Receptive agnosia is an inability to understand music. Sufferers regard music as simply “noise”, often compared to drainpipes or drills, or other invasive forms of background noise. 00
A Russian immigrant to NY in the 1920s, Lillian Alling was…
A Russian immigrant to NY in the 1920s, Lillian Alling was so homesick that she resolved to walk home to Siberia. She walked an estimated 5000 miles in 3 years, serving a few months in jail for vagrancy in Canada, and was last sighted on the banks of the Bering Strait. 10
Larry Abshier, a US soldier in the Korean War, defected…
Larry Abshier, a US soldier in the Korean War, defected to North Korea because he was caught smoking pot. He lived with four other American defectors and was cast in several North Korean films where he became a celebrity. 00
A Russian MIG Pilot defected during the cold war along with…
A Russian MIG Pilot defected during the cold war along with his aircraft. When he arrived in the USA he was convinced the CIA had specially stocked the grocery stores he went to because he couldn’t believe the vast array of products for sale. 10
A British sailor in WWII escaped his submarine…
A British sailor in WWII escaped his submarine from depths of 171 feet and managed to get to the surface and survive. 10
The Norwegian Archipelago of Svalbard is an entirely…
The Norwegian Archipelago of Svalbard is an entirely Visa-free zone. Anybody can live and work in Svalbard indefinitely regardless of country of citizenship. 10
In 2005 A Texas man created an internet controlled…
In 2005 A Texas man created an Internet controlled remote firearm with webcam mount for people wanting to hunt game online. It was quickly shut down by the Government of Texas. 00
In order to escape arrest, a man feigned a heart attack…
In order to escape arrest, a man feigned a heart attack. After being placed under a security watch in a hospital, he impersonated an FBI agent on the phone and told his guards he could be released. 00
J. Paul Getty refused to pay for his grandson’s ransom…
J. Paul Getty refused to pay for his 16-year-old grandson’s ransom. When an ear arrived by mail and the kidnappers lowered the sum to $3m instead of $17m, he agreed to pay only $2.2 million – the maximum amount that would be tax deductible. He lent his son the remaining $800.000, at a 4% interest. […]
Part of the reason why the Allied secret…
Part of the reason why the Allied secret services could fool the Nazis many times is that the deputy head of the German Abwehr, Hans Oster, actively sabotaged the Nazi war effort. 00