The great robbery: 300 million yen robbery

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.

A small Alaskan plane was hit by a fish falling from the sky. It had been dropped by an eagle that misjudged its grip. The plane was unharmed, but it made the news as possibly the weirdest bird strike ever.

The deadliest snowstorm ever recorded occurred in Iran in 1972. It lasted for a week, burying areas in 26 feet of snow and killing over 4,000 people, including the entire populations of three villages.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and general wellbeing requires regular exercise. Finding the drive and perseverance to exercise frequently can be difficult for many people. These practical tips can help in that situation.

The ancient Egyptians used a pregnancy test that involved potentially pregnant women peeing on barley and wheat seeds. Plant growth indicated pregnancy: barley for a boy and wheat for a girl. Later tests revealed that pregnant women's urine causes plant growth 70% of the time, whereas non-pregnant women's urine does not.

During World War II a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese for eight days disguised as an island. The crew covered the decks in cut trees and painted exposed surfaces to look like rocks. They moved only at night and anchored closed to shore by day, eventually escaping to Australia.

Japan keeps a defunc train station operational in 2015 for the sole purpose of allowing one girl to go to school every day. Only two stops are made by the train: once when an only one high school student departs for school and once when she returns.

A Japanese company once created chicken-flavored ice cream using real grilled chicken bits mixed into vanilla. It combined sweet and savory in a way few dared try, but it drew curiosity from foodies seeking extreme culinary experiences.

A father was denied access to see his premature twins in the NICU when Beyonce and Jay-Z had their daughter at the same time.

Anne Oakley was such a good shooter that she could split a playing card help edge-on, hit dimes thrown into the air, shoot cigarette from her husband's lips, and pierce a playing card thrown into the air before it hit the ground.

To prevent tourists from stealing their beer glasses, some bars in Belgium require people to hand over one of their shoes as a deposit which is then put in a basket and hung from the ceiling. These shoe baskets have also become an attraction.

Like scenes from a blockbuster movie, Andre Stander robbed Banks during his lunch breaks and returned to the scene as the lead investigating officer

Francis Tsai, an American illustrator and conceptual artist who worked for Marvel Comics, was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. After he lost the ability to move his hands and arms, he started painting digitally on his cellphone with his right big toe. After he could not move his feet anymore, he began using eye-gaze technology to keep drawing.

In 1937, a gas leak in the basement at the local school in New London, Texas caused a massive explosion which killed almost 300 children and teachers, the deadliest school disaster in US history. Adolf Hitler even sent his condolences by telegram.

In April 2023, Old Bridge, New Jersey, faced a peculiar 'Macaroni Mystery' when 500 pounds of pasta were mysteriously dumped in the woods.

There was a man so dedicated to April Fools, he flew hundreds of tires into a dormant volcano in Alaska and set them on fire. Fooling the local populace, and coast guard into thinking the volcano was active.

In the middle of South America, a strange and nearly perfectly circle island moves on its own. The central landmass, known as 'El Ojo' or 'The Eye,' floats on a pond of clear and chilly water, looking strange and out of place in comparing to its surroundings. The bottom appears to be solid in compared to the marsh around it.

In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.

In 1887, Susanna Salter became the first female mayor in the United States, elected in Argonia, Kansas. Her nomination was initially a prank by men opposing women in politics. However, she won by a landslide and served effectively, inspiring the women’s suffrage movement and breaking barriers for women in leadership.

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.

Stranded hikers were rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature that an awful lot of folks don't know a lot about.

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.

Beyhan Mutlu, a Turkish national, was reported missing by local media and unintentionally joined search teams looking for himself in a forest. He was drunk and lost in the woods when he ended up in a group with others looking for himself.