Frank Wills, the security guard who discovered the Watergate break-in that eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, struggled with unemployment and poverty for the rest of his life. By the time of his mother’s death in 1993, Wills was so destitute that he had to donate her body to medical research because he had no money with which to bury her. He died at age 52 of a brain tumor.
An Australian diver befriended…
An Australian diver befriended a baby shark. For years afterwards, whenever the shark would see him, she would swim up to him and demand cuddles.
In WW2 when the US Air Force were trying…
In WW2 when the US Air Force were trying to reduce losses of their bombers, they wanted to add armor to the areas that received the most damage, but a mathematician suggested they add the armor in areas that did not receive damage, as planes shot in those areas never made it back to be analyzed.
In the Amish subgroup called Renno
In the Amish subgroup called Renno, men are allowed to wear only one suspender.
Psychologists found that interrogative self-talk…
Psychologists found that interrogative self-talk, asking yourself a question about a future action increases the likelihood of it happening. For example, rather than saying “I’m going to the gym later.” You would say, “Will I go to the gym later?” It triggers more goal-oriented behavior.
Swedes have a national weekly eating plan…
Swedes have a national weekly eating plan. Thursdays are traditionally pancakes and split pea soup.
In 1990, high school senior Lisa Leslie…
In 1990, high school senior Lisa Leslie scored 101 points in the first half of a basketball game, an average of more than 6 points a minute. She wanted to break the record of 105 points in a game, but couldn’t because the other team refused to come back after half time.
Argentina’s Antarctic research base…
Argentina’s Antarctic research base, Brown Station, was burned to the ground in 1984 by the base’s doctor because he was told he had to stay the winter.
The world’s richest woman…
The world’s richest woman, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, owns a 33% stake in L’Oreal which was founded by her grandfather, Eugène Schueller, a known fascist and Nazi sympathizer. Françoise married and has raised her children Jewish.
According to a 2011 study, SpongeBob…
According to a 2011 study, SpongeBob is messing with the memory retention of children, impairing their “readiness for learning.” Findings show that allowing preschoolers to watch the series causes short-term disruptions in mental function and attention span due to frequent camera cut scenes.