26Maria Anna Mozart
Mozart had an older sister (Maria Anna Mozart) who was also a child prodigy, considered one of the finest pianists in Europe until outshone by her younger brother.
27. The Miss South Carolina teen (Caitlin Upton) who became an internet meme for her incomprehensible answer contemplated suicide after her pageant flub.
28. When the Sears magazine printers switched from a thin, newspaper-like stock to a more modern glossy paper stock, people wrote into the company to complain that the magazine couldn't be used for toilet paper anymore.
29. In 2010, a disgruntled Jet Blue employee (Steven Slater) quit his job by broadcasting an angry rant over the intercom, activating the plane's emergency inflatable ramp, and sliding away with two beers he'd stolen from the galley.
30. In 1997, comedian Dana Carvey underwent heart bypass surgery for a blocked coronary artery, but the surgeon operated on the wrong artery. Carvey, later suffering from angina pectoris, sued for medical malpractice and was awarded millions in damages. He donated the money to charity.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31Coconut
In 2013, police in the Maldives detained a suspect for loitering near an election polling place on suspicion of black magic. The suspect in question was a coconut. A magician summoned by police established that the coconut was innocent. No arrests were made.
32. There is an Indian village named "Piplantri", which celebrates the birth of every girl child by planting 111 trees.
33. The "Just Missed it Club" was a group of people who, for one reason or another did not sail on the Titanic. One of these members was Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, son of the late shipping and railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt. He died in the Lusitania disaster 3 years later.
34. IKEA screws get stripped so fast because the screw head is not Phillips, and is actually superior with the right tools.
35. In 1958, a man decided to name his son "Winner". Three years later, he had another son who he named "Loser". "Winner" became a hardened criminal and "Loser" became a detective.
36Ruin Value
Hitler and his architect Albert Speer believed in the "Ruin Value" of buildings. He aimed for every building that the Third Reich built to have aesthetically pleasing ruins 1000 years from their completion.
37. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler got a family to assign their 14-year-old daughter (Julia Holcomb) to his care. She got pregnant with him and had an abortion. He then gave her back to her parents when she was 17.
38. Paralympic medals have steel balls inside them which, when shaken, makes a rattling sound that helps notify visually impaired athletes to determine between medals.
39. The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of writer's block is the shortest academic article ever: it has no words.
40. People can keep their amputated limbs. A woman named Kristi Loyall requested to keep her leg before being amputated due to cancer. Now she and her leg travel the world, posting photos of their adventures on Instagram.
41Sherman Sizemore
In 2007, a 73-year-old man named Sherman Sizemore underwent surgery and suffered "anesthesia awareness". This is a condition where the patient is conscious and feels pain but is paralyzed and cannot alert the surgeon. The man's resulting PTSD led him to suicide, prompting a lawsuit against the anesthesiologists.
42. The papal election of 1268 lasted 3 years and eventually the roof of the building they were locked in was removed to speed up the election. The election lasted so long that 3 cardinal electors died and 1 resigned during it.
43. Two of the greatest composers of their time, Bach and Handel, despite living near each other but never meeting, were both blinded by the same quack traveling eye doctor.
44. In 1946, Ian Fleming built his estate in Jamaica on a beach clifftop and named it Goldeneye. He wrote all his James Bond novels there in January and February each year. A number of Bond films were filmed nearby. After his death, it was sold to Bob Marley.
