A firefighter at Chernobyl, Vladimir Pravik, reportedly had his eye colour change from brown to blue from the immense dose of radiation he received. And that was the least of his worries.
In 2012, a Cleveland woman…
In 2012, a Cleveland woman arrested for a traffic infraction was ordered to stand for 2 days holding a sign that read “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.”
Nothing out of the ordinary: Just a pedestrian crossing in Tokyo
Chess Grand Master Ossip Bernstein…
Chess Grand Master Ossip Bernstein was arrested by the Bolshevik secret police and ordered to be shot. As the firing squad lined up, an officer asked if he was really the famous chess master. The officer made Bernstein play a game for his life against him. Bernstein won easily and was released.
In China there are centres…
In China there are centres for internet addiction with treatments that can be so rough that some patients have died. Some facilities use electro-shock treatment as part of the cure, and among roughly three hundred such centres in China, there have been seven reported deaths.
The world’s purest fresh…
The world’s purest fresh water has been found on the southern tip of Chile, in a town called Puerto Williams, after numerous scientific studies. The water has been found to have only two chemical parts per million, hence making it the world’s cleanest.
During World War II, Steinway…
During World War II, Steinway & Sons airdropped pianos with large parachutes and complete tuning instructions into the battle for the American troops. Called the Victory Vertical or G.I. Steinways, the pianos were to provide a bit of relaxation. The pianos came in olive, blue, and gray drab.
Henry Ford allowed injured…
Henry Ford allowed injured laborers to continue work from their hospital beds; screwing nuts on small bolts without getting out of bed. It was optional, but allowed employees to receive their normal salary while hospitalized. Ford believed the work to hasten their recovery.
In 1903, a man named Ellis Hughes…
In 1903, a man named Ellis Hughes stole a 32,000 lb meteorite by secretly moving it from a neighbor’s property onto his own. It took Hughes, his son and their horse 90 days to move it 3/4 of a mile. Once it arrived, he claimed he found it there and charged 25 cents admission to […]
A legal loophole in the…
A legal loophole in the UK allows alcohol to be sold without a license on a train in motion. An unlicensed distillery exploited this by setting up in a disused railway building, obtaining a steam train, and selling gin to customers while they road it back and forth from the distillery.