Saddam Hussein’s campaign song in the 2002 presidential election was “I Will Always Love You.” Hussein won 100% percent of the vote, besting Stalin’s mark of 99.95.
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politics
Anti-margarine Senator Gordon…
Anti-margarine Senator Gordon Roselip incorrectly identified margarine as butter in a blind taste test. His wife later confessed that she had been feeding him margarine and telling him that it was butter.
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During Eurovision 1978 the Jordanian…
During Eurovision 1978 the Jordanian broadcaster censored the Israeli performance, instead showing pictures of flowers. When it became apparent that Israel would win, the broadcast was cut off and it was announced that Belgium had won instead.
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1
One of the Soviet space dogs’ puppy…
One of the Soviet space dogs’ puppy, Pushinka, was given by Khrushchev to Kennedy as a gift. One of Kennedy’s dog, Charlie, took a liking to Pushinka, resulting in the birth of four pups referred jokingly by Kennedy as “pupniks”.
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1
Rep. Ed Orcutt suggested…
Rep. Ed Orcutt suggested a CO₂ tax for cyclists/bikers because “they exercise and breathe hard and therefore exhale more CO₂”, claiming biking is bad for the environment.
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2
Los Frikis: Punks Who Chose to Infect Themselves with HIV in Castro’s Cuba
Communist Cuba wasn’t really the best place to be a punk rocker. Rebellious teens, known as los frikis (“the freaks”), used their radios to pick up American airwaves and rock out to groups like AC/DC and Metallica. However, getting the Led out came with a pretty steep price.Kids sporting long hair, ripped jeans, and T-shirts emblazoned with rock band logos were regularly assaulted by the police. When scruffy teens showed up for school, they were often surrounded and forcibly shaved. Anyone caught listening to rock music was tossed behind bars or sent to work in the sugarcane fields. The Berlin Wall had just collapsed, the USSR was falling apart, and Fidel Castro was freaking out. Hoping to keep his regime intact, the bearded director went after anyone who stepped out of line, cracking down hard on rock music and angrily shouting, “Socialism or death!” That’s when musicians accepted the challenge.
To escape persecution, Los Frikis chose to give themselves HIV for a chance at life in a Cuban AIDS sanitarium.
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During the 2013 elections in The Maldives,…
During the 2013 elections in The Maldives, a coconut was detained on the suspicion of ‘vote-rigging’ through the use of black magic. A magician was called in and established that the coconut was innocent.
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A small town in West Virginia asked…
A small town in West Virginia asked the Soviet Union and East Germany for help with replacing a bridge after being ignored by the West Virginian goverment. The Soviets sent a journalist to investigate and within one hour the state finally agreed to pay for it.
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Mark Twain initially supported American Imperialism…
Mark Twain initially supported American Imperialism, but, after discovering America’s true motives in the Philippine–American War by reading the Treaty of Paris, he changed his position, saying “And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.”
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Hypnosis and politics
Nick Belluso, while running for governor of Georgia in 1978, came up with the idea of hypnotizing the voters to vote for him. So he hired a hypnotist and created a TV ad.
Candidate: This is Nick Belluso. In the next ten seconds you will be hit with a tremendously hypnotic force. You may wish to turn away. Without further ado let me introduce to you the hypnogenecist of mass hypnosis, the Reverend James G. Masters. Take us away, James.
Hypnotist: Do not be afraid. I am placing the name of Nick Belluso in your subconscious mind. You will remember this. You will vote on Election Day. You will vote Nick Belluso for governor. You will remember this. You will vote on Election Day. You will vote Nick Belluso for governor.
However, Belluso’s scheme was foiled when every TV station but one refused to run the ad, fearing the hypnosis might actually work, which would open them up to potential legal liabilities.
So Belluso lost the election. Though he subsequently became a perennial candidate running for many offices, including President of the United States in 1980.
Also worth noting: Belluso claimed he had been endorsed by “The Force.”
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