1 HBO Rejected Breaking Bad Pitch
Vince Gilligan called his pitch meeting with HBO for Breaking Bad the worst meeting of his life. The executive he pitched to could not have been less interested, “Not even in my story, but about whether I actually lived or died.” In the following weeks, HBO didn’t even bother to offer a courtesy “no.”
2. Weird Al Yankovic doesn’t legally need permission to parody a song under U.S. copyright law. However, he always asks as a personal rule to maintain good relationships with artists.
3. People said Frederick the Great felt physical disgust toward women. At one dinner party, he stunned guests with an offensive rant about “ghastly women you could smell ten miles away.” When he finally saw his wife after six years, he simply remarked, “Madame has become more stout,” and walked away.
4. As of March 2024, manufacturers in Japan sell more adult diapers than baby diapers—largely due to the country’s rapidly aging population.
5. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz each negotiated an upfront $10 million payment for voicing Shrek 2. In comparison, they earned only $350,000 apiece for the original film. Additionally, producers expected each actor to work just 15 to 18 hours total on the sequel.
6 Toilet Sitting Increases Hemorrhoid Risk
Spending too long sitting on the toilet—even without straining—significantly raises the risk of developing hemorrhoids.
7. British mathematician Alan Turing often displayed eccentric habits. Every June, he wore a gas mask while cycling to work to shield himself from pollen. Though his bike chain regularly slipped, he didn’t fix it; instead, he counted pedal rotations and stopped just in time to adjust it manually.
8. 18th-century German composer Daniel Steibelt once challenged Beethoven to a piano duel and tried to cheat by giving him a cello-and-piano score instead of a solo piano piece. Undeterred, Beethoven flipped the sheet music upside down, played it, and then improvised on the inversed themes for thirty minutes.
9. Height-lengthening surgeries now exist—growing popular mainly among men—they endure bone-breaking procedures, months of pain, and intense rehabilitation just to gain a few extra inches in height.
10. James Cameron has directed the most expensive movie ever made not once, but five separate times (as of April 2025).
11 Outlet Stores Sell Lower Quality
Most outlet stores don’t sell overstock from regular retail locations—instead, they offer cheaper, lower-quality versions made specifically for outlets. Moreover, the “compare at” prices and massive discounts are often deceptive. You think you’re getting a deal, but the product is entirely different.
12. In 1975, McDonald’s opened its first drive-thru to serve soldiers stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. At the time, military regulations prohibited soldiers from leaving their vehicles while in uniform when off-post.
13. In 1978, U.S. House of Representative Leo Ryan traveled to Guyana to investigate reports that Jim Jones was holding people against their will at the Peoples Temple Jonestown settlement. As Ryan and his team attempted to leave, they were shot and killed.
14. A measles infection causes “immune amnesia,” which makes the immune system forget how to fight off previously known pathogens—effectively erasing immunity gained from earlier infections or vaccinations.
15. Bruce Springsteen’s hit song Born in the U.S.A. is widely misunderstood; rather than patriotic, it sharply criticizes the U.S. government’s treatment of Vietnam War veterans.
16 Stork’s Annual Journey for Love
From 2001 to 2021, a stork named Klepetan flew annually from South Africa to Croatia to reunite with his mate, Malena, who couldn’t fly due to a gunshot injury. Each year, Klepetan built her nests, hunted for food, and raised their chicks. Malena passed away in 2021 due to old age.
17. At just 18, German composer J.S. Bach taught unruly older students and frequently clashed with them. After calling one a “nanny goat bassoonist,” the student retaliated by calling him a “dirty dog” and striking him with a stick. Bach drew his sword and pierced the student’s jacket, stopping only when bystanders intervened.
18. In 2022, a German-Iraqi woman named Sharaban K searched Instagram for women who resembled her. She eventually lured Khadidja O, a woman of Algerian origin, with a fake beauty treatment offer at her salon. Sharaban then murdered her in a shocking attempt to fake her own death. However, authorities quickly arrested her after spotting her casually eating pizza at a nearby pizzeria with her co-conspirator.
19. Walburga Oesterreich, a 19th-century American housewife married to wealthy textile manufacturer Fred William Oesterreich, gained infamy for secretly hiding her lover in the attic for over a decade. Eventually, the hidden man emerged—only to murder her husband.
20. Most airplanes are painted white because it reflects sunlight, keeps the aircraft cooler, and reduces the need for air conditioning—ultimately saving fuel.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Illusory Truth Effect Explained
The more often you hear a lie, the more likely you are to believe it—a phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect. Psychologists first documented it in 1977. Essentially, when something is repeated enough, your brain starts thinking, “Yeah, that sounds right.”
22. During a New York City parade celebrating Jesse Owens’ four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics, an anonymous fan handed him a paper bag filled with $10,000 in cash.
23. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law ranks as the third most expensive television show ever produced (as of April 2025).
24. General James Wilkinson, a high-ranking U.S. officer during both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, was later exposed as a Spanish spy. Historians uncovered the evidence in Spain years after his death—leading Theodore Roosevelt to declare, “In all our history, there is no more despicable character.”
25. Michael Böllner, the German actor who played Augustus Gloop in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, later became a tax accountant. He had no idea how beloved the film was in America until fans invited him to a convention decades later.
RE: Fact #23 (She-Hulk Among Priciest TV Shows) – Severance season 2 cost a whole lot more per episode than even Game of Thrones, even if you factor in inflation! I’m a huge Severance fan, but it doesn’t exactly scream “expensive show,” right? Except for a few famous faces, it could easily pass for a really good indie film.
On the other hand, GoT had a massive cast for eight seasons, with rising salaries, huge sets, massive battles, worldwide locations, and crazy special effects. So, is Severance some kind of money laundering scheme? 😅
RE: Fact #17 (Young Bach’s Violent Student Clash) – Bach also did a month in jail later on because he kept bugging his boss to quit for a better job, and finally lost it after a gig and got arrested.
RE: Fact #8 (Beethoven Outsmarts Piano Duel Opponent) – That’s the only reason I ever heard of Daniel Steibelt—for daring to challenge the GOAT and getting totally crushed.
RE: Fact #26 (Wendy Williams Under Guardianship) – She says she doesn’t fit in on that memory care ward, just like my mom, who’s got early-onset dementia. Mom thinks she works there half the time, and that they won’t let her leave.
Being a fraud investigator is tough. I’ve looked into a few cases where elderly people in home care accused their caregivers of holding them against their will. It’s awful. I have to do my job, but the kids are in a bad spot, and the caregivers are just doing their jobs. I always start by apologizing, and they’re usually really understanding and grateful. Most of the time, actual financial abuse is pretty obvious once you dig into it—it’s usually just the elderly person who’s confused. It’s a sad situation.
She wasn’t supposed to be on that ward initially, but shortly after she arrived, they found her drunk at the rooftop bar. Given she’s an alcoholic and drinking makes her health worse, they moved her to a secure area.
Honestly, I don’t feel sorry for her. Her whole career was built on trash-talking people and acting superior. Plus, she was a total freak who openly boasted about having sex with a guy while her son was in the room. The world’s better off without her.
I can’t stand her, but I feel awful for anyone with memory problems. It must be hell. Imagine spending your last years constantly confused and terrified.
A rooftop bar in the memory care unit?!
My father-in-law thought he worked accounting at the casino. They gave him a free room and food. He’d get super stressed if we took him out; he always worried about being late.
Getting older scares me. Sometimes, right as I’m waking up, I get this crazy urge to do something work-related—like fix an alarm or something—and it feels totally real. I wake up stressed about work! What if that happens all the time when I’m really old?
RE: Fact #8 (Beethoven Outsmarts Piano Duel Opponent) – It gets even better. Beethoven crashed some fancy party where Steibelt was playing one of his tunes, and Beethoven totally lost it and walked out. Next party, Beethoven lets Steibelt play, then, before the applause even died down, grabs Steibelt’s cello part, flips it over, plays the first four notes, and then just *improvises* for like, forty minutes! Steibelt bailed, leaving Vienna and probably the whole region. Those first four notes? He used them at the start of the Scherzo in his 3rd symphony. Seriously, Beethoven totally owned this guy—so much he left the country! And then Beethoven rubbed it in by using that same riff in one of his big pieces. Beethoven was awesome.
Edit: Whoops, I meant the fourth movement. Yeah, it’s kinda like that Kendrick/Drake beef. And, okay, Beethoven was a bit of a jerk—no luck with love, family drama, the whole nine yards. But still, he was the deaf composer who changed music forever. You can’t top that.
RE: Fact #45 (Rubies and Sapphires: Same Mineral) – Amethyst is just purple quartz.
RE: Fact #4 (Japan’s Adult Diaper Dominance) – Boxers or briefs? It depends.
That’s a tough one. It really varies.
RE: Fact #23 (She-Hulk Among Priciest TV Shows) – Wow, Severance season 2 was the seventh most expensive TV show ever? Seriously, how much did that marching band set them back?
Me too! I’m stoked Apple TV’s behind it so much—seriously one of the best shows ever, in my opinion. Right up there with *The Knick*.
Apple TV’s got some seriously awesome shows. Severance and Silo are both fantastic, though they’re kinda similar thematically.
Some Apple exec’s a big sci-fi fan, and I’d gladly give ’em a rusty trombone.
RE: Fact #49 (Eiffel Tower Beats Bizarre Proposals) – Imagine a 300-meter-high guillotine, a permanent Paris landmark – what a great way to show off to any wannabe dictator!
They only planned for the Eiffel Tower to be a temporary thing, just for that World’s Fair.
It was officially allowed to stay up for twenty years, from 1889 to 1909. Then, when Paris got it back in 1909, they kept it because it was great for radio stuff.
RE: Fact #19 (Lover Hid in Attic for Years) – Wow, that’s some seriously sloppy police work. Husband’s dead, they can’t explain how the wife ended up locked in a closet, and they missed the guy in the attic!
RE: Fact #32 (Ving Rhames’ High Pay for Seconds) – He’s got the goods now! Talk about the life, getting paid in fancy briefcases 🤣
Wow, he’s the Arby’s guy? I never made that connection!
RE: Fact #43 (Miranda Rights Namesake’s Tragic End) – I remember my social studies teacher in high school talking about this case. He said that guy was definitely a criminal who deserved prison, but the case was important because…
So, we’re assuming everyone knows they don’t have to talk to the police, and they don’t always have to be read their rights unless it’s a formal interview. Basically, what you say can be used against you, even if they don’t warn you about that.
Lots of folks get ticked off that criminals have rights.
Not criminals, just people accused of crimes. Even after a conviction, they still have rights.
Everyone in America has rights, regardless of their status.
RE: Fact #37 (Easter Date Calculation Disputes) – It’s more about the calendar difference, Julian versus Gregorian, than the algorithm itself.
The West switched to the Gregorian calendar in the 1500s, but arguments about when to celebrate Easter are super old—going back to the 2nd century! Asian churches celebrated it on the 14th of Nisan (Jewish calendar), no matter the day of the week. Roman churches always celebrated it on a Sunday. Around 155 AD, bishops Polycarp and Anicetus argued about it, but they made up. Asian churches said their tradition came from John, while Roman churches said theirs came from Peter and Paul. The argument popped up again later, with a bishop from Rome trying to force everyone to celebrate on a Sunday. Then, in 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea decided everyone should celebrate Easter on the same day, and not base it on the Jewish calendar. They didn’t figure out how to *calculate* the date, though—that was left to the Pope. Later, even after the British adopted a common system, the Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Many Orthodox Churches switched to a new calendar in the 20th century, but some still use the old one. Pope Francis is trying to get Catholics and Orthodox to agree on a single date for Easter.
RE: Fact #10 (James Cameron’s Costly Film Streak) – Terminator 2, True Lies, Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar 2—each one was the most expensive movie ever, when it came out.
T2 cost $100 million and made $520 million. True Lies cost $110 million and made $378 million. Titanic cost $200 million and grossed $2.2 billion. Avatar 1 cost $237 million and made $2.9 billion. Avatar 2 cost $400 million and made $2.3 billion.
That Cameron guy’s probably raking it in.
RE: Fact #11 (Outlet Stores Sell Lower Quality) – Hey, I spent way too long in retail consulting, so I get this. Remember when outlets first started? They were basically dumping grounds for stuff the brands couldn’t move – like those hideous mustard-colored Polo shorts they couldn’t sell in May, or Banana Republic dress shirts with square buttons. Skinny jeans out of style? Not at the outlets!
Back then, outlets were great for cheap, decent stuff – maybe stuff you’d only wear on weekends. But it was still the same quality as the stuff in the regular stores.
Now? It’s different. Outlets are a brand in themselves. Much cheaper, but also much lower quality. So if you shop there, know what you’re looking at – you gotta be careful.
Totally. Used to be, outlets had stuff with little flaws—a dropped stitch, a missing belt loop, that sort of thing. We had to really look for them. Or it was just old stock. Now? They just straight-up lie. I don’t bother with outlets anymore.
RE: Fact #39 (Texaco’s Illegal Oil Sales) – These big oil companies—Shell, Exxon, BP, Chevron—have all done some seriously shady stuff. Shell backed South Africa during apartheid, Exxon messed up big time with the Valdez spill, BP wrecked the Gulf, and Chevron’s been buying influence to get more offshore drilling. It’s a mess, and you can’t avoid them all.
RE: Fact #18 (Instagram Doppelgänger Murder Plot) – She was found guilty. The Ingolstadt regional court’s press officer, Thomas Schlappa, said both were given life sentences on December 19th.
It’s a mystery why she’d fake her own death.
She wanted out from under her super strict Iraqi family. They’re Yazidi, and only Yazidis can marry into the family.
So, another article talked about a failed marriage—is this her way of getting a divorce?
I googled it myself, and where I grew up, the police had a special unit for forced marriages because there were so many Yazidis. A Yazidi classmate of mine had twins with his German girlfriend and tried to keep it secret. It didn’t last, but he said he was only alive because he’s a boy; a girl would have been dead.
RE: Fact #41 (Albatrosses’ Efficient Gliding Technique) – Plus, they’ve got this awesome tendon thing, like a shoulder lock, that only they and giant petrels have. It keeps their wings spread wide without them having to work hard at it. Pretty neat birds!
RE: Fact #1 (HBO Rejected Breaking Bad Pitch) – TNT loved Breaking Bad at first, but then freaked out about the meth and thought they’d get canned if they bought it. They even suggested changing the main character to a counterfeiter! FX actually bought it in 2005, but got cold feet, worrying they were becoming *the* male antihero network and needed something to draw in women. Showtime skipped it because it was too much like *Weeds*. Gilligan later said he wouldn’t have pitched it to them if he’d known about *Weeds*.
Honestly, all three decisions make sense, even if they were mistakes. HBO’s lack of interest in *Breaking Bad*, though? That’s baffling. Shows like *Breaking Bad* and *Mad Men* – which they also missed out on – were practically *made* for HBO. Passing on them didn’t just cost them money, it made people wonder if HBO was still the top dog for great TV. That gave Netflix a chance to become a major player, and people were happy to watch what they produced.
AMC really saw something special in those shows and went all out to make them great. They didn’t have the same huge budget as other places, but they still made them look amazing. They were aiming for a whole new level of programming, and luckily, two awesome dramas came along at just the right time. They spotted a chance and jumped on it.
I’m rewatching Mad Men, and I’m actually pretty happy it wasn’t on HBO. I think HBO would have made it way grittier, with a ton more swearing and sex scenes. Part of what makes the show so good is how it hints at the darker stuff instead of showing it all. Plus, you kind of know what you’re getting with an HBO show – another great, well-acted drama. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s all pretty predictable. Mad Men being on AMC was different; it felt fresh because AMC hadn’t done anything quite like it before.
Plus, Vince wasn’t some nobody back then. He’d just been on *The X-Files*, a huge 90s show. It’d be like the Duffer Brothers getting the cold shoulder from HBO today.
RE: Fact #13 (Congressman Killed Investigating Jonestown) – The title should highlight this amazing fact: he’s the only US Congressman ever killed on the job.
Wow, I was pretty surprised to learn that Ryan was only the second U.S. Representative ever assassinated while in office, after James M. Hinds back in 1868.
Crazy, huh? They figured out who shot Hinds, but he totally got away with it.
RE: Fact #18 (Instagram Doppelgänger Murder Plot) – It’s darkly funny how she hides her face, considering her whole argument is that we can just look at the dead person to know who it is.
RE: Fact #39 (Texaco’s Illegal Oil Sales) – They shipped oil to Nazi Germany through South America.
Those Nazis, they didn’t want that crappy oil from non-white owners.
RE: Fact #47 (NASA Uses Taco Bell Tortillas) – It’s also because their crumbs aren’t like bread crumbs.
The cool thing about those posts was that they used Taco Bell tortillas—the good stuff about tortillas is pretty clear already.
They’re flat and stack easily. Think four bags of tortillas fit in the same space as a loaf of bread.
Freezing stuff on the ISS probably isn’t that tough, I’d guess.
RE: Fact #39 (Texaco’s Illegal Oil Sales) – If the fines aren’t high enough, companies just see them as a business expense.
That’s how it was, and that’s what they did. It’s still going on.
RE: Fact #30 (Alva Vanderbilt’s Empowering Divorce) – She basically shoved her daughter, Consuela, into a marriage with some British duke—Consuela didn’t want it, and the guy even admitted he only married her for her money.
RE: Fact #7 (Alan Turing’s Quirky Cycling Habits) – Having hay fever, riding my bike with a gas mask makes sense.
RE: Fact #31 (Tudor England’s Harsh Beggar Laws) – I get it, there should be limits on begging. Public spaces are one thing, but trapping people somewhere? That’s not cool. People shouldn’t feel pressured or threatened.
Ireland’s really strict about begging; there are lots of rules about where you can and can’t do it. A few years back, they had to tweak a law because the original ban was deemed a human rights issue.
RE: Fact #15 (Born in the U.S.A. Misinterpreted) – Check out the lyrics to “Allentown,” you won’t be disappointed.
Then wait for them to play Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”.
RE: Fact #22 (Jesse Owens’ Surprise Cash Gift) – Great point! Like Owens said, four gold medals don’t fill your belly.
Sure, go ahead and eat a wad of cash.
RE: Fact #3 (Frederick the Great’s Disdain for Women) – Ron Swanson’s reaction to seeing Tammy: “Tammy says it’s great to see me, but honestly, she’s aged terribly.”
Which Tammy are we talking about?
RE: Fact #12 (McDonald’s Drive-Thru Born from Soldiers) – That’s a really neat fact!
Actually, you weren’t supposed to be in public in those fatigues. Dress uniforms are fine though.
Guess what? There’s a McDonald’s in Sedona, Arizona with blue arches!
RE: Fact #35 (Ford’s Whiz Kids Revolutionize Production) – Robert McNamara, who later became Secretary of Defense, was one of those brilliant guys, and his whole career shows just how amazing—and terrifying—applied math can be.
If you’re at all interested in World War II in the Pacific, the Cold War, or even how businesses are run today, check out the documentary *Fog of War*. It’s really good.
Robert McNamara? He’s a big reason the F-105 Thunderchief took so many losses. He was all about micromanaging targets and missions, obsessed with sortie counts. That meant sending planes on the same routes again and again, bombing things already destroyed or worthless. He thought more flights meant more success – the guy treated war like a spreadsheet!
The Vietnamese, like anyone else fighting back, had a say in things, and you can imagine how the Vietnam War turned out.
They thought we were just replacing the French, trying to take over Vietnam. That was totally nuts. We saw it as part of the Cold War…
It’s rare for former enemies to get together and talk about what could’ve been. But I went to Vietnam in 1995. The old foreign minister told me, “You’re dead wrong. We were fighting for freedom, not you enslaving us!” We almost came to blows.
“So you’re saying losing 3.4 million Vietnamese wasn’t a tragedy? That’s like 27 million Americans! What did you get out of it? Nothing more than we’d have offered at the start! You could have had it all: independence, unification…”
“…you must not have read a history book. We weren’t puppets of China or Russia. Didn’t you know that? We fought the Chinese for a thousand years! We were fighting for our freedom, ready to fight to the death. Nothing – no bombing, no pressure – would have changed that.”
RE: Fact #26 (Wendy Williams Under Guardianship) – Those are some pretty serious dementia diagnoses. I used to work in secure aged care, and it was common for people to want to leave, even when they were clearly not okay. This area needs strong safeguards to prevent people from being taken advantage of, while keeping them safe.
I’m wondering if the bank got involved because she was being taken advantage of. Maybe her family was messing with her money secretly? It’s weird that she’s cut off from her family, and only her niece shows up in news stories.
When it comes to handling money for a rich older person, I’d rather have a professional financial manager than their family.
RE: Fact #26 (Wendy Williams Under Guardianship) – I agree, because the professional has licensing boards and other ethics overseers to be concerned with. But family is responsible to no one.
Dementia’s a real trip, huh? I was in a psych ward once, and this woman, she’d been there ages. Completely lost, you know? Always hunting for the kitchen, convinced she had to cook for her husband.
One time, her family visited and told her they were taking her home the next day—a total fib, just to calm her down, I guess. Man, she was so happy for 24 hours, you’d think she was getting better! Then the crash. She remembered no one came, and she was blaming her dead husband. It was awful, watching her spiral back into it. I have to go back there monthly, and she’s still searching for that kitchen.
I fibbed to my mom in the nursing home. She had dementia and thought she was a teenager again, wanting to go home to her mom. I told her once that her parents and husband were gone, and that I, her son, was taking care of her, but I work.
She kinda got it, realized almost everyone she loved was gone. I won’t do that again. It messed me up, but her nurses and doctors said I did the right thing.
The thing is, Grandma lived in assisted living for a bit because of her dementia, but now she’s basically in a hospital bed at home. While she was in assisted living, wanting to go home made sense. But now she’s actually home, in the house she’s lived in for 50 years, and she still asks when she’s going home.
RE: Fact #6 (Toilet Sitting Increases Hemorrhoid Risk) – I heard this from Kevin Smith ages ago, way back when blogs were huge. He blogged about everything, even his health stuff. Apparently, he’d use bathroom breaks to read scripts people sent him. A quick trip would stretch into an hour or more every day.
He ended up with bad hemorrhoids, and a doctor finally sorted it out. My wife does the same thing – using bathroom time to unwind after work or start her day on social media. She gets this problem a few times a year. I give her a hard time about it when I have to help with the cream, and she’ll lay off for a bit.
So, people keep asking how it causes damage, so here’s the deal: It’s not the sitting, it’s sitting *after* pooping. Think about how you really pucker your lips when you kiss – your butt does something similar when you go. Pooping pushes some inner part of your butt out, and standing pulls it back in. If you sit too long afterward, it gets trapped.
My wife would sooner bleed to death than ask me for help with that hemorrhoid cream.
Does your wife have trouble reaching those?
RE: Fact #33 (Papal Conclave Food Restrictions) – I’m curious if that counts pop-tarts and other hand pies.
Think whole chickens and pies – that’s just a couple of examples. Basically, anything food that could easily hide a secret note or bribe is banned.
RE: Fact #27 (Shrimp Industry’s Eye Removal Practice) – Crazy that anyone cracked this, and even crazier that it actually works!
RE: Fact #1 (HBO Rejected Breaking Bad Pitch) – Huh, I’m surprised HBO passed on that. Seemed like a perfect fit for them.
Showtime’s *Weeds* made it hard for Vince to sell *Breaking Bad* to HBO; they didn’t want to seem like copycats.
Totally get that! Back then, BB seemed like a cheap Weeds copycat, just jumping on the bandwagon. But, I was wrong—watching it changed my mind.
Especially after The Sopranos blew up.
Breaking Bad was never going to be a star athlete.
So I got it, kinda. When I heard about the Malcolm in the Middle dad selling meth, I thought it was a total ripoff of Weeds. But a buddy talked me into watching the first episode, and wow, was I wrong.
RE: Fact #46 (Roman Statues’ Swappable Heads) – So, I always figured those missing museum heads were just from wear and tear, or maybe someone stole or damaged them. But apparently, the Romans did it on purpose a lot of the time! Why bother carving a whole new statue when you could just swap out the head and change the story?
RE: Fact #21 (Illusory Truth Effect Explained) – That’s how they get you to buy stuff.
So, Rupert Murdoch started Fox News to get people all thinking the same thing, repeating the same talking points to push policies that benefit the rich – less regulation, lower taxes for the wealthy. They distract people with cultural nonsense to keep them voting against their own interests. They did it with gay marriage back in 2004 when Bush was tanking over Iraq, tried the same thing with Obama and the birther stuff, but he was too popular. They pulled the same tricks with Clinton and her emails, Benghazi, and that Hunter Biden laptop thing – constantly hammering on it. Fox News even convinced a lot of Americans that the country’s overrun with crime, even though crime rates have actually been falling for 30 years, all to blame immigrants. The US is a mess, and Fox News – the most-watched news network – is a big reason why.
RE: Fact #31 (Tudor England’s Harsh Beggar Laws) – They really should’ve gotten together as a group.
Vetinari would’ve totally been on board with that.
RE: Fact #43 (Miranda Rights Namesake’s Tragic End) – So, nobody reads the articles, right? Miranda was totally guilty. Even after winning his lawsuit – which just sent it back for a do-over, not a total pardon – they convicted him again! They even left out his confession and still got a guilty verdict.
Crazy, huh? Even guilty people have rights.
Everyone’s got rights, whether they’re innocent or not. The law should treat everyone the same, regardless of who they are or what people think they’ve done.
RE: Fact #44 (St. Peter’s Longest Papal Reign) – He was the youngest person to get that job, as far as we know. We think he was around 30 when the Nazarene appointed him. Actually, scratch that – there was at least one other younger person. See below.
The shortest papacy lasted just 32 days.
RE: Fact #21 (Illusory Truth Effect Explained) – Politicians and the media caught on way before ’77.
Yeah, I recall a German guy who said almost exactly that.
Plus, remember that whole yellow journalism thing from the 1800s?
RE: Fact #16 (Stork’s Annual Journey for Love) – Wait, storks *actually* have babies like that? I always figured humans delivered stork babies to the parents, just like they do for us.
Edit: Even after she died, Klepetan still visits Malena’s grave under the apple tree. That’s so sweet!
Same here. Makes me think of how elephants grieve.
Klepetan still visits Malena’s grave by the apple tree – even after she died! Crazy, right? I’m totally tearing up over these storks.
RE: Fact #16 (Stork’s Annual Journey for Love) – Klepetan’s awesome.
The kind old man’s care, from feeding and sheltering to driving her to fish in the wetlands, lasted over a decade.
Psst! Humans are the bad guys here, get it? Is it really that hard to tell the difference between fun stuff and actual facts these days?
Back in 2017, Klepetan came home to find another bird and a fresh egg in Malena’s nest. He chased the other guy off and busted his egg. They ended up raising 66 chicks together.
It’s pretty common in the animal kingdom.
RE: Fact #40 (Uday Hussein’s Football Team Torture) – This guy was a total monster. He raped women and girls, bribed people even at weddings, and drove some to suicide. He shot his uncle, went on shooting sprees at discos and parties, and even killed Saddam’s bodyguard because the bodyguard introduced Saddam to a married blonde teacher—Saddam made her divorce her husband and marry him. Uday wasn’t happy, and his mom definitely wasn’t pleased. He had a crazy amount of cars while people starved, and he wanted them all burned so the Americans wouldn’t get them. Everyone knew he was a psychopath—Iraqis especially.
Uday’s cars were torched because Saddam was furious. Depending on who you talk to, it was punishment for killing Kamel Hana or shooting Saddam’s half-brother, Watban.
Wasn’t that Dad’s way of taking back the toys he’d gotten him?
That guy was so wicked, even Saddam Hussein wouldn’t have him.
That kid’s messed up.
The Iraq War was a mess, tons of things went wrong. But hey, at least Saddam and his sons are gone. Good riddance to that whole family.
The State Department had a plan for Iraq – elections and all – but the Bush administration just blew it off.
RE: Fact #23 (She-Hulk Among Priciest TV Shows) – That’s a strange way to spend so much money. It could have been just as good, maybe even better, for a tenth of the cost.
Probably just the CGI was too expensive.
Yeah, I get it. So where did all that cash go? It didn’t seem like a big budget. They could have just painted a female bodybuilder green, like they did Lou Ferrigno back in the day, and saved a fortune.
RE: Fact #32 (Ving Rhames’ High Pay for Seconds) – Jack Nicholson got paid for Batman Returns even though he wasn’t in it. It was a deal where he got paid whether he was in the movie or not, in case they wanted the Joker back for the sequel.
Yeah, but dividing by zero is a big no-no, so Ving still takes the cake.
Billy Dee Williams got a big chunk of change from the 1989 Batman movie, even though he was only in a few scenes as Harvey Dent. They promised him Two-Face later, and when they gave the part to someone else, he still got paid as much as Tommy Lee Jones.
RE: Fact #49 (Eiffel Tower Beats Bizarre Proposals) – I really like that watering can! That would’ve been a sight.
RE: Fact #36 (Nintendo DS: Third Pillar Strategy) – The idea was it’d be the new handheld, all set to play older games too. They only mentioned that as a backup plan, if it didn’t take off.
RE: Fact #43 (Miranda Rights Namesake’s Tragic End) – I hope the cops read the stabber his Miranda rights so he couldn’t weasel out of it.
On January 31st, 1976, a Mexican man, Eseziquiel Moreno Perez, was charged with killing Miranda, but he ran off to Mexico and they’ve never found him.
RE: Fact #38 (Emperor Charles V’s Treaty Gamble) – So, Francis got his parliament to tear up the treaty because, get this, he was forced to sign it while he was a prisoner. Makes perfect sense, right?
Charles V and his top advisors heard about the win at the Battle of Pavia from Lannoy’s messengers. This was during a meeting at the Royal Alcazar in Madrid, where Charles was getting ready for his Spanish wedding. The court split into two groups. One, led by Gattinara, wanted to invade France to create a unified Catholic empire. The other, led by Lannoy and some Flemish folks, plus Henry III of Nassau-Breda and Hugo of Moncada, wanted to free Francis I in exchange for Burgundy. This second group’s idea played to Flemish claims on Burgundy and suited Spaniards and Germans who didn’t want another war just to make Gattinara’s dream come true. Charles V went with this second plan.
After making a deal with Clement VII – the Sforza family got Milan back, and the Pope teamed up with Charles again – Lannoy brought Francis to the Alcazar. There, Francis and Charles agreed to the Treaty of Madrid. According to Guicciardini, this treaty was basically Lannoy and Henry III’s idea: Francis gave up his claim on Milan and gave Burgundy to Charles in exchange for his freedom. Gattinara wouldn’t sign it. Lots of people thought Charles was a fool for letting Francis go. Machiavelli even called him a fool in private letters! Once free, Francis got the Parlement of Paris to reject the treaty because it was signed under duress, and then declared war on Charles again. Gattinara was back in charge for Charles.
Interestingly, even though Machiavelli thought freeing Francis was a stupid move, he also figured it wouldn’t hurt Charles in the long run because Charles seemed to have good luck despite his bad decisions, while Francis was always unlucky. And Machiavelli was right—Charles did eventually win.
So, if you can’t talk things over with a captured king or queen, what’s the plan?
I guess you could send them back, or maybe talk to their family or government. But that means the monarch is totally out of the loop, and whoever’s talking might just decide they’re a problem to be solved.
RE: Fact #38 (Emperor Charles V’s Treaty Gamble) – Charles V, the Habsburg, was maybe the most powerful dude ever. He inherited Spain and Austria, and became Holy Roman Emperor super young. He was king of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor at this crazy time – Germany was still a big deal, and Spain was raking in all that New World gold. He was unbelievably rich and powerful. He could personally command armies of Italians, Dutch, Germans, Spaniards, or Czechs from his own lands; he didn’t need to ask anyone for help.
Charles V was so powerful and wealthy that even he, a super competent ruler, knew he couldn’t rule half the world. So, he left Spain to his son and Germany to his brother. That meant a Spanish Habsburg branch and an Austrian Habsburg branch. But as time went on, and Europe’s power shifted west, the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburgs lost their clout. By the end of the 17th century, they were way less important, and the Empire finally disappeared at the start of the 19th.
RE: Fact #25 (Augustus Gloop Actor’s Surprise Fame) – That movie somehow made the kids want regular jobs.
The same thing happened to the child actors in the remake.
RE: Fact #6 (Toilet Sitting Increases Hemorrhoid Risk) – Seriously, leave your phone out of the bathroom. As a guy, I sit to pee – way cleaner. But if I have my phone, I end up wasting way more time than I should.
RE: Fact #41 (Albatrosses’ Efficient Gliding Technique) – That’s how you fly in Super Mario World.
RE: Fact #32 (Ving Rhames’ High Pay for Seconds) – Two days’ work is more than some people earn in their whole lives.
RE: Fact #24 (General James Wilkinson: Spanish Spy) – His Wikipedia page says people thought he was a Spanish spy, so they didn’t make him a general. I don’t think Teddy made that sound as bad as it really was.
People said bad things about him, but it was all just gossip until the Americans got their hands on some old Spanish files in Cuba in 1898.
Lots of those.
RE: Fact #21 (Illusory Truth Effect Explained) – People knew that before the 70s. Hitler supposedly said, “If you tell a big enough lie and keep repeating it, people will believe it.”
RE: Fact #13 (Congressman Killed Investigating Jonestown) – It’s wild that Jackie Speier, Leo Ryan’s aide, got shot five times and lived by faking death. She later became a Congresswoman!
She was stuck on the tarmac for over 20 hours before someone finally got her.
They got away from the airstrip after the killers took off, hiding out in the jungle as far as they could. It was a nightmare, and she’s incredibly lucky to be alive.
RE: Fact #37 (Easter Date Calculation Disputes) – I’ve tried reading the Easter date formula like ten times, and I’m still clueless. It’s something like: spring starts, then there’s a full moon, and Easter is the first Sunday after *that* full moon. Huh?
Got it, makes sense now! Find the first full moon after March 20th, then Easter’s the Sunday after that.
It’s super easy now with our fancy calendars and clocks. Figuring out the moon phase years ahead was a real headache back when all you had was a pen and paper. Off the top of my head, I couldn’t say if March 24th, 2035, was a full moon. I know a lunar cycle is roughly 29.5 days and a year is about 365.25 days. But those “about” numbers add up to a lot of guesswork over ten years, especially before accurate clocks. We still use those rough estimates; a lunar orbit takes around 39,343 or 42,524 minutes, depending on what you’re measuring. We switch between 29 and 30 days for a lunar month, sometimes adding an extra day to catch up. It’s not a neat number, even by today’s standards, let alone back in Roman times.
Wow, so THAT’S how they figure it out? That actually makes sense now. First Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.
RE: Fact #33 (Papal Conclave Food Restrictions) – Picture this: a grumpy old cardinal yelling “CHICKEN JOCKEY,” letting a chicken loose from his robes, and then flinging a pie at another cardinal.
RE: Fact #15 (Born in the U.S.A. Misinterpreted) – Whenever this happens, I just wonder, “Have you actually heard the lyrics?”
RE: Fact #19 (Lover Hid in Attic for Years) – From the start of her marriage, Walburga was rumored to be seeing other men while Fred was at work. Then, in 1913, she met seventeen-year-old Otto, a sewing machine repairman who worked for her husband. She got him to come over to fix her machine, and that’s where the affair began. To keep it a secret from the neighbors, she called him her “vagabond half-brother.”
Eventually, to hide their relationship, Otto moved into the attic. He had a cot, food, and stuff to read and write. During the day he did housework, and at night he stayed quietly in the attic, writing sci-fi stories that Walburga sent to publishers. Otto later said he was Walburga’s “sex slave,” claiming they had sex up to eight times a day. Fred never knew Otto was living there.
In 1918, they moved to Los Angeles. Walburga insisted on picking the house, making sure it had an attic, so Otto could move in there again before they even arrived.
After the murder, Otto stayed in the attic for another eight years. The only difference was he got a typewriter since nobody could hear it anymore. By then, Walburga was also having an affair with her lawyer, Herman Shapiro. In 1930, Shapiro got suspicious when Walburga gave him the diamond watch she’d claimed was stolen during the burglary; she said she found it later in the yard.
He really lived there the whole time! And she could have easily found another way to see him after the move, but she *chose* to keep him in the attic again. It makes you wonder if keeping him hidden from the neighbors was the real reason.
RE: Fact #12 (McDonald’s Drive-Thru Born from Soldiers) – The Army and McDonald’s hit a real low point, and that paved the way for Burger King to snag a 100-year contract on base.
Pretty much. Every Army base I was ever at had a Burger King, but never a McDonald’s.
My friend moved to some Alaskan town ages ago, and the only Burger King was on base, which he couldn’t get to. So, he started fixing broken Xbox 360s on the side. Whenever someone on base needed a repair, he’d knock some money off if they got him a Whopper.
RE: Fact #29 (Serbian Royals’ Brutal Assassination) – Balkan politics—especially Serbian politics—has always been pretty rough. Think of the Archduke’s assassination in 1914, and all the massacres in the 90s. “Balkan Ghosts” is a really good book.
I’m not up on Serbian or Balkan history, but I wonder how this affected the Balkan Wars and WWI. Looks like one reason Alexander was disliked was his reliance on Austria. If he’d kept things together, maybe those wars would have been slower to start or get worse, although the ethnic problems and the decline of Austria-Hungary and Turkey would still have been around.
Austria-Hungary wasn’t exactly falling apart before World War I. Sure, they had issues, but nothing that was going to bring the whole thing down; they were actually doing pretty well. What really did them in was their bad luck in WWI…though even then, they held it together for a while.
The Obrenovićs usually sided with the Habsburgs, unlike the Karađorđevićs who took over after the May Coup. But the Obrenovićs had a lot of messy family drama that really hurt their popularity, and their support for Austria-Hungary—especially after Austria-Hungary took over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878—made them even more unpopular with Serbian nationalists and the army.
Dimitrijević and the others who killed Alexander and Draga were against Austria-Hungary. He probably had a big hand in killing Franz Ferdinand in 1914 too. At least, Pašić’s government said Dimitrijević confessed to ordering the assassination to justify his execution.
RE: Fact #42 (Deindividuation Explains Crowd Behavior) – Going with the crowd.
RE: Fact #48 (Contract Killing Targets Wrong Teen) – Some folks will spend that much on a bottle of wine and not even remember it a couple days later. And yet, some guy thinks that’s enough to pay someone to kill someone else.
A good bottle of something, or a really bad hitman – that’s what your money gets you. If that’s all you’ve got, you’d be much better off having a drink and forgetting about whatever it is that’s bothering you.
RE: Fact #50 (Funeral Homes Preceded Ambulances) – So, that’s why the Ghostbusters’ ambulance looked like a hearse?
Yep, the first ambulances really did look like that.
To be honest, it was still hauling the dead.
RE: Fact #33 (Papal Conclave Food Restrictions) – The Borgias show did a great job showing how they bribed cardinals during the conclave with those things – it was a hilarious scene, if I remember right.
RE: Fact #46 (Roman Statues’ Swappable Heads) – Those sculptors must’ve been thrilled – way less work each time a new boss took over, and the changes happened super fast, too. I bet there were some hilarious moments while they waited for the new heads to be ready.
They needed to match the colors. We think of them as white now, but the original statues were painted—and really brightly! The paint wore off over time.
So, back then, if you changed the heads, you’d have to paint the new one to match the body. Or repaint the whole thing. You wouldn’t want a weird color mismatch at the neck.
If they had cameras back then, there’d totally be pics of people putting away their swords all dramatically, like in anime.
RE: Fact #2 (Weird Al Always Asks Permission) – Lots of artists think it’s a big deal to get parodied by Weird Al.
I really love how the “Smells Like Nirvana” video used all the same extras from “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.
My favorite story is about Weird Al at this party, feeling totally out of place. Then, bam! “Oh my god, it’s Weird Al!” He looked around, and it was Paul McCartney!
I loved this other story: When Monty Python made their first movie, they got money the usual way—from places like the BBC—and the people paying had *way* too much say in the film. The actors hated it. So for their second movie, they looked for funding where they’d get no interference, and Led Zeppelin stepped up. They met, and it was all “Wow, Led Zeppelin, we love your music!” and “Wow, Monty Python, we love your comedy!”
That’s pretty amazing how close his parody song came to guessing the plot of Star Wars Episode 1 before it even came out!
RE: Fact #4 (Japan’s Adult Diaper Dominance) – There’s a big problem with how they treat older and younger people. Younger people are basically expected to do what the older people say and let them have their way. It’s so extreme that even if you have a killer business idea, you either have to wait until you’ve been there a while or give the idea to someone older so you don’t rock the boat. This even affects the government; they give way more help and programs to older folks than to younger people.
South Korea’s got the same issue. There was this awful plane crash—the younger pilot knew they were too low, but didn’t want to go against the captain. The black box showed the co-pilot politely pointed it out, but the captain ignored him. That whole respect-for-authority thing was so strong, the co-pilot rather died than challenge his boss.
Korea mostly hired ex-military types used to strict hierarchies, which didn’t help. The NTSB’s report after the accident really slammed their culture and recommended some major changes.
My father-in-law’s a retired businessman, a really friendly and easygoing guy. He used to work with the Japanese side of his company, and sometimes he’d play dumb, pretending not to understand their strict rules. He’d notice problems, act all confused, and talk to anyone and everyone about it. Somehow, the problems would get solved without anyone having to openly criticize their bosses.
An American guy was sent to Japan for a short work stint. He wanted to get home fast, so instead of chilling in his hotel, he worked late to wrap things up quicker. The first night, he stayed until 7, which was nice because the commute was less crowded, but he noticed everyone else stuck around too. The next day, he casually asked his contact if that was normal. Turns out, if *he* was putting in extra unpaid hours, everyone else felt they should too – it’s part of the culture, to show they’re just as dedicated. So, at 5, he shut his laptop, grabbed his stuff, and left. Everyone followed him to catch the train. He grabbed some noodles and a beer, then went back and worked a couple more hours.
Lots of Asian cultures emphasize filial piety, like in Taiwan, where my girlfriend’s from. It’s not just about respecting elders; it affects how money and inheritance are handled. Daughters care for aging parents, but often sons inherit everything, regardless of whether they helped or even want it all. It’s pretty unfair to women.
RE: Fact #25 (Augustus Gloop Actor’s Surprise Fame) – Imagine living your whole life, only to find out millions of people remember you as that chubby kid who took a tumble into a chocolate fountain.
Turns out, a bunch of the actors from the original Resident Evil cutscenes had no clue how huge the fanbase was until fans tracked them down years later! Now, they’re all over conventions and livestreams.
RE: Fact #5 (Shrek 2 Stars’ Huge Paydays) – Ten million dollars for less than a day’s work? Wow, that’s a lot of money!
That’s awesome for them! The first one was a huge hit, a real franchise-starter, so if those actors hadn’t come back, it would have seriously hurt the chances of making more movies. They had the power to negotiate, and they got what they deserved.
RE: Fact #17 (Young Bach’s Violent Student Clash) – He insulted the kid, so the kid decked Bach.
RE: Fact #40 (Uday Hussein’s Football Team Torture) – The Iraq War was a real downer, but it’s kind of satisfying knowing that family’s dictatorship didn’t last, and that awful guy never took over.
I think the message should’ve been “Dictators wreck their countries, resistance is better than giving in.” Instead, it’s all “the West is bad” and celebrating Gaddafi’s supposed successes.
RE: Fact #14 (Measles Causes Immune Amnesia) – Measles might help COVID make a comeback.
Covid, all the different flu strains, and chicken pox
Robocop, the Terminator, Captain Kirk, Darth Vader, Lo Pan, Superman, and all the Power Rangers.
RE: Fact #6 (Toilet Sitting Increases Hemorrhoid Risk) – I wish I’d found out about my hemorrhoids from you first.
Everyone gets hemorrhoids eventually.
RE: Fact #34 (Kayaker Trapped by Crocodile) – Crikey! I’ll probably have nightmares about this now, fueled by my lifelong fear of crocs and gators! 🙁
RE: Fact #46 (Roman Statues’ Swappable Heads) – Quite a brilliant idea when you think about it. Too bad the Confederacy didn’t borrow the idea — could’ve saved an awful lot of statue toppling the last few years… and as a result, maybe saved the Feds a bit of money changing the names of all those military bases.