15 Storms of Trivia We Weathered During the Week of January 15, 2024
A comedy show called The Goodies aired in Britain throughout the 1970s, spanning nine seasons. In one episode, “Kung Fu Kapers,” a character reveals himself to be a master of a secret British martial art. This fighting style is named “Ecky Thump” and consists of throwing pudding at people. Clearly, this is all a very advanced form of British humor.
One guy who watched the episode found it a little too funny. Find out what happened to him below, along with some information about the world’s biggest brothel.
Fido the Faithful
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An Italian dog named Fido used to walk to the bus stop every day to greet his master. Then, in 1943, a World War II bombing raid killed the master. Fido went on walking to the bus stop anyway every day for the next 14 years.
The Candle Challenge
Candle wicks didn’t burn originally. The wick just transferred wax to the flame. So, you had to keep trimming the wick, or it would get too long and the candle would sputter out. Today, a wick will instead curl as it lengthens so it burns up on its own, but it was an engineering challenge to get it to do that.
A Comfy Seat
Pam Babcock sat on the toilet one day and didn’t get up for two years. She stayed there so long that she fused to the seat. When her boyfriend finally reported this, doctors assumed he’d been holding her against her will, but this had been her choice.
The History of Birds
People were flipping middle fingers to each other even back in Ancient Greece. In one play dating to the fifth century B.C. a student throws a middle finger up at Socrates.
The Doorway Effect
You sometimes find yourself in a room with no memory of why you entered it. When you change setting, your level or attention rises to a new tier, and this clears certain short-term memories, which are associated with your surroundings.
Smooth Operator
In 2009, a five-year-old boy in Detroit called 9-1-1, saying his mother had collapsed. The operator scolded him for prank-calling and hung up on him. When emergency services finally came to the house three hours later, thanks to the boy calling again, the mother was dead.
The Painter
Rolls-Royces have hand-painted pinstripes along their entire lengths. Every single one of these stripes are painted by one man, Mark Court, who’s had that job for over 20 years.
What a Dick
Malcolm MacDonald’s penis fell off due to an infection. Doctors took the detached penis and rebuilt it into a functional organ, and MacDonald nursed it back to health by spending the next six years with it surgically attached to his forearm.
Universal Language
Languages vary in how often they use each word, of course. But always, the second-most common word is used half as often as the most common one, and the third-most common word is used one-third as often as the most common one.
Lester Apartments
In 1914, Seattle built the world’s largest brothel, containing 500 beds. People got so mad, they kicked the mayor out of office. The building stuck around until 1951, when a plane crashed into it and destroyed it.
All Resources to Parachutes
Corsets aren’t as popular as they once were. They didn’t fall out of fashion due to changing tastes. They did so because World War I sparked a shortage in materials, and for a while, no one was able to make corsets, and people got used to going without them.
Jogging Is a Joke
The sport of joggling combines jogging and juggling. This sounds like a ridiculous gimmick, and it is, but New York has hosted a joggling marathon for almost 40 years now.
Abandon All Hope
Travel advisories on going to Somalia don’t just cover how to stay safe but also all the steps you must take in advance under the assumption that you will die. Draft a will, advises the State Department, and talk to your loved ones about what sort of funeral you want.
We Have Plenty, Thanks
Japan imports rice, which they don’t even want. They used to never import the stuff. Then they signed an agreement forcing them to import American rice, so they now buy it and immediately export it or feed it to animals.
This Sketch Killed
Someone found an episode of the British TV show The Goodies so funny, he laughed for 26 minutes straight and died. Decades years later, investigators concluded he’d had a special lung condition, so you likely needn’t worry about suffering the same fate.