15 Strange Things We’re Combing Over

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15 Strange Things We’re Combing Over

"You have a choice. You can choose to live, or you can choose to die."
The voice was cold, hard; its owner seemed more machine than human. It had come into the cell, as he knew it would. He had been expecting it, waiting for it with anticipation. Now there were no distractions—he could see the face of his captor clearly before him.
He did not move, though he wanted desperately to reach out and touch the smooth skin that covered this creature's features, so like a man, but with none of the humanity in their expression. He could smell the scent emanating from it; something animalistic, yet at once familiar...
"Your choices are made," the voice repeated. "You will die."
"But—"
"You know why you're here," the thing replied, cutting off his protest with one word. "Do not waste my time."
"But you must first know the Hidden Knowledge," continued the voice. "It is a list of fifteen facts, and it goes ...

Comedians Went on Strike in 1979. LA’s Comedy Store was the prime venue for

Comedians Went on Strike in 1979. XLA's Comedy Store was the prime venue for comedians to be discovered in the 1970s. STORE no M in Dines Do - - سابكة DIGP Long Cinda de - in - Disney كيدى رسم - BOOK مهم موسيع JOHN CAPARULO SEBASTIAN - MAZ JOBRANI CRACKED.COM The venue owner, Mitzi Shore, was reaping the benefits from up-and-coming comedians, but not paying them in return. Come- dians For Compensation (CFC) was founded by struggling com- ics, but it wasn't an official union. After picketing, and a tragic death of one comedian, Shore slowly started forking over some

Cracked

Olympic Curling Stones Come From a Small Island Off the Coast of Scotland.

A small uninhabited island called Ailsa Craig off the coast of Scotland provides granite for Olympic curling stones. CRACKED.COM The island was said to have been created through vol- canic eruptions over tens of millions of years. A spe- cial granite making up the surface of the island cre- ates ideal curling stones.

The Guardian  

The Comb-over Hairstyle Won an Ig Nobel Prize.

In 2014, the satirical Ig Nobel Prize was given to inventors of the comb-over. CRACKED.COM The prize honors research that makes you laugh, then makes you think. The late Frank Smith and his son Donald developed the comb-over in response to Frank's baldness in the 1970s. Не even submitted a patent to mar- ket and sell a spray to keep the comb-over style in place.

CBS News

Only One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is Still Standing.

The Great Pyramid of Giza built in the 26th Century B.C.is the only Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that's still standing. CRACKED COM While there are still many questions concerning how it has held up, and how Egyp- tians managed to build the pyramid, archaeologists be- lieve that ramp systems may have helped put the millions of blocks into their positions.

BBC

The Capitol Building Has 365 Steps for Each Day of the Year.

Long before the Capitol building in D.C. became a place synonymous with political chaos, it was a 19th Century marvel of architecture. CRACKED.COM One detail, among the domes and the sculptures, is the number of steps from the basement to the top of the outer dome: 365. This was made intentionally to represent a step for each day of the year.

NY Times

Western Fence Lizards Fight Lyme Disease.

In 1998, UC Berkeley scientists discovered that the western fence lizard could thwart Lyme disease if bitten by infected ticks. CRACKED COM These lizards have a specific protein in their systems that kills the infection. Western U.S. may also have fewer cases of Lyme due to the lyme-fighting lizard as opposed to the East- ern U.S. where Lyme disease runs rampant.

SF Gate

Stripped-Down WWII B17s Jets Were Raced in the Sky.

The two main aircrafts used in WWII were the B-24 Liberator and the B-17 Flying Fortress. U 483514 F GRAGKED.COM An Army project called Opera- tion Aphrodite stripped down B-17s so they could essentially become flying explosives, if needed. An Army major cus- tomized one of these B-17 jets and liked to use it to gun past B-24 formations.

Cracked

A Famous Violinist Played a $4M Stolen Violin.

In 1936, a sneaky violinist named Julian Altman stole a rare 1713 Stradivarius violin. GRACKED.COM A touring musician named Broni- slaw Huberman had left the instru- ment in his dressing room, and Alt- man gave a gullible doorman a ci- gar to slip by and steal it. Altman then played the stolen Stradivarius his entire life, only admitting on his deathbed that the violin was stolen.

Cracked

A Dirigible Docked Once at the Top of the Empire State Building.

In 1929 New York Times reported that Empire State Building investors hoped zeppelins could dock at the top. ZEPPELIN ZEPPELIN FiDE CRACKED COM By 1930, a manipulated photograph circulated in newspapers interna- tionally showing a zeppelin that looked like it had done so. Not until 1931, did one ever actually dock. Due to the 40 mph winds, and the traffic it caused below, it only stayed there for three minutes.

Smithsonian

British Suffragettes Learned Jiu-Jitsu for Protection.

The British suffragettes were no joke. They often employed militant tactics to get their point across, and were met with violence in return by police and others. OGEIGR! BJJ BJ R EMIE m GRAGKED.COM Edith Garrud, of the Wom- en's Social and Political Union (WSPU) practiced jiu-jitsu and shared the skill with the other mem- bers. Elite members start- ed a secret fighting force called the Amazons.

Cracked

Comedian Chris Farley was the Original Shrek.

Before SNL comedian Chris Farley's untimely death, he was cast as the title character in Shrek. GRACKED.COM Farley had even recorded over three-quarters of the film's dialogue. In Farley's earlier version, Shrek was a teenage Ogre who was reluc- tant to enter into his family business, but who desired to become a knight.

Mental Floss

The Golden Gate Bridge Was Almost Under the Bay.

San Francisco's most iconic landmark was close to being an underwater tunnel. CRACKED.COM The subterranean passage would have been beneath the Bay while boats traveled above. City officials initially supported the idea since costs were a third lower than building a bridge, but traded it for something a little showier.

Cracked

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