Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 on a typewriter in UCLA Library’s basement that cost 10 cents for 30 minutes. 9 days and $9.80 later he had a short story titled ‘ The Fireman’ that was later expanded into Fahrenheit 451. The post Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft… appeared first on… Read More »
Environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill lived in a 1500 year old California redwood tree (known as Luna) 180 feet (55 mm) off the ground for 738 days in order to prevent it from being chopped down by Pacific Lumber Company. She successfully saved the tree. The post Environmental activist Julia “Butterfly” Hill…. appeared first on… Read More »
People with dementia think that stuff like a black doormat isn’t a doormat, but a deep hole in the floor. Due to these visual perception problems, people with dementia avoid stepping the doormat, and this is sometimes used to keep them from leaving their care facilites. The post People with dementia think that stuff… appeared… Read More »
GM recalled 800k cars in 2014 for faulty ignitions. The cars would shut off while being driven which meant drivers lost power steering/brakes, and the airbags wouldn’t deploy. They knew about the problem since 2005 but never fixed it because it would be ‘too expensive’. 124 people died. The post GM recalled 800k cars in… Read More »
During the Great Depression, banker Mark Welch Munroe convinced struggling families in Quincy, Florida to buy Coca-Cola shares that traded at 19 dollars. Later, the town became the single richest town per capita in the US with at least 67 millionaires. The post During the Great Depression, banker Mark… appeared first on Crazy Facts. Source
During WW II, Allies suspected that the Germans were using the Leaning Tower of Pisa as an observation post. Leon Weckstein, a U.S. Army sergeant sent to confirm this. But he was impressed by the beauty of Tower and thus refrained from ordering an artillery strike, sparing it from destruction. The post During WW II,… Read More »
The vast majority of “Push to Walk” buttons at intersections and “Close Door” buttons in elevators are disabled and only exist to give the illusion of control. In NYC, less than 10% of walk buttons are still even connected to the power grid. The post The vast majority of “Push to Walk” buttons…. appeared first… Read More »
Boris Mikhailov, captain of the USSR hockey team, was offered a $1 million contract to leave Russia in 1980 after the Miracle on Ice. However, he declined as the KGB was standing next to him when the offer was made. The post Boris Mikhailov, captain of the USSR hockey team… appeared first on Crazy Facts.… Read More »
The big four artificial sweeteners – Saccharine, Cyclamate, Aspartame and Sucralose – were all discovered after scientists accidentally tasted the chemicals. Saccharine was discovered in 1879 by Constantin Fahlberg, who was researching coal tar derivatives and forgot to wash his hands before going for lunch. Cyclamate (Sweet ‘n’ Low) was discovered in 1937 when graduate… Read More »
In 1997 a Danish woman visiting New York City was arrested and strip-searched for leaving her baby in a stroller outside a restaurant while she and the baby’s father dined inside, a common practice in Denmark. She later sued the city and was awarded $66,000. The post In 1997 a Danish woman visiting… appeared first… Read More »