Tesla once paid an overdue hotel bill with a model of his “death beam”, warning hotel staff to never open it. After his death in 1943 the box was pried open and found to contain nothing but harmless old electrical components.
In 1968 a man built an island off the coast of Italy and declared himself…
In 1968 a man built an island off the coast of Italy and declared himself the President. He ran a restaurant, a bar, a nightclub, and a post office on the island. The Italian government didn’t like this, seized control of the island, and literally blew it up the next year.
A Russian scientist, Alexander Bogdanov, hoped to achieve everlasting life…
A Russian scientist, Alexander Bogdanov, hoped to achieve everlasting life, by transfusing blood with others who were younger than him. Later, he died after transfusing a student with malaria, who made a full recovery after the transfusion. Recent studies show he may have been onto something.
There are Shabbat elevators in areas of large Jewish population…
There are Shabbat elevators in areas of large Jewish population in Israel, the United States, Canada and Ukraine. These elevators stop at every floor so that Jews won’t have to press buttons on the Sabbath since pressing buttons is considered ‘doing work’.
Home of Truth, Utah was a religious utopian community in the 1930s whose leader claimed…
Home of Truth, Utah was a religious utopian community in the 1930s whose leader claimed to receive divine revelations through her typewriter.
The average potato has lost 100% of its vitamin…
The average potato has lost 100% of its vitamin a since 1951.
Witold Pilecki, a Polish soldier, volunteered to be caught and sent to Auschwitz…
A Polish soldier Witold Pilecki volunteered to be caught and sent to Auschwitz so that he could report on the atrocities occurring there. After 2 1/2 years as a prisoner, he escaped.
A man lost an eye and half his face to cancer, and used it to…
A man lost an eye and half his face to cancer, and used it to start a career as a zombie actor.
Leonard Nimoy was so associated with Spock’s character he was once invited to the…
Leonard Nimoy was so associated with Spock’s character he was once invited to the California Institute of Technology to review work on several projects. He later admits not knowing a word of what they were saying, but remained in character.
British WWII prisoner of war John Fancy dug eight tunnels with a table…
British WWII prisoner of war John Fancy dug eight tunnels with a table knife and escaped a total of 16 times, but was always recaptured.