Only 324 residents of a wealthy neighborhood in Athens admitted to owning swimming pools on their tax returns. To verify the truth, Greek tax authorities studied satellite photos of the area and found a total of 16,974 pools. The majority of people had simply lied about their assets to save on taxes. […]
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go Braille Bricks were launched in 2020 to help visually impaired children learn Braille through play. Each brick features the Braille alphabet and is fully compatible with standard Lego sets, allowing sighted peers to join in, fostering inclusivity and collaboration in learning environments. […]
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Sandy Island, charted since 1774, was long considered a phantom island in the Coral Sea. Despite appearing on maps and Google Earth, it was “undiscovered” by scientists in 2012, revealing only deep ocean instead of land. The island’s existence was likely a cartographic error or a misidentified pumice raft. […]
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Thousands of ice balls recently covered a beach in Finland, a rare phenomenon caused by wind and waves sculpting pieces of ice into smooth spheres. These “ice eggs” can vary in size from chicken eggs to soccer balls and have also been spotted in other cold regions globally. […]
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In 1919, J.D. McMahon convinced investors to fund a 480-foot skyscraper, but he labeled the plans as 480 inches, building a 40-foot structure instead. After taking $200,000, he won in court since the plans matched what he built.
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Read More… from The Littlest Skyscraper: How J.D. McMahon’s 480-Inch Con Fooled Investors in 1919
In 2019, Google Maps helped solve the decades-old mystery of William Moldt, who disappeared in 1997. A former resident spotted his submerged car in a retention pond while using Google Earth. The vehicle, visible since 2007, contained Moldt’s skeletal remains, providing closure to his case. […]
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Dr. Harry Coover was trying to develop clear plastic for gun sights during WWII when he accidentally created cyanoacrylate, an extremely strong adhesive. Initially dismissed, it was later marketed as Super Glue in the 1950s. […]
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During the 1978 Lufthansa heist, robbers infiltrated JFK Airport, restraining employees and holding a night guard hostage. They escaped with $5.9 million—worth over $27 million today. The crime, linked to the Lucchese crime family, remained unsolved for decades, with most suspects vanishing […]
In 1973, a botched bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, led to a six-day hostage crisis, where captives began defending their captors—giving rise to Stockholm Syndrome. Strangely, one hostage later befriended a robber, and another raised money for their legal defense, baffling psychologists and law enforcement alike! […]
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The Arabia was a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. Over time, the river shifted 800 meters to the east, eventually turning the site of the sinking into a field. The steamboat remained under 45 feet of slit and topsoil until 1988, when it was excavated. The mud, as it turned out, was such a great preserver that most of the artifacts on board were found to be intact. They even found jars of preserved apples that were still edible! […]
Read More… from The Arabia Steamboat: Unearthing a 19th Century Time Capsule from the Missouri River
