Stories

In 1972, Martha “Marty” Goddard volunteered at a crisis hotline for teens in Chicago and encountered alarming patterns. Sexual assault survivors lacked a way to prove their cases, often left without justice due to inadequate evidence collection methods.

Throughout history, some cultures have worshiped deities associated with toilets and sanitation. In ancient Rome, Sterculius was honored as the god of manure and fertility. Romans believed he transformed human waste into fertilizer, essential for agricultural productivity.

On August 2, 1830, King Charles X of France abdicated during the July Revolution. His son, Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, was next in line and briefly became king. However, political turmoil forced his reign to be the shortest in French history.

In 1853, George Crum, a chef in Saratoga Springs, New York, unintentionally created the potato chip. When Cornelius Vanderbilt complained about thick fries, Crum sliced potatoes wafer-thin, fried them crisp, and sent them out as a joke. Vanderbilt loved them.

In 1944, Shoichi Yokoi, a sergeant in the Japanese Army, was stationed on Guam during World War II. When American forces took the island, Yokoi and other soldiers retreated into the dense jungle, determined to evade capture.

Adrian Carton de Wiart, born in 1880 in Belgium, fought in several major wars, including the Boer War, both World Wars, and conflicts in between. In his first battle, he was shot in the stomach and groin but managed to survive.

In 1904, the Droste cocoa company in the Netherlands introduced a unique product packaging. Illustrator Jan Misset created an image featuring a nurse holding a tray with a cup of cocoa and a box of Droste cocoa, which depicted the same nurse holding the same tray and box, creating a visual loop.

In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first Black woman to earn an international pilot’s license. Facing racism and sexism in the U.S., where no flight schools would admit her, Coleman learned French, traveled to France, and received her certification.

On January 28, 1922, Washington, D.C., was blanketed in nearly two and a half feet of snow from a historic blizzard. Despite the weather, over 200 people gathered at the Knickerbocker Theatre to watch the silent comedy Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford. Just after intermission, an ominous crack echoed through the room—a chilling sign of what was to come.

In the BonBon-Land amusement park in Denmark, a unique ride named Hundeprutterutchebane, or “Dog Fart Roller Coaster,” opened in 1993. Created by the park’s founder, Michael Spangsberg, it pays tribute to his earlier career in making humorous candies shaped like dog droppings, inspired by his love of animals and quirky humor.