In the 1930’s, horse jockey Ralph Neves was thrown from his horse during a race, declared dead and taken to the morgue. Hours later, he woke up in the morgue, caught a cab back to the racetrack and proceeded to win the next race.
Sweden is the first country in the world…
Sweden is the first country in the world with its own phone number. It connects you to a random Swede.
In 2005, security guards at Australia’s Parliament…
In 2005, security guards at Australia’s Parliament House were banned from calling people ‘mate’. The ban lasted one day.
French preschools serve four-course lunches…
French preschools serve four-course lunches (including a cheese course) to educate them in taste and stimulate their senses.
In Finland they have ‘National Sleepy Head day’, where the…
In Finland they have ‘National Sleepy Head day’, where the last person in a family to wake up is thrown in to a lake or the sea by the rest of the family.
King Tut’s beard was broken off by museum workers…
King Tut’s beard was broken off by museum workers, who glued it back on. The mistake wasn’t discovered until months later.
The saying “Thank God for Mississippi” is used by residents….
The saying “Thank God for Mississippi” is used by residents of states who do poorly in rankings comparing US States, because Mississippi is almost always doing worse than they are.
In 1918, the geographic center of the United States…
In 1918, the geographic center of the United States was determined by balancing a cardboard cutout shape of the US on a point. It was accurate to within 20 miles.
Shortly before his death Stanley Kubrick had all the outtakes…
Shortly before his death Stanley Kubrick had all the outtakes and deleted scenes from his films destroyed. Burning “thousands of cans” of film so that no one could re-edit his movies.
Russia banned the sale of vodka during World…
Russia banned the sale of vodka during World War I. The government immediately lost a third of its income.