In 1984, Ivo Zdarsky, a young engineer in Communist Czechoslovakia, wanted to escape the restrictive regime. Knowing his desire for freedom couldn’t be fulfilled on land, he turned to the sky. Using his engineering skills, Zdarsky decided to build his own aircraft—a small, single-seater ultralight—out of materials he could find or make himself.

On September 15, 1873, Jay Cooke, a legendary financier, hosted President Ulysses S. Grant at his lavish estate near Philadelphia. Cooke had founded America’s first investment bank and financed the Northern Pacific Railway, which stretched from Lake Superior to Puget Sound. What they discussed remains unknown, but Cooke desperately needed the government’s help to save his bank.

Built around 2550 B.C., the Great Pyramid of Giza was 455 feet (138.7 meters) tall and held the record for nearly 4,000 years. It was constructed for Pharaoh Khufu, with a limestone casing that gave it a shining white appearance.

In 1848, a group of French utopians called the Icarians, led by Étienne Cabet, sailed to America with a grand vision. Inspired by Cabet’s novel Voyage en Icarie, they sought to establish a perfect society based on communal living, equality, and shared property. Their first settlement was in Texas, but harsh conditions led to failure, and the group relocated to Nauvoo, Illinois.

Sandy Island, located near New Caledonia in the Coral Sea, appeared on maps for over 100 years. It was first noted by a British whaling ship in 1876 and later included in numerous maps and even Google Earth, depicted as a small, elongated landmass.

Pelota Purépecha, also known as the “fireball game,” is an ancient sport with origins tracing back over a thousand years. Played by the Purépecha people of what is now Michoacán, Mexico, this game has been a key part of their cultural traditions for centuries.

In 1927, Georgia Tech received an enrollment application for George P. Burdell, a name that would become legendary on campus. The application was actually a prank by Ed Smith, a Georgia Tech freshman, who added Burdell’s name to registration forms and enrolled him in classes.

On December 31, 1775, Continental Army General Richard Montgomery was killed during the Battle of Quebec. Amidst the chaotic retreat, Montgomery’s Newfoundland dog stayed faithfully beside his master’s body throughout the night, guarding it in a fierce snowstorm. When British soldiers discovered Montgomery’s fallen body the next morning, the dog valiantly defended it.

Paul, an octopus living at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, gained global fame during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Born in 2008, Paul became renowned for predicting the outcomes of football matches with surprising accuracy.

The “Chicago Rat Hole,” an odd, rat-shaped impression in the sidewalk of West Roscoe Street in Roscoe Village, had existed for at least 20 to 30 years. Its origins remained a mystery, with some speculating it was caused by a falling squirrel. Despite its long presence, it gained viral fame in January 2024 after a tweet from Chicago comedian Winslow Dumaine.