In 1849 New York, a man would walk up to strangers and begin a conversation. Gaining their trust, he would ask “Have you the confidence to trust me with your watch until tomorrow?” He would never return. When finally caught, he was labeled a “confidence man”, later shortened to simply “con man”. The man, William Thompson, would reportedly gain the confidence of his upper-class “mark” by dressing very nicely and pretending to be an old, forgotten friend. He was eventually arrested when one of his former victims recognized him on the street.
If pigs are not castrated the meat…
If pigs are not castrated the meat will have an unpleasant odor when cooked; referred to as “Boar Taint.” With the feral pig explosion across many parts of North American hunters have developed the practice of “Twice hunting”. Hunters trap the male boars, take their testicles off (yikes), and then release the pigs for several months or up to a year before hunting them a second time and killing them. When the pigs are spayed the tend to graze a lot more and spend less time getting into fights. Their hormones obviously change as well which affect the muscle tissue of the sterile pigs.
On Halloween 1992 the UK show ‘Ghostwatch’ purported…
On Halloween 1992 the UK show ‘Ghostwatch’ purported to show a real haunting which was spreading around the country. Banned for a decade and never re-aired, it was blamed for several traumas, including a suicide.
Since the 12th century, Judaism believes that if…
Since the 12th century, Judaism believes that if the truths derived through science or philosophy contradict religious beliefs, the religious beliefs are incorrect.
In 1991 a woman was kept “alive” although…
In 1991 a braindead woman was kept “alive” because she was pregnant. The baby was born alive.
In 2010, when Google replaced their logo with playable…
In 2010, when Google replaced their logo with playable Pacman, users spent an extra 36 seconds on the page. Assuming this time was wasted, it resulted in a $120M loss in man hours.
Immediately after the Challenger explosion, shares…
Immediately after the Challenger explosion, shares of every corporation involved in the Space Shuttle dropped. But by the end of the day, most had rebounded; only Morton Thiokol remained low. This was months before the official investigation found Thiokol to be responsible for the disaster.
No study has shown the food additive MSG…
No study has shown the food additive MSG to be dangerous and the entire public outcry against it in the 1970s was because of one letter sent to the New England Journal of Medicine.
During the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw…
During the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact soldiers, road signs in towns were removed or painted over to confuse invading troops—except for those indicating the way to Moscow.
Chaupadi is a traditional Hindu practice that…
Chaupadi is a traditional Hindu practice that banishes menstruating women — considered unclean — from the rest of the house. Nepali women are not allowed to touch kitchen utensils, share the same water source, go to school, or sleep inside the home during their periods. Instead, they sleep in huts, animal sheds, caves or even in the open.
