In 19th century England, a man by the name of Jack Black was an expert rat catcher. When he caught rats of unusual colour, he would breed them and sell the well bred rats to nobility. Even Queen Victoria kept a pet rat or two.
When returning to Earth after becoming first to land on the Moon…
When returning to Earth after becoming first to land on the Moon the Apollo astronauts had to go through U.S. Customs at the airport and fill out the usual declaration form stating what they were transporting. They declared they took a flight from the Moon to Honolulu and were transporting moon rocks, moon dust, and […]
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is more popular in Canada than anywhere…
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is more popular in Canada than anywhere else in the world. Often referred to simply as Kraft Dinner or even KD in Canada, it has achieved so much success that it has been called the National Dish of Canada and is the most popular item sold in Canadian grocery stores.
In 1978 a lone pilot flying in Australia reported to air traffic…
In 1978 a lone pilot flying in Australia reported to air traffic control that he was being accompanied by an aircraft above him. Asked to identify the aircraft, he radioed “It isn’t an aircraft”. His plane disappeared and has never been found.
The first American spy satellites literally dropped their film…
The first American spy satellites literally dropped their film from space in a “film bucket” that was then scooped up in midair by a plane.
There are over 100 million people in the world today who have Irish ancestry…
There are over 100 million people in the world today who have Irish ancestry, which is more than fifteen times the population of 6.4 million on the entire island of Ireland.
At midnight on Dec 30th, 1899, a ship positioned itself at the intersection…
At midnight on Dec 30th, 1899, a ship positioned itself at the intersection of the date line and equator, such that the bow and stern occupied different seasons, hemispheres, days, years, and centuries. For the ship, Dec 31st never occurred.
The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver…
The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver who “wanted to demonstrate that people did not die simply from falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net.” He proved himself correct by falling 135 feet safely through the […]
Detroit Tiger pitcher Daniel Norris purposely lives off just $800…
Detroit Tiger pitcher Daniel Norris purposely lives off just $800 a month, despite a $2 million signing bonus. When asked why he chooses to continue to live so conservatively. He asked back, “Who am I to deserve that? What have I really done?”
In the 1930’s, a photographer named Arthur Fellig installed…
In the 1930’s, a photographer named Arthur Fellig (aka Weegee) installed a police-band shortwave radio in his car and maintained a complete darkroom in the trunk. He’d often beat authorities to the scene, then sell his gory photos to the tabloids.