Higher intelligence is linked with higher rates of mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, causing the “mad scientist” stereotype to have ground in reality.
Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to pause the Cold War…
Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to pause the Cold War in case of an alien invasion.
CIA created a gun that could shoot darts that caused…
CIA created a gun that could shoot darts that caused heart attack. Upon penetration of skin the dart left just a tiny red dot. The poison itself worked rapidly and denatured quickly afterwards. It was revealed in 1975 in a Congressional testimony.
During the siege of the city during WWII, music performances were…
During the siege of the city during WWII, music performances were broadcast over the city of Leningrad 24/7 to bolster the civilians’ spirits. At rare times, when music wasn’t broadcast, a metronome was placed before the radio microphone to assure the people that the resistance was ongoing.
Machu Picchu was built in 1450, making it far younger than Oxford…
Machu Picchu was built in 1450, making it far younger than Oxford University, York Minster, The Divine Comedy by Dante and the printing press.
The pilot who successfully ditched Flight 1549 in the…
The pilot who successfully ditched Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 was an expert on airline safety, an NTSB accident investigator, published a paper on airline crew psychology in a crisis, and had his pilot’s certificate in gliders.
In 2008 two judges were found to be accepting money…
In 2008 two judges were found to be accepting money from two juvenile detention centers in return for increasing the number of residents, offenses were as minimal as mocking a principal on MySpace, trespassing in a vacant building, or shoplifting DVDs from Wall-mart .
On Feb 14, 1916, a group of 15,000 Australian soldiers went…
On Feb 14, 1916, a group of 15,000 Australian soldiers went on a drunken rampage through the streets of Sydney, hijacking trains and drinking pubs dry of beer.
In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February…
In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14. On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on February 14 or March go to a Chinese-Korean restaurant to eat black noodles and lament their ‘single life’.
In 1956, for a bet, while drunk, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole…
In 1956, for a bet, while drunk, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole a small plane from New Jersey and then landed it perfectly on a narrow Manhattan street in front of the bar he had been drinking at. Then, two years later, he did it again after a man didn’t believe he had done it the first […]