When pirate Jean Lafitte saw the governor advertising a $500 reward for his capture, Lafitte offered $5,000 for the capture of the governor.
In 1977 a plane crashed into Yosemite Park, containing almost…
In 1977 a plane crashed into Yosemite Park, containing almost 10,000 pounds of marijuana. Local rock climbers were first on the scene and amassed a fortune from the wreckage.
In 1974 sociologist Phillip Kunz sent 600 Christmas cards randomly…
In 1974 sociologist Phillip Kunz sent 600 Christmas cards randomly to people he didn’t know. He got more then 200 replies, including people sending pictures of their families, diplomas and new homes.
In 2009 a Belgian bodybuilding championship was canceled after…
In 2009 a Belgian bodybuilding championship was canceled after doping officials arrived unannounced and all the competitors fled.
Male orangutans can be attracted to women with red hair. One male…
Male orangutans can be attracted to women with red hair. One male, Hsing Hisng, has even ripped pictures of Nicole Kidman out of magazines and placed them in his enclosure.
Stephen Hawking’s wife was given the option to take him off…
Stephen Hawking’s wife was given the option to take him off of life support after he was placed in a medically induced coma. She refused, and upon recovering he finished writing ‘A Brief History of Time’.
In 2008, melamine added to milk in China caused kidney stones…
In 2008, melamine added to milk in China caused kidney stones in thousands of Chinese children. To show his confidence in Chinese dairy products, Peter Mandelson MP drank a glass of Chinese yoghurt in front of reporters. The following week, he was hospitalized for a kidney stone.
A shipyard worker set fire aboard a nuclear submarine, causing $450M…
A shipyard worker set fire aboard a nuclear submarine, causing $450M worth of damage, because he was suffering from an anxiety attack and had no vacation or sick leave remaining. He was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $400 million in restitution.
In the 1980s the Naval Investigative Service undertook a massive…
In the 1980s the Naval Investigative Service undertook a massive and futile search for a woman named “Dorothy” in the Chicago area, after hearing gay men refer to themselves as “friends of Dorothy”. They believed she was at the center of a ring of gay military personnel.
William of Orange was the first head of state assassinated…
William of Orange was the first head of state assassinated with a firearm. Take a look at the assassins punishment: “The magistrates decreed that the right hand of Gérard should be burned off with a red-hot iron, that his flesh should be torn from his bones with pincers in six different places, that he should be quarteredand disembowelled alive, that his heart should be torn from his bosom and flung in his face, and that, finally, his head should be cut off.”