When Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet during its 1910 approach, there was public fear that a gas discovered in the tail, cyanogen, would destroy all life on the planet, leading to people buying gas masks and “Anti-Comet Pills.”
There is a rare mental disorder in which the sufferer…
There is a rare mental disorder in which the sufferer is convinced that he or she is dead.
Dubai has a weight-loss contest called ‘Your Child in Gold’ where individual…
Dubai has a weight-loss contest called ‘Your Child in Gold’ where individual participants win one gram of gold for every one kilogram (~2.2lbs) lost, and double reward for families. The contest is aimed at combating early obesity and raise awareness on the disease.
A man who entertained at restaurants played a stolen Stradivarius…
A man who entertained at restaurants played a stolen Stradivarius violin for over 50 years before confessing its true value to his wife on his deathbed.
Eli Lilly, the company behind the SSRI antidepressant Prozac…
Eli Lilly, the company behind the SSRI antidepressant Prozac, hid its clinical trials from the FDA that showed patients who took Prozac were 12 times more likely to commit suicide compared to older antidepressants.
Seals have been known to have sex…
Seals have been known to have sex with penguins.
The Bayanzi tribe of the Congo would execute via decapitation with a twist…
The Bayanzi tribe of the Congo would execute via decapitation with a twist. While alive, the head of the condemned would be connected to a springy sapling so that when it was cut off, it would be thrown through the air “with the force of a bomb”. According to some studies, some consciousness remains after decapitation, so that flight would probably have been very confusing.
Slave laborers making tanks for Nazi Germany routinely sabotaged every part…
Slave laborers making tanks for Nazi Germany routinely sabotaged every part they could, and this caused German tanks to be extremely prone to breaking down.
Robert De Niro was so dedicated, to prepare for his roles…
Robert De Niro was so dedicated, to prepare for his roles, he actually gained 60 lbs for Raging Bull, lived in Sicily Italy for The Godfather Part II, ground his teeth for Cape Fear, became a cab driver for Taxi Driver, and learned to play the saxophone for New York, New York.
Jake Bird was a truly creepy character — an axe-murderer who may…
Jake Bird was a truly creepy character — an axe-murderer who may have killed as many as 46 people. But even after he was caught in 1947 and sentenced to death, he’s said to have continued killing people by putting the “Jake Bird hex” on them. Six people associated with the trial were said to have succumbed to his hex.
After his conviction was announced, Bird was allowed to make a final statement. He spoke for 20 minutes, noting that his request to represent himself had been denied and that his own lawyers were against him.
Bird then said, “I’m putting the Jake Bird hex on all of you who had anything to do with my being punished. Mark my words you will die before I do.” Allegedly, six people connected with the trial died: Judge Edward D. Hodge of a heart attack within a month of sentencing him to death, as did one of the officers who took his first confession. A police officer who took a second confession died, as did the court’s chief clerk, and one of Bird’s prison guards. J.W. Selden, one of Bird’s lawyers, died on the first anniversary of his sentencing.