12 Trivia Tidbits for Thursday, February 29, 2024
It’s too late! No take-backs! You’ve already begun this listicle, and now you have but one week to trick a friend into reading it, or else an internet dweeb will crawl out of your laptop and, I dunno, tell you about the Peloponnesian War or something.
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The Pentagon Rebranded an Extra Deadly Nuke to Get Funding
When the Pentagon wanted funding for a neutron bomb, which is known for disbursing much more concentrated radiation to ramp up the kill count, they knew they had an uphill PR battle. They referred to it instead as an “enhanced radiation device” and got the funding.
Camel-Riding Robots Curbed Human Trafficking
The popularity of camel racing led to a rash of kidnappings of small, aerodynamic children in the 1970s. When the UAE finally banned child jockeys in 2005, robot jockeys took their place.
The Luddites Were the Original Anti-Capitalists
The Luddite movement was actually extremely rad, and the term should go down in history as a major compliment. A group of workers in the 19th century combatted the automation of their jobs by using hammers to smash the machines built to replace them. They made up a violent Robin Hood-like figure, Ned Ludd, and threatened any mill owners who embraced automation with a visit from Ned Ludd’s followers.
Vestal Virgin Was a Pretty Good Gig, If You Qualified
In Ancient Rome, vestal virgins had job security for at least three decades, and all they had to do was keep the flame of the goddess Vesta lit 24/7. Oh, and also never have sex. The punishment for failing at either of those tasks ranged from flogging to being buried alive.
Germany Has Solved Laundry’s Greatest Problem
Waiting for your laundry in a laundromat is notoriously boring. But Germany started a cultural revolution with “laundrobars,” i.e., laundromats that also feature restaurant and bar services.
Two Flying Car Pioneers Died in Their Flying Car
Henry Smolinski and Hal Blake were trying to create and popularize the concept of regular cars with detachable wings in the early 1970s. The idea being: You’d drive to the airport in your Ford Pinto, get the wings of a Cessna Skymaster strapped on, and fly to your destination. The Cessna wings popped off their Ford car mid-flight, killing them both and stifling a somewhat reasonable approach to flying car technology.
Hawaii’s Monarchy Used to Be Way Into Incest
Princess Nahienaena and Prince Kauikeaouli, part of Hawaii’s royal family in the mid-19th century, were deeply in love (and also siblings). Christian missionaries managed to convince them to marry other people, but they maintained a very public, very sexual relationship. They produced one unhealthy baby that died shortly after childbirth, and Princess Nahienaena died shortly after that. The lesson is clear: Let weird religious colonizers tell you who to have sex with.
In 1917, Cops Could Not Stop Bringing Bombs to Work
In two separate cities, Chicago and Milwaukee, cops were alerted to the presence of a bomb, and made the inscrutable decision to take it back to the office for further inspection. When these bombs exploded, they killed 10 cops in Chicago and nine in Milwaukee.
Ark of the Covenant: Nuclear Food Processor?
Some fantastical readings of scripture and other contemporary accounts have led certain scholars to believe the Ark of the Covenant produced Soylent-like manna during the Israelites’ 40-year trek through the desert, using hidden nuclear technology. The whole “on the seventh day, he rested” thing may have come from this machine, as it reportedly had to be disassembled and cleaned after six days of use.
Turkey’s Plans to Invade Syria Were Leaked on YouTube
In 2014, a recording leaked of Turkish leaders discussing a potential terror attack on their soil. At least one intelligence official welcomed the attack, and even alluded to plans to pull a false flag inside job. He said that would give them an excuse to attack Syria, elaborating that “legitimacy is not a problem. Legitimacy can be manufactured.”
Martian Tsunamis
One huge piece of evidence that Mars once had oceans is that there were evidently huge tsunamis on its surface. Sand patterns surrounding the Lomonosov crater, which was formed by an asteroid impact, are consistent with gigantic tsunamis radiating from the blast zone.
The Chinese Government Decided It’s Allowed to Harvest Prisoners’ Organs
China passed a law in 1984 legalizing the harvesting of organs from executed prisoners. Thanks to this law, China now has one of the largest organ transplant programs in the world, despite organ removal being highly taboo in Chinese culture.
