In the movie Braveheart, Sir William Wallace gives a stirring speech at the beginning of the battle of Stirling Bridge that motivates the Scots to fight to victory. Perhaps they were so […]
To Battle… By Car?
Truly, a Fate Worse Than Death
Sometimes it just isn’t worth it to become a celebrity. Take, for example, the case of Charlotte Taylor. In 2009 the 18-year-old attended the Leeds Festival and stopped to make use of […]
How “Herbie Goes Bananas” Led to a Radioactive Disaster
Herbie Goes Bananas, the 1980 film about a Volkswagen Beetle that is seemingly alive, is widely regarded as the worst of the Herbie movies. Some might even call it a disaster. Few […]
Looking for Gas Leak with Open Flame… Anyone Else See a Problem with This?
The largest cylindrical gas container in the world in 1927 was in the heart of the industrial center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On the morning of November 14, 1927, it developed a leak, so […]
“Little” Mistakes That Almost Triggered the End of the World
False alarms leading to nuclear war make for interesting movie plots, but when they happen in real life, they are nightmarish, at best. One such nightmare happened on the morning of November […]
Never Argue With a Judge — Even When He Calls Himself an Idiot
When Tristan Ellis, a notorious burglar, showed up in front of Australian Judge Dean Mildren on March 29, 2004, it was the third time that year he had been arrested. The judge […]
Keep Track of All Participants in Your Conversation
The distinguished British actor Sir John Gielgud sometimes lost track of the identity of the person with whom he was speaking. This occasionally generated some awkwardness. Once, while dining in a restaurant […]
It’s Not Easy Being Green Grey
Marvel Comics’ mega-strong, most-in-need-of-anger-management character the Hulk is best known for being green. Originally he appeared as grey, just as his creator Stan Lee intended. When a printer error turned him green, […]
Presidential Proclamations
National policy and the global economy often hinge upon the statements of the President of the United States. Despite that incredible power and responsibility, some presidential utterances fail to inspire or motivate: […]
Medals for Marriage
United Kingdom’s Prince Philip has a reputation for lacking tact in many of his public comments. Occasionally these comments can be turned on him immediately. An example of this is the time […]
Short-Lived and Premature Celebration
Charles Evans Hughes went to bed on election night, 1916, thinking he had just won the presidency of the United States. During the night it became evident that California’s votes were going […]
Don’t Kill the Messenger — Especially if He Comes from Genghis Khan
Haven’t heard of the Khwarezmian Empire? You can thank the unbelievably bad decisions of its leader, Shad Ala Ad-Din Muhammad II (1169-1220).
Need a Cheap iPhone? This Guy Has a Few. Just Don’t Ask About His Love Life
A Chinese factory worker spent more than $63,000 (500,000 yuan) to purchase 99 iPhone 6 devices. This is 17 times the average annual salary in his southern province of Guagzhou. He arranged […]
Which is More Formidable?
The Duke of Windsor’s visits with French troops in the early days of World War II were helpful in boosting morale, but his flaccid grasp of the French language sometimes resulted in […]
If Only There Were A Backspace Button for Speech
When Crown Princess (later Queen) Louise of Sweden visited Uppsala Cathedral, the Archbishop conducted the tour in English. His use of the language was good, but he got tripped up at a […]
