
One of the most well-known bridges in the world is the Brooklyn Bridge. Connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, it spans the East River. The bridge, which was the first steel-wire suspension bridge ever constructed when it was finished in 1883, once held the record for the world’s longest suspension bridge. It was referred to as one of the seven wonders of the industrial world and measured 5,899 feet in length and up to 276.5 feet above the water.
During the bridge’s construction, more than 20 men lost their lives. John Roebling, the bridge’s principal architect, was the first casualty, then more workers. Over 20,000 people were on the bridge a week after the opening ceremony when there was a rumor going around that it might collapse. Twelve people died as the panic spread; they were trampled underfoot by the enormous crowd.

None of this, however, comes close to the number of people who have killed themselves by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. Unofficially, there had been more than 1,300 suicides by 2003. There are rumors that someone perishes in the East River every fifteen days. Engineering challenges prevented the idea of building a suicide barrier from being implemented.
Robert Emmet Odlum was the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. Robert simply wanted to demonstrate that one does not perish by falling through the air. He had no intention of killing himself.

He did this to exhort others to run for safety if they were trapped inside a burning structure. In addition to this, he also wanted fame and money, which added to his motivation for doing the deed. He unfortunately did not make it through the jump.
Instructor of swimming Robert Odlum. He was born in Ogdensburg, New York, on August 31, 1851, and excelled at swimming from a young age. The Odlum family made extensive travels in search of David, Robert’s older brother who perished in the American Civil War. Robert transitioned through numerous residences and occupations. He relocated to Washington in 1878 and started the Natatorium, a swimming school. The school was a huge success, and soon the kids of many well-known Washingtonians enrolled there.

The sons of US President James A. Garfield, the daughter of General William Sherman, and the children of President Rutherford Birchard Hayes were among the students of Odlum, who earned the title of Professor. Thanks to his numerous exploits, including swimming and diving into the Potomac River, jumping off the Occoquan Falls, and swimming from Washington to Marshall Hall, Maryland with his friend Paul Boyton, another water showman and daredevil known as the Fearless Frogman, Robert had become a local celebrity in Washington.
Robert made the decision to shut down the school when the Natatorium started to lose money in 1881. He was able to secure employment at Fort Monroe’s Hygeia Hotel in Hampton, Virginia, as a swimming instructor, but his desire for fame and wealth persisted.
In 1882, Robert sneaked to an incomplete section of the Brooklyn Bridge in order to perform a jump from it. The police stopped him before he could pull off the stunt and returned him to Washington. After three years, he finally accomplished his goal.

Robert returned to New York on May 19, 1885, well-prepared. The NYPD was well aware of his plans because, in the weeks before the incident, word of Robert’s intentions had spread throughout the city. The security on the bridge was tightened, but Odlum was able to divert attention. While he was concealing himself in another vehicle, he sent James Haggart, a friend, to the bridge in a taxi. James pretended to be the jumper while acting as a ruse for the police. Robert exited the car he was hiding in while the police officers were occupied with the fake jumper. He jumped off the bridge at 5:35 p.m. in his swimsuit in front of a crowd of onlookers who were watching from a boat.
Robert dropped into the icy water at a speed of about 60 mph. He slammed his feet and hip into the river’s surface at an angle. The strong wind that was blowing at the time contributed to the jump’s disastrous outcome. When the lifeguard, who Odlum himself had working, was doing nothing at all, Paul Boyton jumped into the water and removed Robert’s body. Robert briefly regained consciousness after being brought to the boat, inquired as to whether the jump was successful, and then fell back to unconsciousness. His mouth began to bleed, and at 6:18 pm he passed away from internal bleeding. His friend called an ambulance, but it did not arrive in time to save his life.
Robert had three broken ribs in addition to a ruptured liver, kidneys, and spleen, according to the coroner. Concussion was determined to be the death’s official cause. In Washington, D.C.’s Mount Olivet Cemetery, Robert was laid to rest.
Robert’s mother charged Paul Boyton with murder after his fatal leap, saying that he convinced Robert to take the risk. The Fearless Frogman wrote an open letter to Mrs. Catherine Odlum that was also printed in The New York Times and denied all responsibility.
“The Life and Adventures of Prof. Robert Emmet Odlum, Containing an Account of his Splendid Natatorium at the National Capital” is a biography of her son that Catherine Odlum published in 1885.

Steve Brodie claimed to be the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and survive the fall one year after Robert’s passing. Since there were no witnesses, it was claimed that Brodie staged the jump by hurling a dummy from the bridge.
The alleged jump took place on July 23, 1886. The first confirmed survivor of the Brooklyn Bridge leap was Larry Donovan, who made the leap into the East River one month later.

The day Iceland's women went on strike
Icelandic women went on strike for equal rights on October 24, 1975. 90% of women walked out of their jobs and homes, effectively shutting down the entire country. The men were struggling to keep up. The following year, Parliament passed a law requiring equal pay. Iceland elected the world's first female President five years later. Iceland now has the highest gender equality rate in the world.

The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.

The story of a man who spent 72 hours with 72 venomous snakes to prove they only bite when provoked
In the 1980s, an Indian man spent 72 hours in a glass cabin with 72 snakes, some of which were extremely venomous. His aim was to prove that snakes only attack when provoked. Remarkably, he was not bitten once in those 72 hours and even set a Guinness World Record in the process.

During the 1996 Olympic bombing, Richard Jewell falsely accused of committing the crime after saving dozens of people
Richard Jewell, an American security guard, discovered a bomb during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and assisted in the evacuation, but was later wrongfully accused and faced public scrutiny. He was cleared, but it had a lasting impact on him until his death in 2007 at the age of 44.

Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.

What is the story behind Wrigley chewing gum?
Wrigley's was originally a soap company that gifted baking powder with their soap. The baking powder became more popular than the soap so they switched to selling baking powder with chewing gum as a gift. The gum became more popular than the baking powder so the company switched to selling gum.

The Amazing Truth About The German U-Boat That Was Sunk By A Toilet
During WWII, a German captain and an engineer flushed the submarine's high-tech toilet incorrectly, causing the vessel to rapidly fill with water. British planes patrolling the sea attacked them as the submarine was brought to the surface. While many members of the crew were killed in the attack, the captain escaped!

How did Howard Florey discover penicillin
Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, but he never attempted to turn it into an antibiotic. It wasn't until ten years later that Howard Florey discovered Fleming's obscure paper and understood the mold's potential. Up to 200 million lives may have been saved as a result of Florey's work.

The History Behind the “No One Dies Alone” Program
In 1986, while doing a night shift at the hospital, Sandra Clarke, a registered nurse, was asked by an elderly patient to stay. She promised to be back after checking on her other patients, but by the time she returned, the gentleman had passed away. Clarke became one of the key figures in launching No One Dies Alone, a program that allows volunteers to sit with terminal patients who have no one else.

How a Total Lunar Eclipse Saved Christopher Columbus in 1504
In 1504, Christopher Columbus was stranded in Jamaica with natives who refused to give him food. But he knew the date and time of an upcoming lunar eclipse. So he told the natives that his gods were angry at their treatment of him, and would provide a clear sign. Once the eclipse started, the natives raced to give him food and begged for mercy.

How Cleveland's Balloonfest in 1986 Turned Into a Public Tragedy
In Cleveland, Ohio, United Way broke the world record by deflating nearly 1.5 million balloons as part of a publicity stunt to raise money. The balloon obstructed a US Coast Guard search for two boaters who were subsequently discovered to have drowned, blocked airport runways, and blocked land and waterways.

How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements

Vince Coleman, a railway dispatcher, sacrificed his own life
Vince Coleman, a railway dispatcher, sacrificed his life in order to warn an incoming train of an imminent explosion. His telegraph said “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye, boys.” He saved 300 lives.

Irena Sendler: woman who rescued Jews during holocaust
Irene Sendler was the Zegota resistance group's head of the children's department. She risked her life to smuggle children out of the Warsaw ghetto, place them with Polish families or orphanages, give each child a new identity, and keep records so that they could be returned to their families. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested and sentenced her to death, but she was rescued by Zegota.

how Ferris wheel invented
In 1891, Chicago challenged engineers to create a structure to surpass the Eiffel Tower for the World's Columbian Exposition. George Washington Gale Ferris jr. responded with the original Ferris Wheel, a giant rotating structure elevating visitors above the city. This invention became an iconic attraction at the fair.

The youngest person executed, George Stinney Jr was proven innocent
In 1944, George Stinney Jr. was 14 years old when he was executed in South Carolina. It took only ten minutes to convict him — and 70 years to exonerate him.

How Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece
A Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren’t interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People later started stealing these potatoes a lot which spread the crop to all of Greece.

Saudi Arabia camel carvings dated to prehistoric era
Archaeologists were shocked to discover that a series of camels carved into desert rock faces in north-western Saudi Arabia are actually prehistoric, dating from 7,000-8,000 years ago - before either the Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge were built.

What Was the Beast of Gévaudan?
Between 1764 and 1767, a mysterious animal called the Beast of Gévaudan terrorized the French village called Gévaudan. It attacked and killed about 100 adults and children. While most believe it was a wolf, some say it may have been a wolf-dog hybrid, hyena or even a lion, but without any genetic evidence, the beast will remain a mystery forever.

History of Treadmill, punishment for prisoners
Treadmills were originally a punishment used to harness human power on a giant wheel used to grind grains, hence the name "treadmill." The History of Treadmill

What exactly was the US's 'Ghost Army' during WWII?
During WW2, there was a special unit of men dubbed the ‘Ghost Army’. The unit was made of artists, creative and engineers and their job was to create deception about the enemy. From inflatable tanks to phony convoys to scripted conversations in bars intended to spread disinformation, they used all possible tricks to fool the enemy.

Hedy Lamarr, A Hollywood actress who also a mathematician and inventor
Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr was also a mathematician and the inventor of frequency hopping spread spectrum, a technology still used for bluetooth and wifi

Nicholas Winton ‘British Schindler’: Man who rescued 669 Czech children from Nazis
A man named Nicholas Winton saved 669 kids during WWII and lived almost all his life without letting people know.

Philippines, the largest supplier of Nurses in the World
Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of nurses, supplying roughly 25% of all overseas nurses worldwide.

Albert Einstein’s brain after it was stolen from his body
Albert Einstein's brain was taken by the opportunistic pathologist who performed his autopsy hours after he died and kept in two jars for 30 years. The stolen brain of Albert Einstein was preserved in a cookie jar for 30 years until being discovered by a journalist.