Nomans Land, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, was used as a U.S. Navy bombing range from 1943 to 1996. Despite cleanup efforts, unexploded ordnance (UXO) still covers the island, making it unsafe for public access.

On June 4, 2004, in Granby, Colorado, Marvin Heemeyer used a modified bulldozer to go on a destructive rampage. Frustrated over disputes with town officials and local businesses, Heemeyer spent over a year equipping the machine with steel and concrete armor, making it nearly indestructible.

In 1977, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, found himself in a situation far removed from the tech world. Gates was driving in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Microsoft was headquartered at the time, when he was pulled over by police for a traffic violation.

In the fall of 1872, a horse flu pandemic spread from Canada to Central America, infecting millions of horses and mules. These animals powered transportation, agriculture, and industry. As they fell sick, cities faced shortages of coal, food, and other vital supplies.

In 1890, Thomas Edison introduced a groundbreaking invention: a talking doll. Each 22-inch doll housed a mini phonograph in its tin torso, playing nursery rhymes like “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” It was the first toy to incorporate recorded sound, aiming to amaze children and parents alike.

On May 25, 2003, an unremarkable Boeing 727 disappeared from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola. The aircraft, previously used for freight, had been parked at the airport for months due to ownership disputes and unpaid fees.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1993, high winds wreaked havoc during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The iconic balloons, towering over the streets, became dangerously unstable as gusts exceeded safe operating limits.

John Harvey Kellogg, a nutritionist, patented a nut butter in 1895 for patients at his Battle Creek Sanitarium. Made by boiling nuts and grinding them into paste, it was promoted as a healthy meat alternative. While bland by modern standards, it gained attention among elite clients.

In 1935, Union Pacific Railroad’s president, Averell Harriman, envisioned a ski resort that could attract affluent travelers. To make skiing accessible, he challenged the railroad’s engineers to create a device that could lift skiers up a mountain with ease. James Curran, a 33-year-old engineer, took on the task.

On October 4, 2020, three scientists—Dr. Martin Kulldorff from Harvard, Dr. Sunetra Gupta from Oxford, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya from Stanford—issued the Great Barrington Declaration. They advocated for an alternative COVID-19 strategy, challenging prevailing public health policies.