasn’t a result of 9/11 but stemmed from a 2006 terror plot foiled by British MI5. The plan involved liquid explosives disguised as soft drinks.
44. Pedro Filho, a vigilante serial killer, served as the inspiration for Dexter Morgan, the protagonist in the books and television series Dexter. He targeted and killed other criminals, including 47 individuals murdered within the prisons where he was incarcerated.
45. As a child, doctors diagnosed Daryl Hannah, the actress known for her roles in Splash and Kill Bill, with autism. Despite doctors recommending institutionalization, her mother chose to move to Jamaica, providing a supportive and calming environment instead.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Hawking’s Trademark American Accent
Stephen Hawking’s speech-generating device used a default American accent, which he preferred over a British one. Even when offered modernized voices, he kept it, calling it his “trademark” and joking that it made him sound more authoritative.
47. King Baldwin IV, despite suffering from leprosy, became one of the most effective leaders and warriors of the Crusades. He successfully checked Saladin’s forces multiple times before dying at the age of 24.
48. Since the World Chess Championship began in 1886, the title has been decided by a checkmate only once, which occurred in 1929.
49. In the Tintin comic strips, Tintin consistently moves left to right, while his opponents move right to left. The creators had to redraw the adventure “Cigars of the Pharaoh” after realizing this rule had been unintentionally broken.
50. Between 1970 and 1997, so many postal workers in the United States committed violent attacks on coworkers that the slang term “going postal” emerged to describe extreme workplace rage.
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.”
Ever think Bugs Bunny was cute in that dress?
The toons won mainly because of that “Michael’s Secret Stuff” thing. Bugs tricked his teammates—they were so gullible, they actually believed the stuff made them better at basketball. It was all a plan to help them chill out and focus. Plus, it made the aliens’ loss even worse! So yeah, I think calling the movie “Bugs psychologically tortures a bunch of aliens” is pretty accurate, even if it’s not obvious right away.
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.
I’ll never forget my first day at GEOS. The owner spent a half hour on a video call just yelling at forty-plus managers—they just sat there and took it.
Finding a country that *doesn’t* have worker exploitation problems is tough, even in places known for strong worker protections like Germany.
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.
My company’s got an office in Asia, and when we hire people there, they really like the idea of a 40-hour work week, weekends off, and getting paid for extra hours. Sure, they might have to stay up late for US meetings sometimes, but it’s still better than working under the local companies.
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.
Early intervention is a really big deal. It’s heartbreaking to think how many autistic people were isolated and struggled to communicate, when simple things like speech therapy could have made all the difference.
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.
RE: Fact #38 (Child Abduction Panic Debunked) – There was a big panic about daycare and preschool abuse and satanic rituals, but it was all false.
RE: Fact #24 (Looney Tunes Director Critiques Space Jam) – Chuck Jones was right about Bugs Bunny. That’s the whole deal: Bugs keeps to himself unless you mess with him—then he’ll totally wreck you. All on his own.
RE: Fact #25 (Children’s Unique Folklore: Childlore) – There’s this sad article from the 90s about homeless kids in Miami who made up their own religion, kinda like folklore. Their myths were all about everyday stuff – like how abandoned fridges were gateways to hell because they’re so dangerous.
RE: Fact #10 (Letterman Challenges Tarantino to Duel) – Tarantino acts tough, like the guys in his movies, but he’s really just a big film geek.
RE: Fact #1 (Man Pitches Tent, Gains Fame) – Setting up those tents was a nightmare—so many people, so many different ideas on how to do it!
RE: Fact #29 (Fred Rogers’ Hidden Playful Humor) – Back in ’84, I was on Nantucket, waiting in line for a sandwich at this place called Something Natural, right? This older guy in front of me drops a quarter. I picked it up to give it back, but then I realized it was Mr. Rogers! I fumbled it, dropped it again. He just laughed and said, “Looks like we’ve both got the clumsy hands today!” What a great guy.
Whoa, you actually met that guy in Nantucket? Tell me more!
RE: Fact #13 (George Harrison’s Final Letter to Myers) – He also put up some money for Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
RE: Fact #7 (Werner Herzog Saves Joaquin Phoenix) – Hearing Werner Herzog’s voice after a car wreck? I’d have thought I’d kicked the bucket and was chatting with the Almighty.
RE: Fact #8 (Comedian Dies On Live TV) – I once read this story about a London cabbie who gave Tommy Cooper a lift. Tommy handed him a tea bag and said, “Here, have a drink on me!”
RE: Fact #49 (Tintin Comics Break Directional Rule) – As a kid, I devoured Tintin comics, and I’m not convinced that rule’s set in stone. It was probably more of a guideline back then, not something they stuck to all the time because it was just too hard. I looked around online and found lots of examples proving the opposite. There are pages in *The Blue Lotus*, *Tintin in America*, *The Black Island*, and *The Secret of the Unicorn* showing Tintin moving right-to-left while doing things like ambushing his enemies and generally being on top of things. The idea that right-to-left movement always means he’s losing is just wrong – in some of those examples he’s winning! And sometimes it’s just the easiest way to move the story along. I bet there are tons more examples if you really dug into the whole series.