In 1919, a wave of botulism deaths shocked America, killing 18 people across several states. The culprit? Canned black olives, a popular delicacy. This rare bacterial contamination exposed vulnerabilities in the growing canned food industry.

In 2015, French engineer and maker Mojoptix designed a revolutionary digital sundial. Unlike traditional sundials, this invention casts shadows that display the time in digital-style numbers. It does so without electronics, relying solely on sunlight and precision engineering.

On August 17, 1891, the skies above Midland, Texas, thundered with dynamite blasts in the first government-funded rainmaking experiment. Led by Robert G. Dyrenforth, a team of enthusiasts armed with explosives, kites, and balloons set out to prove that loud concussions could force clouds to release rain.

On September 28, 1918, as World War I raged, Philadelphia hosted a grand Liberty Loan Drive parade to support the war effort. Over 200,000 people crowded Broad Street to watch a procession of soldiers, Boy Scouts, and marching bands. Unbeknownst to them, the parade would become a deadly event, spreading the Spanish Flu, a lethal virus ravaging nearby military bases.

In April 1998, Alex Chappel and journalist David C. West conceived a provocative art hoax that duped the British media. Titled “Fuckart & Pimp,” the show promised visitors a chance to buy art by Canadian artist Angela Marshall—on the condition they perform a sexual act with her.

On August 9, 1986, a massive fiberglass shark appeared head-first in the roof of a house in Headington, Oxford. Commissioned by local radio host Bill Heine, it was a striking protest against war, nuclear weapons, and political powerlessness.

In 1933, American William Dudley Pelley claimed a divine vision foretold Adolf Hitler’s rise and his own destiny as “The Chief” of the United States. Inspired, he founded the Silver Legion, or Silver Shirts, a Christian militia with Nazi-inspired ideals, complete with silver uniforms.

In 1842, as the Republic of Texas faced threats from Mexican troops, President Sam Houston ordered the removal of the Republic’s archives from Austin, citing security concerns. These documents symbolized the capital’s legitimacy, and Austinites saw the move as an attack on their city’s future.

Founded in 1693 by Francesco Bianco as a hot chocolate shop in Mayfair, White’s transitioned into an exclusive gentlemen’s club by the early 18th century. Now located at 37–38 St James’s Street since 1778, it remains one of London’s most secretive private clubs.

Accounts of premature burial date back centuries. Philosopher John Duns Scotus was reportedly found outside his coffin, hands bloodied, after being buried alive. In 17th-century England, Alice Blunden was buried after drinking poppy tea, only to awaken underground. By the time she was exhumed—twice—it was too late.