Nancy Wake was a secret agent during WWII. In 1944, she led 7000 guerrillas to defeat 22000 German soldiers, killing 1400 Germans and only losing 100 men. They accounted for 70% of the Germans killed by the French resistance, yet their fatalities made up only 1% of the French resistance deaths.
Apollo 12 was struck by lightning…
Apollo 12 was struck by lightning during launch and was on the verge of being aborted before a single Flight Controller realised that flipping a little known switch would restore enough systems to save the mission.
Despite ancient Roman bridges…
Despite ancient Roman bridges being the first large and lasting bridges ever built, many are still used despite being around 2,000 years old.
Charles Ponzi, the creator…
Charles Ponzi, the creator of the Ponzi scheme, received Christmas cards from some of his investors and requests to invest money while he was in prison.
The only police officer…
The only police officer to arrest a sitting President was William H. West, a black Civil War veteran. He arrested President Ulysses S. Grant for speeding on his horse in 1872, for which the President paid a $20 bond.
There is a small café…
There is a small café in France that sells coffee to rude customers for €7 while polite customers get coffee for €1.40.
There is no link between…
There is no link between sudden changes in temperatures and catching a cold. Even though indirect results of cold weather, such as low humidity, can increase your chances of getting a cold, walking out into the cold with wet hair does not seem to have any effect on this likelyhood.
Scientists proposed a “Minimal…
Scientists proposed a “Minimal Turing Test” where you get to use only one word to convince others you are human, and not a machine. The single word that people found most likely to distinguish a human from a machine based on a new study was the word “poop”.
A Florida man faked his murder…
A Florida man faked his murder by shooting himself with a gun tied to a weather balloon. The gun and balloon were never found.
In 1920, the New York Times…
In 1920, the New York Times published an editorial titled “A Severe Strain on Credulity,” mocking scientist Robert Goddard’s contention that a rocket could conceivably leave the atmosphere and even reach the moon. They later printed a retraction, the day after the launch of Apollo 11.