A man created a fake restaurant that became the #1 restaurant in London. On opening night he served microwaved food. Eventually, he got sick of being interviewed about it. So he sent people that looked like him to the interviews, and told them what to say.
A Swedish man was wrongly imprisoned…
A Swedish man was wrongly imprisoned for a murder for 14 years until a true-crime podcast brought out clues that led to his exoneration. Awarded a record sum in damages of 18 million SEK, he now lives in Canary Islands with his wife who was his Spanish-language teacher in prison.
J. R. R. Tolkien began work…
J. R. R. Tolkien began work on The Hobbit one day early in the 1930s, when he was marking School papers. He found a blank page. Suddenly inspired, he wrote the words, “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit.”
Passive internet use…
Passive internet use (looking at stuff but not posting) affects your well-being in a more negative way than active internet use (commenting and posting).
In 2013, Britney Spear’s music…
In 2013, Britney Spears’ music was used by British Naval Officers to ward off Somali Pirates in the east coast of Africa. According to one officer: “As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can.”
In the Town of Green…
In the Town of Green Bank WV it is illegal to use any WiFi and cellphones. This town is part of the National Radio Quiet Zone, in which radio transmissions are heavily restricted by law to facilitate scientific research and the gathering of military intelligence.
The oldest known piece…
The oldest known piece of music is a drinking song called the Epitaph of Seikilos. Its lyrics include the line “Life exists only for a short while, and time demands its toll.”
A solid gold toilet…
A solid gold toilet was once on display at a museum in New York. Over 100,000 people lined up to use it.
Fireworks are totally illegal…
Fireworks are totally illegal in Florida, but are sold to ordinary people in huge quantities via hundreds of stores across the state to anyone who signs a waiver saying they’re for agricultural use to scare birds away from crops.
David “Carbine” Williams…
David “Carbine” Williams, who helped invent the M1 Carbine, was a convicted murderer and created innovative gun ideas while in jail. He was convicted of the shooting of a sheriff who busted his illegal moonshine still. He was released after his family argued his inventions could help America.