26 Cowardly Captains Executed in 1702
In 1702, a British admiral launched an attack on a French naval squadron, but some of his captains refused to assist, allowing the French to escape. The French admiral later wrote to his British counterpart, recommending that he execute the cowardly captains. The British admiral took the advice and ordered two of them to be shot.
27. Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA’s founder, had dyslexia and chose to name products with Swedish words instead of using numerical codes. This made the products easier for him to remember and became a signature element of the brand.
28. In a 1986 Saturday Night Live skit, William Shatner famously told Star Trek fans to “get a life.” In the sketch, he humorously criticized obsessed fanboys, saying, “It’s just a TV show!” The segment reflected Shatner’s genuine feelings, as he had been relentlessly pestered by Trekkies since the 1960s.
29. Ancient Egyptian art depicts Set, the god of chaos, with the head of an animal that resembles no known species. This mysterious creature, known as the “Set animal,” is consistently rendered in Egyptian art and is sometimes shown sitting or standing in full animal form.
30. In 1599, Beatrice Cenci and her siblings killed their wealthy father, who had been sexually and physically abusing them. Although the people of Rome overwhelmingly supported Beatrice, she and her siblings faced a brutal public execution. Her 12-year-old brother was forced to watch and was later sentenced to serve in the galleys.
31 Controversial Goldfish Blender Exhibit
An artist once displayed 10 goldfish in individual blenders at a Danish museum and allowed visitors to turn on the machines. Some chose to do so.
32. In the 1960s, Australian athlete Reg Spiers mailed himself home from London to Australia in a wooden crate to make it back for his daughter’s birthday. During the journey, he endured delays, extreme heat, and even found himself flipped upside down in Bombay. Once in Perth, he broke out of a storage shed, hitched a ride, and finally made it home.
33. The sheitel is a wig worn by Orthodox Jewish women to adhere to the belief that married women should cover their hair. Some women exploit a loophole by wearing a sheitel, effectively placing more hair on top of their natural hair while maintaining religious observance.
34. Paul Bettany, husband of Jennifer Connelly, had a childhood crush on her. Motivated by the events of 9/11, he spent two days trying to reach her. Despite not being in a relationship at the time, he proposed once they connected.
35. The “Pubic Wars” was a rivalry between Playboy and Penthouse magazines during the 1960s and 1970s, as they competed to show more pubic hair on their models without facing obscenity charges. The “war” ended when Hustler magazine entered the scene, immediately publishing more explicit photographs.
36 Adam Sandler’s Only Oscar Nomination
Click (2006) is the only Adam Sandler movie ever nominated for an Oscar, earning a nod for Best Makeup.
37. In extremely impoverished areas, such as the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, residents often resort to using “flying toilets”-plastic bags used as makeshift toilets, which are then thrown as far away as possible.
38. Warren Buffett loves Coca-Cola so much that he drinks about five cans a day. As a major shareholder (as of March 2025), he once joked that Coke makes up a quarter of his body.
39. Rats prefer silence over music by Beethoven or Miles Davis-unless they’re on drugs. Under the influence, they show a preference for jazz.
40. No woman has ever broken the 4-minute mile. The current record holder (March 2025), Faith Kipyegon, holds the best time at 4:07.64.
41 Falkland Islands Referendum Result
In 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum asking citizens whether they supported continuing as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. Out of 1,516 voters, only three voted “no.”
42. In 1945, after being forced to watch a film about the Holocaust, 1,000 German POWs at Camp Butner burned their German uniforms in disgust.
43. Thomas Derrick was one of 24 sailors sentenced to death after sacking a city. However, the Earl of Essex spared his life on the condition that he execute his comrades. Derrick later became a professional executioner, ultimately killing over 3,000 men-including the Earl of Essex himself later in his life.
44. Before marrying Mao Zedong, Jiang Qing worked as an actress in 1930s Chinese cinema. Her co-star, actress Li Lili, often upstaged her. Decades later, during the Cultural Revolution, Jiang ordered the arrest and torture of Li and her husband. Li survived, but her husband did not.
45. Carl Weathers secured the role of Apollo Creed after reading scenes with Rocky writer Sylvester Stallone. He ended his audition by saying, “I could do a lot better if you got me a real actor to work with.”
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Pompeii Escapees Rebuilt Nearby
Horses, ships, and gold are notably absent in the ash of Pompeii and Herculaneum, suggesting that many residents managed to escape the Mt. Vesuvius eruption. Analysis of Roman inscriptions in nearby towns revealed that survivors simply rebuilt their lives in places like Ostia.
47. The photo prank of placing two fingers behind someone’s head originally began as an insult. Known as the “Cuckold’s Horns,” it was intended to suggest that a person’s partner had been unfaithful.
48. Human body temperature has declined over the past century, though the exact reasons remain under study.
49. In Louisiana, sheriffs not only enforce the law but also collect taxes. They hold so much power that when Sheriff Harry Lee dropped out of the 1995 gubernatorial race, he remarked, “Why would I want to be governor when I can be king?”
50. In 18th-century France, the average worker spent half of their daily wage on bread.
RE: Fact #2 (Stalin’s Death and Delay) – His staff put off helping him because he’d told them not to bother him the night before, and they were scared of his reaction if he found out they hadn’t gotten him help sooner. Working for that guy was a nightmare.
RE: Fact #2 (Stalin’s Death and Delay) – Oleg Khlevniuk really nailed it. Stalin built a system where he was the ultimate boss, always checking up on everything his people did. The funny thing is, when Stalin was on his deathbed, his followers were totally lost—they couldn’t decide anything without him.
RE: Fact #25 (American IQ Decline Study) – Verbal reasoning, matrix reasoning, and number sequencing all went down.
Smartphones have autocorrect and calculators built-in.
So it figures those skills aren’t as sharp as they used to be, since we don’t really need them as much anymore.
Spatial reasoning actually got better, which is weird.
RE: Fact #29 (Egypt’s Mysterious Set Animal) – I dig the way Tutenstein looks. He’s like some weird, creepy monster, but with that ancient Egyptian vibe.
RE: Fact #18 (Selling Blood Plasma for Income) – I did that for ages – twice a week, fifteen bucks the first time, twenty-five the second. They get you coming back with that bigger payment. I’ve still got a scar from the huge needle. It helped me out when I was strapped for cash.
RE: Fact #48 (Declining Human Body Temperature) – I think I read somewhere that people’s average body temperature drops as they get older. So, if people are living longer, the average temperature would go down.
RE: Fact #15 (South Korean Footballer’s Backlash) – Perugia went belly up in 2005, and Gaucci ran off to the Dominican Republic to dodge questions. He laid low for four years before getting a three-year suspended sentence. He passed away in 2020. Ahn’s a TV star in Korea and a Save the Children ambassador.
RE: Fact #19 (Van Gogh’s Art School Exit) – The story gets even funnier: Van Gogh had to draw the Venus de Milo in class, but instead drew a naked, legless Flemish peasant woman. His teacher, Siberdt, didn’t like it and rubbed out Van Gogh’s drawing so hard he ripped the paper! Van Gogh went nuts and yelled, “You don’t know anything about women! Women have hips, butts, and a pelvis to carry a baby!”
RE: Fact #4 (Gorillas’ Constant Gas Problem) – So, I just found out some crazy stuff: fish are always peeing, birds don’t fart, but gorillas? They fart all the time!
RE: Fact #2 (Stalin’s Death and Delay) – The Death of Stalin movie really nails this whole thing – it’s awesome if you haven’t seen it.
RE: Fact #47 (Cuckold’s Horns Photo Prank) – Wait, those aren’t bunny ears? My whole life’s been a lie!