13 Bits Of Trivia That Hand-Whisked Our Brain Cells Into A Firm-Peaked Meringue
![13 Bits Of Trivia That Hand-Whisked Our Brain Cells Into A Firm-Peaked Meringue](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/0/6/893406_320x180.jpg)
Ah, the stories of human ingenuity, courage, and resilience. You'll find some of those here... and way, way more stuff, including the extremely, amazingly weird.
From the Wright Brothers' first powered flight to Dr. Jochem Hoyer's generous act of living organ donation, these stories have inspired us to push the boundaries of what is possible and to strive for the betterment of humankind, and also made us wonder what kind of world we happen to be living in. And yet, there are also stories of failure, of missteps, and of tragic endings. This list is a collection of some of the most remarkable, inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking stories from around the world, each one a reminder of the power of the human spirit, plus a bunch of really weird stuff we couldn't fit anywhere else. So, without further ado, let us begin our journey through time and space, exploring the depths of human achievement and failure, weirdness and ... er ... more weirdness, and learning any lessons the past may have.
AI: Taking over customer service one task at a time.
![CRACKED AI IS TAKING OVER CUSTOMER SERVICE (BECAUSE HUMANS CAN'T BE TRUSTED). More and more, Al is being used to take care of customer service tasks, like making sure customer requests are legitimate. We welcome our new Al - ... er... customer satisfaction specialists.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/4/893124.jpg)
Beauty is power.
![CRACKED LOOKS MATTER, EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER. In one study, people who were considered attractive were more likely to be put in the middle when a group of strangers got together.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/3/893123.jpg)
Unit 684: Epic fail.
![CRACKED SOUTH KOREA'S UNIT 684 FAILED SPECTACULARLY - SEVEN DEAD, INSTRUCTORS KILLED. ФЕ In 1968, South Korea set up a secret team called Unit 684 to try and take out North Korea's leader Kim II Sung. Unfortunately, it didn't go well - seven people died, and the rest of the team revolted, killing most of their instructors.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/2/893122.jpg)
Chickens: Not Just for Humans' Dinner.
![CRACKED CHICKENS: FROM FARM TO ZOO IN ONE BREATH. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has baby chicks that get fed to the animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/1/893121.jpg)
Wrong way, Ohio.
![CRACKED OHIO GOT IT WRONG: WRIGHT BROTHERS' FIRST FLIGHT HAD THE BANNER ON THE BACK, NOT THE FRONT. Birthplace Ohio of Aviation OHIO Ohio tried to honor the Wright brothers' first powered flight with a special license plate, but they made a mistake and put the banner on the front of the plane instead of the back.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/7/893117.jpg)
"Queer Ken" wins hearts.
![CRACKED MATTEL'S EARRING MAGIC KEN WAS A HIT, EVEN IF IT WASN'T QUITE WHAT THEY INTENDED. In 1993, Mattel put out Earring Magic Ken, which unintentionally looked like a queer person. It ended up being the most popular Ken doll ever.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/8/893118.jpg)
Widow inherits Buddy Holly's legacy, gives some out.
![CRACKED BUDDY HOLLY LEFT HIS WIDOW WITH THE KEYS TO HIS KINGDOM. Buddy Holly passed away in 1959 at the age of 22 without leaving a will. His widow Maria inherited the rights to his name, image, trademarks, and other intellectual properties, including the royalties from his music. She gave 50% to his parents.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/9/893119.jpg)
Armament harmony achieved.
![CRACKED TWO GUN INVENTORS, ONE FRIENDSHIP: AK-47 MEETS М-16. On May 16, 1990, Mikhail Kalashnikov and Eugene Stoner, the creators of the AK-47 and M-16 assault rifles, got together in Washington D.C. and became buddies.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/2/0/893120.jpg)
LFO: No More.
![CRACKED 2/3RDS OF LFO HAVE SUCCUMBED TO CANCER. M LI Devin Lima, a member of the late-'90s boy band LFO, passed away from cancer in November 2018. This was after Rich Cronin, another member of the band, had died from leukemia in 2010, leaving only 1 member out of the 3 who didn't have cancer.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/3/893113.jpg)
"How Long" - success through deception, kinda
![CRACKED ACE'S HOW LONG WAS A HIT, BUT THE BAND DIDN'T KNOW THE FULL STORY BEHIND IT. BIG Ace's 1974 song How Long was about their member Terry Comer, who was simultaneously working with another musical outfit without the knowledge of most of the rest of the band - it's not really about cheating.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/4/893114.jpg)
Money well spent.
![CRACKED THEY RE-DID THE ENDING OF THE BOURNE SUPREMACY JUST BEFORE IT CAME OUT. Director Paul Greengrass re-shot the ending of The Bourne Supremacy two weeks before its release, at a cost of $200,000, resulting in a 10 point increase in the movie's test scores and a box office total of $176 million.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/6/893116.jpg)
Braggs won Nobel Prize for X-raying crystals.
![CRACKED THE BRAGGS: NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS FOR X-RAYING CRYSTALS IN 1915. A father and son duo, the Braggs, were given the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915 for their work in using X-rays to study the structure of crystals.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/5/893115.jpg)
Dr. Hoyer: Living donor, living legend.
![CRACKED DR. HOYER GAVE A KIDNEY TO A STRANGER-TALK ABOUT GENEROUS. In 1996, Dr. Jochem Hoyer, a famous German surgeon, made a powerful statement about living organ donation by giving one of his kidneys to someone on the Munich waiting list who he didn't even know.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/1/1/2/893112.jpg)