Quality of US teachers was so poor in 2001 that the average teacher only scored better than 42% of students. By 2008, it was only up to 50%. This was done by requiring qualifications such as actually having degrees in whatever they are teaching.
In 1986, the United Way released 1.5 million balloons into the…
In 1986, the United Way released 1.5 million balloons into the Cleveland sky to raise money for charity. The balloons were so thick that Coast Guard helicopters couldn’t reach an overturned boat, resulting in the death of two fishermen.
Jupiter is so large that it and the Sun mutually…
Jupiter is so large that it and the Sun mutually orbit a point outside of the Sun itself.
Best Buy used to have a fake internal website that looked exactly…
Best Buy used to have a fake internal website that looked exactly like their actual internet website, but with marked up prices, so they could price gouge in-store customers.
After the ‘feel-good’ story about the success of an ex-Convict turning…
After the ‘feel-good’ story about the success of an ex-convict turning his life around appeared on the Syracuse news site, the car dealership with whom he was employed immediately fired him.
Four years ago a 71 year old man cared for and nursed…
Four years ago a 71 year old man cared for and nursed a beached penguin back to health and now the bird consistently travels 2,000+ miles every few months to revisit his caregiver.
Dogs have only recently been able to watch TV, with the advent of HDTV…
Dogs have only recently been able to watch TV, with the advent of HDTV with their higher framerates. Before that, with CRT’s, it was like watching a strobe light.
Despite having DNA evidence of the suspect, German police…
Despite having DNA evidence of the suspect, German police could not prosecute a $6.8M jewel heist because the DNA belonged to identical twins, and there was no evidence to prove which one of them was the culprit.
During China’s Ming Dynasty, powdered smallpox scabs were blown up the noses…
During China’s Ming Dynasty, powdered smallpox scabs were blown up the noses of the healthy. The patients would then develop a mild case of the disease, and from then on were immune to it. Although the technique had a 0.5–2.0% mortality rate, it was better than the diseases 20–30% mortality rate.
A 400-year-old bonsai tree survived the nuclear blast of Hiroshima…
A 400-year-old bonsai tree survived the nuclear blast of Hiroshima in 1945. Later, the tree was presented to the USA as a gift and still flourishes in the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. The history of the tree remained hidden till 2001.