Do you know about these events triggered by miscommunication? Or maybe you have one to add to the list? The War of Jenkins’ Ear In 1731, Spanish coast guards boarded the British ship Rebecca and, according to the British captain Robert Jenkins, cut off his ear. Jenkins later displayed the preserved ear before Parliament. The …
Continue reading “Historical Events Triggered by Miscommunication”
These days, when a person dies, they’re typically solemnly buried or cremated with their bodies intact. It wasn’t always like that, not by a long shot. Throughout history, human body parts have often been valuable commodities. Sometimes they served a real purpose; other times, they were nothing but a gruesome pastime for the rich and …
Continue reading “9 Odd and Creepy Past Uses for Human Body Parts”
These historical mistakes had huge consequences. Do you know about the Titanic or The Challenger Disaster? The Great Fire of London In 1666, a fire began in a bakery on Pudding Lane and spread rapidly through London. The mistake wasn’t simply starting the fire; the city’s buildings were overwhelmingly wooden, streets were cramped, and firefighting …
Continue reading ” Historical Mistakes With Huge Consequences”
Did you know that you can simply ask government agencies to tell you what’s going on? America, the U.K., and many other countries have Freedom of Information laws that compel governmental organizations to share documents and data if they’re legally able to do so. In the U.K., the national news agency Press Association recently put …
Continue reading “Odd Things UK Hospitals Revealed They’ve Pulled Out of People’s Butts”
Do you know about these things that almost had a different name? What do you think will be on this list? Pepsi-Cola — Brad’s Drink When Caleb Bradham developed the drink that eventually became Pepsi, he originally called it Brad’s Drink, after himself. He renamed it Pepsi-Cola in 1898. The new name was associated with …
Continue reading “Famous Things That Almost Had Different Names”
Everything that can happen happens once for the first time. Occasionally, those first times can be fascinating, funny, or just plain weird. Continuing the Oddee tradition, we’re bringing you the seventh edition of our Weird World Firsts list. On the menu this time are the invention of a common garment, medical breakthroughs, and a bizarre …
Do you know about the seven things that were named as jokes? Like Yahoo or Pink Floyd? Google Google’s name came from a mathematical term: “googol,” meaning the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. When Larry Page and Sergey Brin were developing their search engine, “googol” was considered as a name to represent the enormous …
It’s a tough world for animals out there. In most cases, there’s somebody who wants to eat you. So, you have to discourage your predators from eating you. You could be toxic, spiky, or smell so terrible that no creature in its right mind wants to be anywhere near you. Or you fire a flamethrower, …
Continue reading “7 More Weird and Gross Animal Self-Defense Methods”
A teenager steps out of a sneaker shop in a fluorescent yellow vest with reflective stripes across the chest, phone in hand, no job site in sight. Two blocks away, a flagger in a nearly identical vest is directing traffic around a utility crew. Same silhouette, same screaming yellow-green. Wildly different lives. Hi-vis clothing has …
Do you know any of these things that became famous after being lost? Like the The Honjo Masamune or the Crown Jewels of Ireland? The Amber Room The Amber Room was an elaborate chamber decorated with amber panels, gold leaf, mirrors, and precious materials. Created in Prussia in the early 18th century, it was eventually …
Continue reading “Things That Became Famous After Being Lost”