1Auto-Tune
Introduced in 1997, Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. It was named one of the 50 worst inventions by Time magazine.
2. Friends Thomas Cook and Joseph Feeney shook hands in 1992, swearing if either one won the Powerball jackpot, they would split the winnings. Well, the power of friendship and a handshake has paid off and 28 years later, in 2020, Tom won €22 million and split the winnings with his friend.
3. In 1977, the FBI started to build a tunnel under the Soviet Embassy in Washington D.C to eavesdrop on the Soviets. The construction took years, was riddled with complications, and worse yet, the Soviets knew about the tunnel because of a tip-off.
4. In 1992, Barqs rootbeer ran a promotion giving away USSR memorabilia with proof of purchase as a Communism is going out of the business sale, resulting in a 30% increase in sales.
5. Avocados evolved alongside extinct megafauna like giant ground sloths whose digestive system could pass the intact pit. When these giant creatures went extinct, human cultivation saved the avocado.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Bob Denard
French soldier of fortune and mercenary Bob Denard was hired in 1975 to overthrow Ahmed Abdallah, president of the Comoros. 3 years later Abdallah hired Denard to kick out his replacement, mad dictator Ali Soilih. 10 years later Soilih's half-brother paid Denard to remove Abdallah again. All coups succeeded.
7. An English man named Mark Roberts has streaked at more than 565 international events. He has his own set of 'rules' for streaking: don't interrupt the play of a game, be prepared to spend an evening in jail, have a good lawyer on hand, and don't eat spicy food the night before a streak.
8. In 2012, American singer Demi Lovato did an MTV documentary about her sobriety and how she overcame addiction. 5 years later, she admitted she was on cocaine while filming it.
9. Because of Calibri's status as the default font in MS Office, there have been many instances of forged documents being identified because this font was used. A Canadian business owner facing bankruptcy typed 2 trust documents dated before Calibri's release in 2007, exposing them as forged.
10. A juice company named Del Oro dumped 12,000 tonnes of orange peels on virtually lifeless soil and 16 years later, it turned into a lush forest.
11Milk Bars
In Rwanda, people go to milk bars to socialize and drink milk.
12. Three-quarters of the animated film “A Goofy Movie” had to be refilmed due to a single dead pixel on a faulty monitor, leading to Disney delaying the release of the film from Thanksgiving 1994 to April 7, 1995.
13. In 2001, when the space station Mir was set to return to earth, Taco Bell set up a floating target in the Pacific Ocean, promising free tacos to everyone in the US if the space station hit it.
14. NASA's longest-serving female employee since January 1958, Sue Finley, has been an engineer and programmer for space missions since Explorer 1, for missions to the Moon, Sun, all the planets and many other solar system bodies, and recipient of NASA's Exceptional Public Service Medal.
15. William Shatner played a prank on the set of the Twilight Zone while shooting the Nightmare at 20,000 Feet episode. Shatner staged a fake fight on the plane and had a dummy fall off the wing to the concrete below. Richard Donner, the episode's director, thought Shatner had died.
16Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was terrified of a real-life fan, who inspired his song, Billie Jean after she sent him a letter with a weapon and instructions to kill himself. He kept her photograph to memorize her face, “in case she ever turns up someplace.”
17. When a chimpanzee that learns an effective method to crack nuts open is placed into a new group that uses a less effective strategy, it will eventually stop using the superior method just to blend in with the rest of the chimps.
18. Christian radio host Harold Camping predicted the world would end on May 21, 2011. Followers gave up their jobs, sold their homes, and stopped investing in their children's college funds. On May 22, his office had a paper note in the window stating, "This office is closed. Sorry, we missed you!"
19. Johann Struensee was the royal physician to mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark. He rose to seize power for over a year in the 18th century Denmark. He then managed to abolish slavery, abolish censorship of the press, and have an affair with the Queen before being ousted and executed in 1772.
20. Thomas Jefferson paid James Callender to smear John Adams in the election of 1800. Callender accused President Adams of having a “hideous hermaphroditical character” and he was jailed for the smears under the Sedition Act. Once Jefferson took office in 1801, he pardoned Callender.
21Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso carried a revolver loaded with blanks, which he would fire at whoever asked him what his work “meant.”
22. Lafayette was a French aristocrat who is proclaimed to be “The Hero of Two Worlds.” He fought as a general for America during the American Revolution. He then went to France and fought as a General for the People in the French Revolution.
23. A study conducted in 195 countries, over a 26-year period, concluded that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. The researchers admitted that moderate drinking may protect against heart disease, but found that the risk of cancer and other diseases outweighs these protections.
24. Even though American painter Edward Bannister won 1st prize for painting at the 1876 Philadelphia centennial international exhibition, after discovering Bannister's identity, the judge wanted to rescind his award because he was black. However, this wasn't possible due to protests from the other competitors.
25. A study from the University of Connecticut found that cholesterol in egg yolks does not raise the LDL cholesterol particles that are associated with the development of cardiovascular disease.
