During WWII the game of Monopoly was used by the British licensees of the game to embed falsified documents and escape devices into a false bottom of the playing board. In a secret room within the basement of Waddington's a team worked to fit tiny saw blades and even a compass for spies to use in Germany. The Red Cross distributed the games along with normal ones. Only a tiny black dot on Free Parking let spies know which game was the Escape Version, known as Monopoly X.
The Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine will lend you power tools, kitchen mixers, and hula hoops. It's called The Library of Things.
Frederic Chopin died in Paris in 1849. He had asked that his heart be removed from his body when he died, and sealed in a jar of cognac. His sister hid the jar in her dress folds so the precious organ could be moved across the Russian border into Poland, where the heart was buried at his childhood parish in Warsaw at the Holy Cross Church.
The Brooklyn Dodgers were named for the dangerous dodging of trolley cars in the late 1800s.
The Starbucks mobile app allows you to load a virtual card with money to make purchases. This results in a 0% interest loan from consumers to Starbucks. That account contains about $2 billion, and has earned the company about $80 million a year in interest. Best of all, 10% of the money is eventually forgotten, adding $200 million a year to the company's balance sheet.
The term, "Basket Case" was a Civil War term referring to veterans with amputated legs who had to be literally carried up stairs and into rooms using these baskets. Made of wicker, they were lightweight and even if closed, allowed the vet to breathe. Eventually, these cases could be used as burial caskets.
After 400 years, Denmark will no longer deliver letters by year end. Communication must now be made electronically, or via a private service. Postage stamps refunds will be available for a short time in 2026.
The first official coin issued by the United States was minted in 1787. Designed by Benjamin Franklin, the coin has an image of a sundial and shining sun. It is called the Fulio Cent and contains the motto, "Mind Your Own Business".
The average American supermarket stocks 31,795 items.
After 3 months, major airlines sell their unclaimed baggage to Unclaimedbaggage.com. You can buy the stuff on line, and they will donate part of their proceeds to 'those in need'.
One reason for the fall of the Roman Empire may have been overuse of lead in water pipes, pots, cosmetics, and even wine sweeteners. The estimated blood levels of lead probably lowered the average Roman's IQ by 3 points.
Over 75% of the 'cross street' buttons on NYC traffic light poles do nothing. They just make people feel better about waiting. Broken, they cost hundreds of dollars to fix, so they just are left broken. (It is suspected that the Close Door button in elevators work similarly).
In the 1700s dinner guests saw musical scores engraved on their knives, along with song lyrics.Guests were encouraged to sing both before and after the meal. Each knife was designed for specific guest registers of tenor, bass, etc.
The highest quality computer chips are created by EUV machines from The Netherlands. The precise lithography used involves vaporizing tiny drops of molten tin that produces a type of ultraviolet light that does not occur naturally on Earth.
The Underground Pneumatic Mail Network delivered canisters of letters at 35 MPH between NYC buildings.Started in 1897, the system delivered up to 95,000 letters a day. It lasted until 1953. System operators were called, "Rocketeers".
Austria, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain still have blasphemy laws on their books. Violating these laws may result in fines, imprisonment (Greece, Italy, Poland), or community service.
In Japan it has become increasingly common for people to 'marry' their on-line AI lover in an expensively arranged wedding. While not officially recognized, these ceremonies are as elaborate as normal weddings. People from other countries have traveled to Japan in order to marry their digital fiances.
Waxworks owner Madame Tussaud's real name was Marie Grosholtz. Learning the waxwork trade, she became a sort of 18th century paparazzi by replicating famous deaths for her wax museum. During the French Revolution, Marie headed over to the scene of the murder of Jean-Marat in his bathtub as soon as she heard the news. She arrived at the scene so quickly that she started work on the death mask while the police were still investigating the room.
Also in Japan, workers find it difficult to quit their jobs. To save their embarrassment, they can hire the Momuri company to tender their resignation. The firm receives 11,000 quit requests a year. Momuri means. "I can't do this anymore".
The diamond-studded Faberge egg nicknamed 'Octopussy' is worth over $19k by a jeweler in New Zealand. A thief thought he was clever by grabbing the eggs and swallowing it, including all 60 diamonds, 15 sapphires, and a gold octopus. When police arrested the culprit, they determined to allow nature to take it's course. The authorities announced that the precious egg was recovered 'in a natural manner...medical intervention not required."
2024 Things
Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela is called "The Lightning Capital of the World". Annually, it has about 260 lightning storms a year with around 233 lightning flashes per square km. No one is sure why this happens, it seems to relate to topography. Residents report that the lightning is so bright and consistent at times, that they can read a newspaper at night.
Shalom Nagar worked in the Israeli Prison Service 60 years ago and was nicknamed The Hangman. In 1962 he was assigned to guard Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann who was executed after 6 months imprisonment. During that time, Nagar brought every meal to Eichmann in a locked box. The authorities wanted to prevent members of the prison staff from poisoning the prisoner.
There are nearly eight tons of unexploded bombs in 2 Swiss lakes. Switzerland believed that the military could safely dump unused munitions in them, and now realize this was a bad idea. The government is offering about $50k for ideas on how to safely remove the stuff (which will cost billions to do).
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