In September 1941, Virginia Hall arrived in Vichy France, tasked by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) to organize resistance networks against German occupiers. Hall, an amputee with a prosthetic leg she nicknamed “Cuthbert,” faced skepticism but quickly earned a reputation as the “Limping Lady” of Lyon.

On December 4, 1872, sailors aboard the Dei Gratia spotted the Mary Celeste drifting aimlessly in the Atlantic, about 400 miles east of the Azores. The ship was seaworthy, carrying 1,701 barrels of industrial alcohol, but its lifeboat and all ten people aboard were missing.

In 1924, Pep, a black Labrador Retriever, became an unusual resident of Eastern State Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. Stories circulated that Pep was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing the Pennsylvania Governor’s wife’s cat. This tale made headlines and captured public curiosity.

Bir Tawil is a 2,060-square-kilometer area along the border between Egypt and Sudan. It is one of the few places on Earth claimed by no country. The odd status arises from conflicting border demarcations in 1899 and 1902, under British rule. Egypt adheres to the 1899 line, placing Bir Tawil outside its borders, while Sudan follows the 1902 administrative boundary, which excludes it as well.

Chrysippus, a 3rd-century BCE Greek Stoic philosopher, reportedly died after witnessing a donkey eating his fermented figs. He joked that the animal should be given wine to wash them down and then, overcome with laughter, collapsed and passed away, as noted by Diogenes Laërtius.

Flak-Bait was a Martin B-26 Marauder, delivered to the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943. It was assigned to the 449th Bombardment Squadron of the 322nd Bombardment Group, operating from England during World War II. Its name reflected its frequent encounters with anti-aircraft fire.

In 1941, Emmett Ashford was asked to fill in as an umpire for a semi-pro baseball game when the scheduled umpire didn’t show up. Initially reluctant, Ashford discovered his talent for the role, blending skill with showmanship. His flamboyant style of calling balls and strikes captivated audiences and set him apart.

In 1904, Germany opened the first outdoor school in Charlottenburg, near Berlin, to combat tuberculosis. Designed by health officials and educators, it provided open-air classrooms, activity areas, and a “cure gallery” for sunlight exposure. Tuberculosis killed one in seven people, and poor ventilation and overcrowding in schools worsened the problem.

On July 6, 1930, Fred Newton, a 27-year-old from Clinton, Oklahoma, stepped into the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. He set out to become the first person to swim its full length, aiming to reach New Orleans in 90 days. His brother Byron followed in a rowboat, carrying supplies and documenting the journey.

In the 1960s, archaeologists unearthed a remarkable find in Athens: 8,500 shards of pottery, known as ostraca, used as ballots for a unique purpose. Instead of electing leaders, Athenians used these to vote on exiling a fellow citizen for ten years.