In 1925 an all-black baseball team in Wichita, Kansas played an exhibition against a local KKK Klavern, with Irish Catholics serving as umpires. The black team won 10-8.
In the 1960’s, US spy planes were taking photos of Cuba….
In the 1960’s, US spy planes were taking photos of Cuba. Those who analyzed them noticed something peculiar. They were building soccer fields. Cubans don’t like soccer, they like baseball. Russians like soccer. This is how the Cuban Missile Crisis started.
There is an island in the Scottish Hebrides…
There is an island in the Scottish Hebrides that is owned entirely by its people. With a population of 83, the Isle of Eigg has been owned by its community since being bought in 1997, after decades of issues with absentee landlords, and generates 100% of its electricity using renewable energy.
After Nietzsche’s death, his sister edited his work…
After Nietzsche’s death, his sister edited his work to remove anything that didn’t align with the Nazi Doctrine. Writings that were Anti-Nazi, were edited to be Pro-Nazi, and used by Hitler’s party. The Nazis didn’t know she did this, and believed that Nietzsche was genuinely pro-Nazi.
A tool shop owner paid $100 for a locked abandoned storage…
A tool shop owner paid $100 for a locked abandoned storage unit, only to find the Lotus Esprit submarine prop from The Spy Who Loved Me inside. He sold it to Elon Musk for $825,000.
A U.S. FDA study showed 90% of more than 100 drugs…
A U.S. FDA study showed 90% of more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter, “were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.” The U.S. military saved $260 million in five years by not discarding expired drugs.
During their expedition Lewis and Clark brought packs…
During their expedition Lewis and Clark brought packs of “thunderclappers,” ridiculously strong laxatives made of 60 percent mercury. Due to the strength of the laxatives and the longevity of mercury, scientists can track the route of the expedition by following deposits.
Treadmills used to be used as punishment for prisoners…
Treadmills used to be used as punishment for prisoners in the 1800’s. The treadmills powered grain mills (hence the name treadmill) and pump water.
The Soviet launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite…
The Soviet launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, was such a shocking event that at least one theater manager stopped the movie to announce it. The movie was _Earth vs. the Flying Saucers_, and in the audience was a young Stephen King.
A man who was napping under a tree and had his skull…
A man who was napping under a tree and had his skull crushed by a 16 pound pinecone sued various governmental agencies for $5 million due to the lack of warning signs.