More than 5,000 babies across…

More than 5,000 babies across the United States were abducted by a supposedly charitable organization between 1924 and 1950. The group targeted poor Southern families and developed a black market for white babies.

Charles Vance Millar, a Toronto lawyer…

Charles Vance Millar, a Toronto lawyer, died in 1926 with no relatives. In his will, he left all his remaining assets (equivalent to $9 million CAD) to the woman who had the most babies within 10 years of his death, creating a “baby race” where woman competed to have the most babies.

In 1836, a sewer worker accidentally…

In 1836, a sewer worker accidentally discovered an old drain which ran directly into the Bank of England’s gold vault. He wrote letters to the directors of the bank and requested a meeting inside the vault at an hour of their choosing – and popped out of the floor to greet them.

Men of Twitter Share Instances They Took a Stand Against Misogyny and Predatory Behavior

Gentlemen: pay attention. It’s up to us to end misogyny, so if we see another man acting inappropriately towards a woman in any way whatsoever, it’s our duty to speak up and take a stand. Period.

If you need inspiration, take a look at these guys. It all started when a Twitter user threw out this question to all the good guys out there.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And here were some of the best responses.

1. Role model

Photo Credit: Twitter

2. He needed to hear it

Photo Credit: Twitter

3. Explain why they’re wrong

Photo Credit: Twitter

4. It’s not hard

Photo Credit: Twitter

5. Stare ’em down

Photo Credit: Twitter

6. Teaching moments

Photo Credit: Twitter

7. Some good advice

Photo Credit: Twitter

8. Ugh

Photo Credit: Twitter

9. Get involved in one way or another

Photo Credit: Twitter

10. It’s okay to look like an idiot

Photo Credit: Twitter

To all the guys out there: it’s our responsibility to step up and say something when you see something inappropriate happening. Do the right thing!

The post Men of Twitter Share Instances They Took a Stand Against Misogyny and Predatory Behavior appeared first on UberFacts.

15 Animation Mistakes in ‘The Little Mermaid’ That Most People Miss

Back in the days of handpainted animation, filmmakers just had to do their best to keep every frame consistent with the last. If there was the occasional mistake, they probably just figured it would be small enough to go unnoticed.

These 15 tiny mistakes are all in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Fair warning, though – after you read this post you won’t be able to unsee them!

#1. Ariel is crying on a rock next to a piece of broken wood and a broken vase. But in the wide shot, everything is different – even the rock formation.

Photo Credit: Disney

#2. Max’s paws are white…except that one time they’re gray.

Photo Credit: Disney

#3. When Ariel meets Max, he licks the right side of her face, but she wipes the slobber off of the left side.

Photo Credit: Disney

#4. This porthole changes from the time Scuttle lands on it to when he flies away.

Photo Credit: Disney

#5. The perfume bottle Vanessa steps on and breaks wasn’t on her vanity in the wide shot.

Photo Credit: Disney

#6. The handles on the plate covers change between the closeup and wide shots.

Photo Credit: Disney

#7. When Ariel first sees the “dinglehopper” it has four tines, but only three after she picks it up.

Photo Credit: Disney

#8. When Ariel swims out to stop the wedding and climbs onto the ship, she’s shoeless – but when she gets her voice back a moment later, she’s wearing shoes.

Photo Credit: Disney

#9. During Eric and Ariel’s date, her hair is half-up, half-down, but her shadow in the water reflects a ponytail.

Photo Credit: Disney

#10. Sebastian is thrown into a brown sauce…that somehow turns white by the next shot.

Photo Credit: Disney

#11. When Flounder gets stuck in the pothole, his fins are stuck on the outside and the inside, somehow.

Photo Credit: Disney

#12. King Triton blows up the Eric statue in the grotto, and we see the cracks and lines going through the entire thing…but somehow his face is intact?

Photo Credit: Disney

#13. King Triton’s crown has 5 peaks while he’s wearing it, but 7 after she turns him into that shriveled little sad thing.

Photo Credit: Disney

#14. The bookmarks in the priest’s bible change colors.

Photo Credit: Disney

#15. Gold buckles appear on Chef Louie’s shoes halfway through his song and dance number.

Photo Credit: Disney

One thing is still true – The Little Mermaid has the best songs (and the hottest prince).

The post 15 Animation Mistakes in ‘The Little Mermaid’ That Most People Miss appeared first on UberFacts.

This New Way to Eat Pineapples Is the Biggest News of 2019

Pineapples are absolutely yummy (unless they’re on a pizza, but that’s a whole other story). Sadly, they’re also kinda hard to eat if you’re actually trying to do it from scratch and not get the syrupy canned versions. Do I peel, then cut? Do I cut, then peel? What’s the best knife for it, and how do I not chop my hand off in the process?

Even if you’re a pineapple-slicing professional, it’s a whole elaborate process. Your other options are to buy pre-sliced pineapple or just… give up on this delicious fruit.

But wait. THERE IS A BETTER WAY. You can apparently just eat pineapple with your bare hands, and honestly, this is the biggest development of the year, as far as I’m concerned!

Photo Credit: TikTok

This pineapple hack comes to the world courtesy of a TikTok user. @dillonroberts22 posted a video that shows someone ripping off individual pieces of pineapple and (really loudly) chomping on them. It’s about 2 seconds long, and those 2 seconds basically changed the world.

The video spread like wildfire on Twitter, where people were genuinely shocked that there is a whole other way to eat pineapple that nobody knew about WTF.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Some people even ventured to try the trick at home, sure that the TikTok video was a hoax. But nope – it’s 100% real, folks.

A few wise Twitter users took everyone else to Pineapple School, where they explained that pineapples actually consist of a whole bunch of berries fused together. Each individual piece is a berry, which is why they can be torn off like that.

Mind blown. It’s almost too good to be true.

The post This New Way to Eat Pineapples Is the Biggest News of 2019 appeared first on UberFacts.

Denver Airport Startles and Amuses Fliers with a Talking Gargoyle Statue

Ever since the Denver Airport opened back in 1995, it’s been the center of all kinds of conspiracy theories. People have found all sorts of supposedly sinister symbols all over it, and some even think it might be the Illuminati Headquarters. Then there’s the famously terrifying “Blue Mustang” sculpture that actually killed the artist who made it.

 

Photo Credit: Twitter

The airport has long had stone gargoyles guarding the baggage area. Although the original statures are currently in storage due to the construction, the airport has installed a new gargoyle to delight and amuse visitors (and discuss various conspiracy theories).

From far away, the gargoyle looks like a traditional stone statue. When you get close, he might just strike up a conversation. Check out the Denver Airport’s video of this amusing fellow:

A quick side note: the gargoyle says he’s 243 years old. Guess how long ago the Illuminati was founded? Yep, 243 years ago. Coincidence?

The post Denver Airport Startles and Amuses Fliers with a Talking Gargoyle Statue appeared first on UberFacts.

The U.K. is Seeing a Sudden Resurgence of Ancient Diseases

As we here in America battle with the comeback of diseases like measles, the United Kingdom is also struggling with the reemergence of old-school, Dickensian diseases gout and scarlet fever.

Data from the UK National Health Service shows a 52% increase in four key “Victorian diseases” since 2010/2011 – many of which were assumed to have disappeared along with chamber pots. The rise of sanitation, vaccinations, and modern science seemed to have these diseases on the run, but the recent data shows that they’re not going down without a fight.

Cases of scarlet fever have increased by 208% in the past decade, going from 429 cases in 2010/11 to 1321 cases in 2017/2018. The disease was the leading cause of death in children in the early 20th century and presents with a sore throat, fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes, and a pink-red rash.

Scarlet fever rash
Image Credit: Wikipedia

A vaccine nearly wiped out whooping cough in the 1950s but hospital admissions are up 59%, and the instances of people experiencing gout are up 38% – almost 2000 more cases in 2017/2018 than there were 10 years before. Gout is associated with a poor diet, heavy drinking, an a general lack of concern over one’s health.

Whooping cough bacteria
Image Credit: Wikipedia

Life expectancy is stalling in the UK, too, and hospital admissions due to malnutrition are up 54%. Infant mortality rates are also on the rise, and as with everything else, the poorer people are suffering the most.

The culprit? Well, the data suggests large cuts to healthcare, social services, and other public services could be to blame. That said, the study was commissioned by a political party that is against the austerity programs, which should be taken into consideration.

The data is solid and from independent sources, however, so the truth can’t be denied – people in the UK are sicker than ever, dying younger than they were ten years ago, and generally struggling to stay well as people in Western Europe face none of the same challenges (in general).

I don’t know about you, but I hope to avoid all of these diseases in the modern world. All I’ve got is a vaccination and a prayer.

The post The U.K. is Seeing a Sudden Resurgence of Ancient Diseases appeared first on UberFacts.

Corn Flakes Were Made to Get You to Stop Masturbating (+7 More Weird Facts About Cereal)

We all know that Frosted Flakes are “Grrrrrreat” and that Lucky Charms are “Magically delicious,” but I’m willing to bet that a lot of you have no idea what the real story behind some of your favorite cereals.

#1. Alpha-Bits were a concentrated effort to market cereal to children.

Image Credit: Post Cereals

Post Cereals worker Thomas Quigley, a father of seven, rose to a challenge to design a new cereal to market to kids – that combining fun, education, and sugar would be just the ticket.

He was right, of course, and the tradition of selling sugar to kids and calling it a healthy breakfast was born!

#2. Wheaties were the result of an accident.

Image Credit: Wheaties.com

In 1921, a clinician at a sanitarium accidentally spilled wheat gruel onto a hot stovetop. It dried into flakes and, inspired by the preparation of Corn Flakes, a miller and his employees tried 14 times and 36 varieties of wheat to find the perfect combination of wheat, salt, sugar, and malt syrup.

They became popular due to the first radio commercial jingle.

#3. Cap’n Crunch is designed to make you want more.

Image Credit: Quaker Oats

By the 1960s, some of the best-selling cereals marketed to kids had lots of sugar, and research showed that kids preferred cereal that floated and stayed crunchy (duh), so Quaker came up with a combination of corn and oat cereal that fit the bill.

Flavorist Pamela Low brought the key ingredient to the table, though, with a favorite combination from her childhood: brown sugar and butter sauce over rice. She called it a “want-more-ishness” and people couldn’t get enough – especially kids after the introduction of their seafaring mascot.

#4. The history of Chex is…not very nice.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Chex came from a pet food company called Ralston Purina that was led by one William Danforth and self-help author Webster Edgerly (who was looking to promote whole grains as people food). Edgerly was the founder of a cult-like movement that, in addition to promoting a healthy diet, was into mind control and racial supremacy (he advocated for non-whites to be castrated and believed watermelons were toxic to Caucasians?), but the diet piece made Edgerly interested in creating yummy sources of whole grains to his followers.

Together, the two first came up with Shredded Ralston, which was bite-sized squares of shredded wheat, changing it to “Chex” in 1950 to honor the brand’s checkerboard logo. Danforth continued to make pet food under the name Purina while Chex was sold off to General Mills.

#5. Your Corn Flakes were meant to curb sexual desire.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who worked as a physician in a Michigan sanitarium, believed (along with the rest of the Seventh-Day-Adentists) that irritating foods (like too much meat at breakfast) led to an increase in sexual desire, and that masturbation could lead to worsening illness.

He experimented until he came up with bland, grain-based breakfast flakes after he left boiled wheat out for too long and then decided what the heck, I’ll toast them and feed them to my patients anyway. Luckily, it worked out for all involved!

#6. Cheerios are the perfect result of over 500 test products.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Puffed cereals made from rice and wheat were all the rage in the 1930s and 1940s, and General Mills wanted to see if it worked with oats. Food science innovator Lester Borchardt and his team tested the oat-based recipe (and a variety of shapes) – over 500 formulas in all – before the winning donut shape won out.

It was originally called CheeriOats but the name was shortened after Quaker Oats filed a lawsuit over the use of the word ‘oats.” It was rebranded in 1945 and has been a top-selling cereal ever since.

#7. Honey Bunches of Oats combines the trifecta of popular cereal ingredients.

Image Credit: Post Cereals

In 1989, long-serving Post employee and cereal lover Vernon J. Herzing took his three favorite cereals – Toasties, Grape-Nuts Flakes, and Sugar Sparkle Flakes – and tried combining the three. Together with his daughter, Kimberly, they combined products until they landed on the perfect mix.

Its success has led to other flake-and-cluster cereals and myriad spinoffs.

#8. Rice Krispies are the product of an experiment and a gun.

Image Credit: Quaker Oats

In 1901, botanist Alexander Pierre Anderson wanted to know what might happen if he heated starch granules – he thought the water inside the granules would turn to steam and result in small puffing explosions (and of course, he was right). He then used a gas pipe and a sledgehammer to form a gun-like device that simplified the process.

He debuted his cool little trick at the 1904 World’s Fair and Quaker Oats snapped it up, marketing it as “food shot from guns.”

Interesting, right? You just never know what you’ll find online!

The post Corn Flakes Were Made to Get You to Stop Masturbating (+7 More Weird Facts About Cereal) appeared first on UberFacts.

Mom Accidentally Discovers How to Finally Help Kids Clean Their Rooms Properly

Everyone who’s ever taken care of children knows that getting them to clean up after themselves is quite a hassle. In fact, this single task can often be so difficult that many caregivers just give up and clean up the mess themselves.

But one mom has had a lot of success with a method that you may not have tried with your gremlins already. It’s called the “Mountain Method,” and it arose out of sheer desperation.

Photo Credit: iStock

Writer Kristen Mae‘s son was around 9 years old when she couldn’t handle another second of helping him clean up the mess that he’d created. So, she swept all of his toys from their various hiding places into the middle of his room. She informed him that he couldn’t enjoy any screen time until everything in the pile was in its proper place. Then she left the room.

Kristen says she didn’t expect the trick to actually work – the mountain was more-so to make a point about how much mess really existed.

Amazingly enough, though, her son slowly chipped away at the pile until it was all cleaned up. Now, the Mountain Method is a regular part of her family’s cleaning routine.

Photo Credit: iStock

If you’re familiar with Marie Kondo’s philosophy of cleaning, the Mountain Method makes a ton of sense. Like Kristen, Marie recommends first piling all of your mess into one place so you can see everything – then starting to organize.

“Having everything in one place turned what felt like a thousand tasks into one single task,” Kristen explained.

A mountain of a task, sure. But a doable one. It’s worth a try!

The post Mom Accidentally Discovers How to Finally Help Kids Clean Their Rooms Properly appeared first on UberFacts.