The Great Fire of London (1666): Strange Facts Behind the Famous Disaster
The Great Fire of London wasn’t just a disaster—it was full of odd decisions and strange moments. Here are the quirkiest facts from 1666.
Keep readingCheck Out the Latest
-
The Motivation of the Wise and Foolish to Speak
Read more: The Motivation of the Wise and Foolish to Speak“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” — Plato Read more fun facts about philosophers. Read more fun facts about Greece.
-
Meet the Bone That’s Making a Comeback
Read more: Meet the Bone That’s Making a ComebackOne thing we all learn in school is that the human body has 206 bones. This is true — except when it isn’t. Many people have a 207th bone. What is more interesting is that the number of those who have this extra skeletal piece seems to be steadily increasing.
-
The Only Certain Way to Avoid Making Mistakes
Read more: The Only Certain Way to Avoid Making Mistakes“It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose.” — Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), British-Polish novelist. Read more great quotes. Read more fun facts about literature.
-
Fleas Accelerate Faster than the Space Shuttle — 10 Fun Facts About the Flea
Read more: Fleas Accelerate Faster than the Space Shuttle — 10 Fun Facts About the FleaFleas may have been directly responsible for wiping out a significant percentage of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages, but you can’t help but admire the tiny insect’s design. The body of the flea is an engineering marvel that in many ways exceeds the best that human technology can offer. Don’t be too quick to…
-
Homicidal Horses, Predatory Pigs, Robber Rats: Trials and Executions of Animals in Medieval Courts
Read more: Homicidal Horses, Predatory Pigs, Robber Rats: Trials and Executions of Animals in Medieval CourtsThese pages have documented many unusual stories and facts relating to capital punishment. Regardless of your personal views on the subject, it probably goes without saying that you assume we are talking about the execution of humans. For much of human history, capital punishment was no respecter of persons or species. Animal criminals, as well…
-
Polar Bears: the Original Stealth Fighter
Read more: Polar Bears: the Original Stealth FighterStealth fighters have state-of-the art technology that runs nearly $1 billion per aircraft. Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak is the stuff of fiction. Meanwhile, deep within the Arctic Circle, polar bears long ago have developed their own high-tech cloaking technology.
-
Bad Handwriting Responsible for Up to 61% of Prescription Errors
Read more: Bad Handwriting Responsible for Up to 61% of Prescription ErrorsIt is a standing joke that physicians have horrible handwriting. It turns out this may not be such a laughing matter. A number of studies have found that sloppy handwriting is just as deadly to patients as the disease for which they sought treatment.
-
Britney Spears Sends Pirates Fleeing
Read more: Britney Spears Sends Pirates FleeingAs raids by Somali pirates cause havoc and send fear rippling throughout the shipping industry, mariners have been forced to break out the ultimate weapon: Britney Spears.
-
When History Hung on a Minor League Baseball Career
Read more: When History Hung on a Minor League Baseball CareerDiscover how Dwight Eisenhower’s minor league baseball career almost changed the course of history. Read the fascinating story of his early athletic ambitions and how fate led him to the presidency.
-
Which Came First: the Match or the Lighter?
Read more: Which Came First: the Match or the Lighter?We may not know whether the chicken or the egg came first, and we might not even know why some stars appear to be older than the universe itself. There is one thing that is quite certain, however, even if it is counter-intuitive: the cigarette lighter is older than the match.
-
Explore the Action-Packed and Wrinkle-Free World of Extreme Ironing
Read more: Explore the Action-Packed and Wrinkle-Free World of Extreme IroningWhat do you do if you are an adrenaline junkie and you find such things are ironing your clothes far too mundane for your frenetic lifestyle? Why not combine them and take a shot at earning immortality as a champion in the sport of Extreme Ironing?
-
Is Your Coffee Cold? Try Yelling at It
Read more: Is Your Coffee Cold? Try Yelling at ItIf taking a sip of cold coffee gets your dander up, making you want to yell, you might as well go ahead and let loose. You can actually heat your coffee through the power of your voice.
-
Which Costs More — A Volkswagen Beetle or a Stag Beetle?
Read more: Which Costs More — A Volkswagen Beetle or a Stag Beetle?If you are in the market for a beetle and you find yourself on a tight budget, which should you buy — the insect or the car that bears its name? Contrary to what you might expect, the little six-legged kind has greater potential to empty your bank account.
-
How Much Social Security Fraud Consists of Payments to Dead People?
Read more: How Much Social Security Fraud Consists of Payments to Dead People?How Much Social Security Fraud Consists of Payments to Dead People?
-
Read Michelangelo’s Poem of Despair About Painting the Sistine Chapel
Read more: Read Michelangelo’s Poem of Despair About Painting the Sistine ChapelMichelangelo (1475-1564) was not only sensitive to criticism and bore some questionable quirks (as has been documented in these posts), but he revealed himself to have at least one thing in common with every person reading this: sometimes he got stuck with a job that he just didn’t want to do. In his case, that…
Trending
A Buttload is an Actual Unit of MeasurementFebruary 5, 2020
