Ethan Tyrrell
The Historically Incompetent Reign Of Sultan Ibrahim The Mad
Sultan Ibrahim spent his childhood locked in a cage, and he came to power because everyone else was dead.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Computer History's Unsung Hero: An Ode To Dennis Ritchie
Dennis Ritchie might not be a famous name, but he is responsible for major technological innovations.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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The Grifter Who (Twice) Sold The Eiffel Tower, Then Scammed Al Capone
Victor Lustig was a legendary con artist who managed to sell the Eiffel Tower unsuspecting victims twice.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Ketchup Was the Trendiest Medicine Of The 1830s
In an era where tomatoes were bizarrely controversial, some people thought they could be used as a medicine.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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The War That Lasted 335 Years (But Had No Casualties)
The 335 Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly was a seemingly endless was that no one paid attention to.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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That Time The Soviets Fired A Cannon In Space
In 1975, a cannon mounted to a Soviet space station was fired. It is the only known weapon fired in space.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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British Tanks Can Make Tea Because Of Course They Can
In World War II, British tank crews would get out of their tanks to make tea. This proved to be dangerous.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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For Centuries, A (Nude) Mystery Giant Has Watched Over A British Village
The Cerne Abbas Giant has been a staple for Dorset, but no one knows when it came from or why it's there.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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That Time Google Made Creepy Sailing Showrooms
In the early 2010s, Google tried (and failed) to construct barges that could travel around and show off new products.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Jack-O'-Lanterns Becoming A Thing Involved Tricking Satan (Twice)
The origins of the modern Halloween jack-o'-lantern can be traced to an Irish story about a man who tricked the Devil twice.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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The Medieval Italian Battle Seemingly Fought Over A Bucket
According to legends, two Italian city-states clashed because one stole a bucket from the other.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Professional Mourners Were The Life Of Ancient Funerals
Found in Rome, Egypt, and more, professional mourners made any ancient funeral into a spectacle.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Abe Lincoln's Lost Speech May Have Also Been His Best
In 1856, Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech that captured audience attention so much that no one wrote it down
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Diving Into The Dumb Legal Mystery Over A Missing $10 Million Painting
A painting disappeared from a rich heiress' home one day. It popped back up 15 years later, and no one knows who took it.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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The Museum Of Bad Art: A Monument To Artistic Failure
Some of the worst works of art in the world have found their home at the Museum of Bad Art
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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That Time Coors Tried to Sell Non-Alcoholic Water (And Failed)
In the early 1990s, Coors tried to get in on the growing bottled water market. It didn't work.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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THE THING: Exploring Arizona's Weird, Dumb Roadside Museum
Hundreds of desert billboards lead to "The Thing."
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Behind The Bonkers Butter Sculptures At Minnesota’s Dairy Pageant
Each year, 12 finalists for the Princess Kay of the Milky Way dairy pageant are turned into butter sculptures.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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Playboy Bunnies Helped with A (Controversial) Vietnam War Evacuation
In April 1975, the US government evacuated orphans from Vietnam, and a plane owned by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner helped.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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History's Dumbest Explorers: The Burke And Wills Expedition
The qualifications for embarking on a major continental expedition were beyond lacking.
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- By Ethan Tyrrell
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