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.
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Battle of the Titans: DC and Marvel’s War Over Ownership of “Captain Marvel”
Read more: Battle of the Titans: DC and Marvel’s War Over Ownership of “Captain Marvel”Moviegoers who lined up to see Captain Marvel probably walked past posters announcing the soon-to-be-released D.C. Comics’ blockbuster Shazam!. Anyone remotely familiar with comic book lore knows that the muscle-bound superhero with the red suit and yellow lightening bolt on the Shazam! posters was known for over 70 years by the name “Captain Marvel.” How…
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Skeptical Sagittarians
Read more: Skeptical Sagittarians“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” — Arthur C. Clarke Read more funny quotes. Read Clarke’s Laws and other eponymous laws.
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Ten Days on Death Row: The Speedy Execution of Giuseppe Zangara
Read more: Ten Days on Death Row: The Speedy Execution of Giuseppe ZangaraGiuseppe Zangara attempted to kill President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 15, 1933. Although missing FDR, Zangara’s shots managed to mortally wound Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, who died 23 days later, on March 6, 1933. Zangara was formally charged with Cermak’s murder two days later, on March 8.
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Einstein’s Relationship Change Coefficient
Read more: Einstein’s Relationship Change Coefficient“Men marry women with the hope they will never change; women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.” — Albert Einstein
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You Had One Job: Lock Constantinople’s Gate
Read more: You Had One Job: Lock Constantinople’s GateConstantinople was one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world. When it was attacked on April 6, 1453, 10,000 men easily held off Sultan Mehmed II’s 100,000-150,000 attackers for fifty days. The Ottoman Turks used every weapon at their disposal in their attack, including massive cannons and a sea blockade. What ultimately brought…
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Too Busy Not to Pray
Read more: Too Busy Not to Pray“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” — Martin Luther Read more great quotes.
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How a Wobbly Chair Saved FDR’s Life
Read more: How a Wobbly Chair Saved FDR’s LifeOn February 15, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in Miami, Florida. Having just won the presidential election three months earlier, he was still 17 days away from being inaugurated as the 32nd President of the United States. (The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, changing the date of the inauguration to January 20, would not go…
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Marital Harmony Through Murderous Musings
Read more: Marital Harmony Through Murderous MusingsComedian Jack Benny commented on the success of his marriage to co-star Mary Livingstone. He said, “My wife Mary and I have been married for forty-seven years and not once have we had an argument serious enough to consider divorce; murder, yes, but divorce, never.”
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Charles VI: The King Who Thought He Was Made of Glass
Read more: Charles VI: The King Who Thought He Was Made of GlassKing Charles VI of France suffered from a debilitating delusion that caused him to believe he was made out of glass. Read about this strange case here.
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Point Responsibility At Your Own Seat
Read more: Point Responsibility At Your Own Seat“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” — Theodore Roosevelt
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Life Lessons from Tchaikovsky: Don’t Lose Your Head Over Music
Read more: Life Lessons from Tchaikovsky: Don’t Lose Your Head Over MusicDiscover Tchaikovsky’s unusual fear of losing his head while conducting. Learn how this bizarre phobia shaped his musical career and performances.
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Menu of Simple Choices
Read more: Menu of Simple Choices“As a child, my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.” — Buddy Hackett
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How Bayer Once Held Trademarks For Aspirin and Heroin
Read more: How Bayer Once Held Trademarks For Aspirin and HeroinWere aspirin and heroin trademarks? Yes. Both “aspirin” and “heroin” were originally trademarks owned by Bayer. After World War I, legal rulings and widespread usage caused the terms to become generic in some countries.
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Des Moines: the City That Got Its Name from a Practical Joke
Read more: Des Moines: the City That Got Its Name from a Practical JokeDes Moines — Could It Be a Joke? The city of Des Moines is a jewel in the middle of Iowa. With skyscrapers breaking up the monotony of the prairie horizon and the gold-domed Iowa State Capitol building reflecting the sun’s rays, the city of over 200,000 has a lot to be proud of. As…
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Gene Roddenberry: The Heroic Journey From Plane Crash to Star Trek
Read more: Gene Roddenberry: The Heroic Journey From Plane Crash to Star TrekGene Roddenberry: the Visionary and Pilot Fans of Star Trek are all too familiar with the scene: the ship is badly damaged, the helm is unresponsive, and everything seems to be going wrong. In moments like this, Captain Kirk invariably punches a button on the arm of his chair and calls for help from the…
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A Buttload is an Actual Unit of MeasurementFebruary 5, 2020
