William of Orange was the first head of state assassinated with a firearm. Take a look at the assassins punishment: “The magistrates decreed that the right hand of Gérard should be burned off with a red-hot iron, that his flesh should be torn from his bones with pincers in six different places, that he should be quarteredand disembowelled alive, that his heart should be torn from his bosom and flung in his face, and that, finally, his head should be cut off.”
When Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet during…
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.