Winston Groom was paid $350,000 for the screenplay rights to his novel Forrest Gump and was contracted for a 3 percent share of the film’s net profits but never received his share due to Hollywood accounting which posits that the movie lost money.
During her time as First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos was seen
During her time as First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos was seen as a “symbol of excess” due of her expensive shopping sprees. On one occasion, she spent $2,000 on chewing gum at the San Francisco International Airport and, on another, she forced a plane to do a U-turn mid-air just because she forgot […]
Joseph Jackson tried to teach his kids a lesson about…
Joseph Jackson tried to teach his kids a lesson about leaving their bedroom windows open, so one night while his son Michael was asleep, Joseph wore a mask, climbed through the window, and shouted at him. Michael Jackson would later have recurring nightmares of being kidnapped from his bedroom.
In the 1913 Tour de France, Eugène Christophe’s front…
In the 1913 Tour de France, Eugène Christophe‘s front fork on his bike broke. He carried it 10 km to the nearest blacksmith, where he used the forge to weld it back together. He was penalized 3 minutes because he had a local kid pump the bellows for him.
Louisiana has its own version of French called…
Louisiana has its own version of French called “Creole French” which only 70’000 people can speak. It varies so much from standard French that native French speakers cannot understand it.
In 1861 a slave took over a confederate ship…
In 1861 a slave took over a confederate ship and delivered it to the Union. He was then given the ship to command during the Civil War.
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft once…
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft once ran for Senate in Missouri against a dead man. And lost.
In 1974, two phone hackers stood on a California beach and from…
In 1974, two phone hackers stood on a California beach and from two public phone booths intercepted every incoming call to Santa Barbara, and told the dialers the city had been wiped out in a nuclear explosion, causing a widespread panic.
Notorious English pirate captain Benjamin Hornigold…
Notorious English pirate captain Benjamin Hornigold (1680–1719) once attacked a ship off the coast of Honduras just to replace his crew’s hats (they had drunkenly lost them the night before).
Sting took 1 million dollars to perform a private gig…
Sting took 1 million dollars to perform a private gig for the dictator of Uzbekistan – a man who boiled his enemies alive.