US ski jumper Anders Haugen finished 4th at the 1924 Olympics, when 50 years later a Norwegian historian discovered a scoring error was made and Haugen should have gotten the bronze medal, which was handed to him in Norway in 1974 by the daughter of the original bronze medal winner.
People who read books live an average of almost…
People who read books live an average of almost 2 years longer than those who do not read at all, a Yale research found.
A Norwegian comedian wanted to prove that songs could…
A Norwegian comedian wanted to prove that songs could become club hits without making any sense, so he collected randoms words and names in Spanish (a language he did not speak) as lyrics and added cliché saxophones and accordion mixes. The song charted across Europe, reaching #1 in some places.
A man in NJ was charged $3750 for a bottle of wine…
A man in NJ was charged $3750 for a bottle of wine, ordering it after a waitress told him that it was “thirty seven fifty”.
The first “iPhone” was actually released in 1998…
The first “iPhone” was actually released in 1998 by a company called Infogear, a good nine years before Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s iPhone. Infogear was subsequently acquired by Cisco which then got into a trademark battle with Apple in 2007 over the name. The two companies eventually settled.
A Soviet soldier who went missing after a battle in Afghanistan…
A Soviet soldier who went missing after a battle in Afghanistan in 1980 was found alive in 2013, living in the Afghan city of Herat. He had been rescued by locals and eventually became a nomadic sheikh and healer under the name of Sheikh Abdullah.
People lived in caves in Scotland until…
People lived in caves in Scotland until 100 years ago when it was outlawed.
In 1713, Giuseppe Tartini dreamt that he had sold…
In 1713, Giuseppe Tartini dreamt that he had sold his soul to the devil. In the dream the devil played a masterful sonata. When Tartini woke up, he composed Violin Sonata in G minor.
The first use of “Google” as a verb in pop…
The first use of “Google” as a verb in pop culture (TV) happened on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2002.
Americans wasted US$2 billion in 2015…
Americans wasted US$2 billion in 2015 putting premium gasoline into cars that don’t need it.