Discover the Battle of Tanga (1914), where a British invasion of German East Africa collapsed due to poor planning, fierce German resistance, and an unexpected swarm of bees.
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Castor oil may be an all-purpose remedy, but its seeds make it one of the world’s deadliest plants.
“About half the practice of a decent lawyer consists in telling would-be clients that they are damned fools and should stop.” — Elihu Root, attorney and Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt and Secretary of War under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
Switchblades are illegal to make, sell, distribute, or possess under U.S. federal law, except for members of the armed forces and by individuals with only one arm. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1242-1244
We are used to thinking of the rate of tree growth as being similar to that of continental drift. Surprisingly, the fastest-growing lifeforms on the planet include trees. Consider some of these fast-growing examples: The fastest-growing tree in North America, the Eastern Cottonwood can grow 10-15 feet per year. Given that it can be dormant…
The Carolina Reaper Pepper has been officially recognized as the World’s Hottest Pepper by the Guinness Book of World Records, boasting a staggering 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units. This intense heat far surpasses other peppers, highlighting its extreme spiciness and marking a significant achievement in the realm of spicy foods.
Success did not come easily for Harland Sanders. By the time he was ready for retirement, he tried his hand as an Army mule-tender, railroad worker (from which he got fired for fighting with a co-worker), gas station operator, lawyer (a career that ended, by the way, when he got into a courtroom brawl with…
Some of us who break out in a rash at the thought of losing a quarter in a faulty vending machine may have difficulty empathizing with Australian businessman Harry Kakavas. He didn’t just lose some pocket change … He lost a LOT of money, and he kept on losing a LOT of money in extravagant…
Natalie Cooper of Kent, England, gets ill when she eats any food — except for Tic Tac mints. Having to receive all her nourishment through a feeding tube, Tic Tacs are the only solid food she can stomach. source
According to his medical records, Adolf Hitler suffered from uncontrollable flatulence and took up to 28 different drugs to try to control the embarrassing condition. source
Discover how the movie ‘Herbie Goes Bananas’ played an unexpected role in one of Brazil’s worst radioactive disasters—the Goiânia incident.
In a world that cherishes personal achievement, there are some awards you probably don’t want to have associated with your name. Here are just a few: The Diagram Prize is awarded each year to for the book with the most unusual title. Recent winners include: Strangers Have the Best Candy (2014) How to Poo on…
The mantis shrimp may not be the largest creature in the ocean (hey, it’s a shrimp, after all), and its appearance can be a bit on the flamboyant side, so you probably wouldn’t count on it being much of a prizefighter. Appearances are often deceiving, though. This little guy may be in the lightweight division,…
How Did Lucille Ball Break Up a World War II Spy Ring? Lucille Ball (1911-1989) was not only one of the undisputed geniuses of comedy, starring in I Love Lucy, Life With Lucy, and more than 80 motion pictures, but she also played an unplanned and unscripted role in counter-espionage.
History is replete with stories of wars that were fought over the love of a woman, the quest for power, and ideological differences. In 1859 two of the world’s greatest military powers prepared for battle over a pig.
When it comes to complexity of the written language, few can compete with the Chinese. Take, for example, the above character for the word nàng. It consists of 36 individual strokes, and it represents the sound one’s voice makes as a result of having a congested nose. Few characters exceed the complexity of biáng, above.…
