Nikola Tesla, known for his groundbreaking work in electrical engineering, also dabbled in aviation. In 1928, he was awarded U.S. Patent No. 1,655,114 for a flying machine that combined elements of both an airplane and a helicopter. This unique design was one of the first concepts for a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which modern helicopters are based on.

In the desert of Al Qudra, Dubai, there’s an unusual road that gained attention due to a small but significant detail – a lone tree that stands right in the middle of a split road. The road was constructed around the tree, rather than cutting it down, leaving it firmly in place.

In 1898, Edward William Barton-Wright, a British engineer, returned to England after spending time in Japan, where he learned jujitsu. Combining jujitsu with Western boxing, Savate (French kickboxing), and cane fighting, Barton-Wright created a unique self-defense system he called “Bartitsu.” This new martial art was intended to help people in urban environments defend themselves against street thugs.

In 2002, Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman made headlines when he solved the Poincaré Conjecture, a century-old problem that had stumped mathematicians for decades. The Poincaré Conjecture is a fundamental theorem in topology, relating to the properties of three-dimensional spaces.

In 1962, Brendon Grimshaw, a British newspaper editor, made an extraordinary decision. For just £8,000, he purchased Moyenne Island, a small, uninhabited island in the Seychelles. Grimshaw moved to the island full-time in 1973, determined to transform it into a paradise.

Born in 1868 to a wealthy British family, Gertrude Bell was highly educated, attending Oxford University, where she excelled in history. She became one of the first women to earn a degree from Oxford, a rare achievement at the time.

Born in 1890, Robert L. Ripley grew up in Santa Rosa, California. He had an insatiable curiosity for the world and a passion for the strange. Ripley began his career as a sports cartoonist but quickly shifted his focus to the bizarre and unusual.

George C. Parker was one of the most notorious con men in American history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he gained fame for his audacious scams, most notably “selling” New York City’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

In Chongqing, China, a remarkable neighborhood has been built directly over a bridge. Known as the Huangjuewan Bridge Community, this residential area supports over 1,000 people. The bridge itself is an impressive feat of engineering, designed to house both residents and businesses.

Up until 1956, French schoolchildren were served wine with their lunches as part of a common tradition. In schools across France, it was not unusual for students to receive up to four glasses of wine a day during lunch. This practice was deeply rooted in French culture, where wine was seen as a normal and healthy part of daily life, even for children.