1Preserved Fish
There was a shipping merchant named Preserved Fish, who in the 19th century was responsible for expanding the whale oil market, directing the Bank of America, and being one of the founders of what is now the New York Stock Exchange.
2. Epomis beetles sneak up behind their victims (frogs) and hold on firmly using their legs. To paralyze the victim, the beetle makes an incision in the pelvic region with its mandibles, cutting nerves and perhaps leg muscles. The amphibian loses its ability to move and is eaten by the beetle.
3. On December 11, 1998, the Mars Climate Orbiter crashed into Mars and ended a $200 million mission because one instrument by Lockheed measured in (U.S.) pound-seconds and not newton-seconds.
4. The Frog Battery was used in early electrical research. It consisted of dead or sometimes live frogs that formed the cells of the battery.
5. Sometimes the penis of a banana slug becomes trapped inside the body of the partner. Apophallation allows them to separate themselves by chewing off the other's or their own penis. Once the penis has been discarded, they are still able to sexually reproduce because they hermaphrodites.
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6Jenny Haniver
Jenny Haniver is the carcass of a ray or a skate that has been modified by hand then dried, resulting in a mummified specimen intended to resemble a fanciful fictional creature, such as a demon or dragon.
7. When ferrets get very excited they do a frenzied series of sideways and backward hops called a "weasel war dance." It is believed that in the wild, ferrets use this to disorient prey.
8. Oscar is a nursing home cat in Rhode Island who appears to be able to predict the impending death of terminally ill patients-by choosing to nap next to people a few hours before they die. Oscar has been mentioned in The New England Journal of Medicine and so far has predicted at least 100 deaths.
9. Mike the Headless Chicken was a decapitated chicken who lived for almost two years without a head. His owner would administer droplets of milk and water down its open throat with an eyedropper.
10. The “Tree That Owns Itself” is a white oak tree in Athens, Georgia, that is widely assumed to legally own itself and the eight feet of land surrounding it. According to newspapers, a deed written by Colonel William Jackson was written to the tree, giving ownership of the land to itself in the 1800s.
11Grooms of the Stool
Henry VIII had someone whose job it was to wipe his bottom for him. They were called 'Grooms of the Stool' and Henry VIII had 4 of them during his reign, all of whom were knighted.
12. The nut that is attached to the main rotor of a helicopter is referred to as the "Jesus nut." If it comes loose, the only option you have is to pray.
13. There is an alarm clock named “Clocky” which has wheels, runs away from you, and hides forcing you to get out of bed.
14. The Great Stork Derby was a contest held in Toronto from 1926-1936, in which women competed to produce the most babies in order to win $750,000 as stipulated in the will of a wealthy lawyer. The prize ended up being split among four women who each had 9 babies.
15. Tinfoil hats are actually a very bad way of keeping signals out of your brain. Tin foil actually amplifies those signals.
16Klerksdorp spheres
Klerksdorp spheres are small objects, often spherical to disc-shaped, that have been collected by miners and rockhounds from 3-billion-year-old pyrophyllite deposits.
17. Female Urination Devices aid women to urinate while standing upright. They have increased in popularity since the 1990s. They are used for medical reasons, outdoor pursuits, and sometimes are handed out to concertgoers.
18. In 1982, a Los Angeles man named Larry Walters used a lawn chair and weather balloons to ascend to 15,000 feet above the ground. On the way up, he lost both his glasses and his bb gun, which he planned to use to shoot balloons to descend. He caused a 20min power outage and was fined $1500.
19. In Casorzo, Italy, there is a unique tree called Bialbero di Casorzo, meaning "double tree of Casorzo". It is actually a cherry tree growing straight on top of a mulberry tree.
20. The Peel P50 car weighed only 130lbs and was designed for a single driver and one shopping bag. Because it had no reverse gear, drivers have to walk out of the car and physically drag it around.
21George P. Burdell
In 1927, a Georgia Tech student was accidentally sent 2 enrollment forms. He filled out both, creating a fictional man named George P. Burdell for one of the forms. The student also did all the work for George and George graduated with a mechanical engineering degree.
22. A toy doll called My Friend Cayla became infamous for asking its owners personal questions, saving the answers and being hackable at the same time.
23. Mooning the Cog is a tradition in which hikers bare their buttocks to the Cog Railway on Mount Washington, the highest peak in New Hampshire. It is most commonly done by hikers, as they pass by on the Appalachian Trail. It is a 30-year-old tradition.
24. The sport of Gurning is a traditional rural sport in some English towns that consists of pulling a snarling or otherwise ugly face through a horse collar. Annual contests have existed for over 800 years by estimate.
25. An Iranian man named Mehran Karimi Nasseri lived in Terminal 1 of the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris airport for 18 years after becoming stateless.
