40 Deafening Bits of Trivia That’ll Scream Their Info to You Like A Death Metal Frontman

40 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia That Volunteered As Tribute in Your Stead, Which Was Pretty Cool of Them

31 Pranks That Went Way Too Hard

40 Random Bits of Trivia to Recite Like a Rosary As Your Plane Prepares to Land

40 Celebrity Hobbies, Interests and Skills That Are Somehow Way Less Interesting When Us Normies Do Them

36 All-Time Failures That Should Make You Feel Better About Yourself

I’m sure they’ll get over it, but Amazon messed up BIG time

36 All-Time Failures That Should Make You Feel Better About Yourself

March 09, 2024

You can give it your best shot, you can throw millions of dollars at a problem, you can lie until your tongue falls out. Sometimes the best ideas and the worst intentions are just bound to end in disaster.

Click right here to get the best of Cracked sent to your inbox.

36

The Berlin Wall came down because a bureaucrat misspoke. In 1989, East German politician Gunter Schabowski held a press conference explaining some minor revisions to the travel code. His speech mistakenly implied that travel restrictions were being completely removed. Hearing this, a reporter asked when the changes would take effect. Schabowski shrugged and said, immediately, right away. The press ran with the story, and travelers swarmed the border and demanded passage. Rather than deal with a full-on riot, authorities let the wall come down. CRACKED.COM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/30/AR2009103001846.html — Source

35

Big Mistakes

A printing error made adultery mandatory in 1631. Printers Robert nour thy father Barker and Martin may bee long vpon Lucas accidentally thy God giueth thee. Thou fhalt not kill. left the not out of the seventh Thou fhait commit adultery. Thou fhalt no. Itcale. commandment in Thou thalt not beare falfe their printing of the eighbour. King James Bible, Thou that not conet thy giving a big thumbs- It not couet thy neighb up to adultery. - - nor his maid-fo NON ESTINA - china اله When King Charles I found تحت - NO I be STATE - LA NATURAL — Source

34

The Hessians lost at Trenton because they didn't read a warning note. was W She ml et allow leaving and he would can sight of express to It was the American Revolution, and Washington famously crossed the Delaware in winter to defeat the Hessian soldiers who held the town of Trenton. As it happens, a loyalist farmer spotted the move and sent a warning note to Hessian commander Johann Gottlieb Rall. Rall never read it. It was found unopened in his pocket after he died in the battle. CRACKED.COM Bill Fawcett, 2010. 100 Mistakes that Changed History. — Source

33

The Titanic

A missing key led to the sinking of the Titanic. Right before the Titanic sailed, the company that ran the cruise decided to replace the ship's second officer, David Blair, with the more experienced Charles Lightoller. But Blair neglected to give Lightoller the key to the locker that contained the binoculars. Lookout Fred Fleet claims he would have spotted the iceberg sooner, if he'd had binoculars. Priscilla Cale, David C. Tate, 2011. Sink Or Swim: CRACKED.COM How Lessons from the Titanic Can Save Your Family Business — Source

32

A single sensor caused a Stealth Bomber to crash. Technicians servicing the Stealth Bombers 75 stationed in Guam in AIR PRESS. 2008 failed to notice the 25 100 moisture building up on the air pressure sensor. 150 PSI As it turns out, those air HI sensors feed data to the Stealth Bomber's flight control system. The malfunctioning sensors caused the bomber to take off prematurely, then crash. Fortunately, the pilots ejected safely. Just as a reminder, Stealth Bombers cost $1.4 billion to build. CRACKED.COM http://www. opularmechanics.com/flight/a3374/4273248/ — Source

31

Two airplanes disintegrated midair because they had square windows. The de Havilland Comet was a state-of-the-art 1950s jetliner. In 1954, two of them exploded in the air, killing 54 people. Experts determined that the corners of the planes' square windows were weak points that cracked under pressure. And that's why modern airplanes have rounded windows. CRACKED.COM http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1 954/19 1954%20-%200130.html — Source

30

A misplaced decimal point made spinach a superfood. In 1870, a German chemist calculated the 8 9 amount of iron found 4 5 in spinach and other 6 vegetables. When he you EXI yon BY LY YONA Exp 2 3 recorded his findings, د he misplaced the YOU XOW XOn decimal point. The amount of iron in spinach is 3.5 mg per 100g, but he wrote down 35 mg. Despite repeated efforts by the scientific community to set the record straight, the myth that spinach is ridiculously high in iron persists to this day. http://it toolbox .om/blogs/infosphere/spinach-how-a-data- CRACKED.COM quality-mistake-created-a-myth-and-a-cartoon-character-10166 — Source

29

12 million people lost their phone service because of a 6. In 1991, customers in Baltimore, Washington, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Los Angeles lost phone service. Apparently a Bell employee had typed a 6 instead of a d in the software that controls signals regulating telephone traffic, causing the phone companies to lose all control of their networks. http://articles baltimoresun.com/1991-11-24/news/ CRACKED.COM 1991328005_1_typographical-error-crucial-error-signal-transfer — Source

28

D-Day

The Germans' loss at Normandy may have been because of a birthday party. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel US was in charge of defending Europe from Allied invasion, in 1944. Rommel took the weekend of June 6 off to celebrate his wife's birthday. It was that day that the Allies landed at Normandy, leading to the largest German defeat of World War II. You might know it better as D-Day. http://www.historynet.com/ield-marshall-erwin- CRACKED.COM rommels-defense-of-normandy-during-world-war-ii.htm — Source

27

A loose bolt caused the destruction of the Soviet N1 moon rocket. It was 1969, and the Soviets were aiming for the moon with their N1 rocket. A single loose bolt got sucked into a fuel pump, and caused the rocket to explode 20 seconds into its flight. The resulting fireball was one of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions in human history. CRACKED.COM https://youtu.be/AyoBHBOnscY — Source

26

A single word may have prompted Harry Truman to bomb Japan. In 1945, the Allies drafted the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan's mokusatsu -suru, v. ta unconditional surrender. (anything) with silent contemp silence]: remain in a wise and ma When Japanese Premier -Kenkyusha's New Japanese Kantaro Suzuki responded, р. 1129. he used the word mokusatsu to mean he'd taken note of the message and was thinking about it. Unfortunately, mokusatsu can also mean to contemptfully ignore, and it was this translation that was provided to President Truman. 10 days later, the U.S. dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima. CRACKED.COM https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/tech_journals/mokusatsu.pdf — Source

25

We lost the Mars Climate Orbiter because the engineers worked in inches. 1 1 1F 7 8 9 3 0 1 The Lockheed Martin team that built the jet thrusters in 1999 worked in the imperial system, rather than the metric system, and didn't tell NASA. The Orbiter went so wackily off-course that NASA just gave up. It's listed as assumed lost. http://www visionlearning.com/blog/2012/09/21/ CRACKED.COM tragedies-in-science-the-crash-of-the-mars-climate-orbiter/ — Source

24

A missing line cost NASA $80 million. It was 1962, and NASA launched America's first inter-planetary probe Mariner 1. Its destination was Venus. But a single typo in a computer equation caused the spacecraft to veer off course. Specifically, it was an overbar - a line that goes above a letter or number. NASA had to detonate Mariner 1 five minutes after liftoff. R Arthur С. Clarke called n the mission wrecked by the most expensive hyphen in history. CRACKED.COM http://catfess.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/B.75.htm/#subj1 — Source

23

492 people died in a fire because of door hinges. It was 1942, and the Cocoanut Grove in Boston was packed. A busboy was groping in the dark to find an electrical outlet, and lit a match. That match caused a fire that spun wildly out of control in moments. The patrons rushed the doors, but those doors swung inward. So by pressing against the doors, the panicked mob actually blocked the exit and prevented their own escape. CRACKED.COM http://www.bostonfirehistory.org/firestory11281942.html — Source

22

Hannibal lost nearly half his army because of a cane. It was during Hannibal's legendary crossing of the Alps to invade Italy, in 218 ВС. In order to prove to his 38,000 troops that the way was safe, he rammed his cane into the snow. The cane triggered an avalanche that killed 18,000 of his men, 2,000 of his horses, and a ton of his elephants. Yeah, Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants. CRACKED.COM Stephen Weir, 2005. History's Worst Decisions and the People who Made Them — Source

21

A late coal delivery caused the largest unintentional man-made explosion on record. In 1917, a Norwegian ship called the SS Imo had to sit and wait in Halifax Harbor in Nova Scotia, Canada, because its coal delivery was two days late. By the time it was able to depart, a French ship called the Mont-Blanc was headed in through the channel it needed to navigate to get out. After unsuccessfully trying to pass one another, both ships made corrections that resulted in a collision. If just one had corrected, they would not have crashed. The Mont-Blanc was carrying explosives, which — Source

20

Constantinople was defeated because of an unlocked gate. In the Middle Ages, the city of Constantinople was the citadel to the Eastern Roman Empire. It survived 1,000 years' worth of sieges. In 1453, Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire attacked. A couple of months into the siege, somebody forgot to lock Constantinople's Kerkoporta gate. That was all Mehmed's army needed to pillage the city and enslave its people. CRACKED.COM Georgios Phrantzēs, Marios Philippides, 1908 The fall of the Byzantine Empire: a Chronicle. — Source

19

One missed switch led to rioting in New York City. In July 1977, lightning struck the New York Con Edison facility. In order to restore power, the operator needed to flip several switches, in a certain order. The operator missed one switch, and ConEd went completely offline. For 25 hours. Between the summer heat and the lack of power, New York City descended into looting, arson, and vandalism. A congressional study estimates that $300 million in damage was done. CRACKED.COM http://www.wired.com/2010/07/0713massive-blackout-hits-new-york/ — Source

18

The Martian mythos exists because of a single letter. In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli observed variations in the terrain on Mars. Не used the word canali, i meaning channels, to describe those trenches. In 1895, American astronomer Percival Lowell misunderstood that word to mean canals, which are by definition man-made. Or in this case, Martian-made. Lowell's wild speculation about life on Mars became so entrenched that it inspired works such as War of the Worlds. CRACKED.COM — Source

17

A single isotope led to the utter irradiation of Bikini Atoll. P + N° N N° P P + N° In 1954, scientists figured Lithium-7 was inert, so they packed it into their nuclear bomb and tested it on Bikini Atoll. The resulting mushroom cloud was three times the size scientists were expecting, and 1,000 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The fallout spread traces of radioactive material as far as Australia, India, and Japan, and even the United States and parts of Europe. CRACKED.COM http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Castle.html — Source

16

The Bay of Pigs

The Bay of Pigs invasion failed because the Pentagon forgot Middle BEAC about time zones. The plan for the 1961 invasion of Cuba was a 10 9 1 6 5 A 3 8 3 two-pronged attack: 7 6 4 5 ground troops and air 12 I support working 3 2 10 II 12 I together. 2 17747 9 4 Unfortunately, the Pentagon neglected 7 to take the time 12 / difference between 2 3 9 10 // 5 12 / A 2 3 Nicaragua and Cuba into 8 9 . 10 12 account, and the fighter KK المام PA PUERTO — Source

15

Segways

CRACKED Segways and Hoverboards were portable death traps. On top of bursting into flames, hoverboards landed over 26,000 kids in the ER between 2015 and 2016. Segway has doled out its fair share of injuries, and ironically, the company's owner, Jim Heseldon, accidentally rode one off of a cliff and died. OS TAILOR adidas — Source

14

CRACKED Cybersecurity for identity thieves. This consumer reporting agency left 147 million Americans' SSN's, birth dates, addresses, and driver's license numbers exposed. Over 209,000 peoples' credit cards were accessed, and Equifax is currently paying $425 million to victims. EQUIFAX — Source

13

CRACKED Hackable pacemakers that tug on your heartstrings. This revolutionary radio-controlled pacemaker was built without security against other frequencies. The possibility of hacking caused a recall of 500,000 after patients feared anyone with a wireless transmitter kit could play with their hearts. — Source

12

CRACKED The solar panel that never was. Solyndra wanted to provide innovative circular solar panels in 2009. They got over $1 billion between investments and federal loans, but the company's business plan was so transparent, it straight-up did not exist. — Source

11

CRACKED Incendiary baby monitors. Lorex's baby monitor had motion tracking, night vision, and an ability to snap pics. All that tech cramming caused 488 reports of burn-temperature overheating, and cases of the battery pack expanding enough for the outer casing to shoot right off. — Source

10

CRACKED Google's steampunk-ass internet balloons. Going literally above and beyond cell towers, Alphabet (Google's parent company) tried to give affordable internet to planet Earth with internet-emitting balloons. Many countries denied them for airspace security reasons. They lost $1 billion and popped them all. — Source

9

Quibi

CRACKED Quibi failed... because of Covid? They spent 1.8 billion dollars to create big budget, ten-minute episodes with Hollywood stars. After it flopped, founder Jeffrey Katzenberg said I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus. Sure Jeff, no one consumed video during the pandemic. — Source

8

CRACKED Elizabeth Holmes' impossible vampire machine. A medical tech scam for the ages, Elizabeth Holmes advertised a revolution in retrieving blood samples. Theranos could supposedly do 240 tests on a tiny sample... but it was all a lie (that now has her facing up to 20 years in prison). — Source

7

CRACKED Amazon's life-threatening home security. Homeowners can check in on their homes from anywhere, and with Amazon Ring, so can everyone else! Hackers have spied on people, spoken racial slurs through the mic, and even told an old lady Tonight you die. Dozens of terrified users sued Amazon. — Source

6

CRACKED Facebook's 24/7 spy machine. After a 50 million user data breach, Facebook released Portal, a video-calling device with a camera and mic that were always on. Labeled the worst tech device of the year, people distrusted Facebook's camera/microphone combo in their home, and it flopped. — Source

5

CRACKED Cybertruck's unbreakable windows. After boasting about the Cybertruck's unbreakable armored glass windows, Chief designer Franz von Holzhausen smashed one. Then two. Elon Musk initially suggested shooting the truck, but that (like the faulty window) was scrapped. — Source

4

iPhones

CRACKED iPhones call 911 when you're on a roller coaster. Hello, 9-1-1? Yeah, I'm having too good of a time! Dispatch centers close to Kings Island amusement park received 6 emergency calls from iPhone 14 users with car crash detection enabled. Six Flags SixFlags Flags — Source

3

CRACKED Google Glass was an expensive invasion of privacy. In 2012, Google hyped us up with a flashy promo video of skydivers streaming a jump. But the actual use cases of tech nerds discretely recording videos were a lot more... ogley. The creep factor, and the $1,500 price tag, caused Google to shelve it in 2015. — Source

2

CRACKED Tesla's self-driving cars plow through child-shaped objects. The Dawn Project ran multiple tests where a car in full self-driving mode mowed right over some child dummies. Tesla has since sent multiple cease-and-desist letters, while Tesla fanboys have called for using actual children to prove that the feature works. - - - - Kings www — Source

1

TayTweets

CRACKED Humans trained AI to be racist. In 2016, Microsoft told users that the more they tweet to Tay, the more she'd learn. Within 24 hours, she was tweeting racial slurs, Hitler quotes, incestuous sexual acts, and was immediately canceled. TWEETS FOLL 96.1K 48 Tweets Tw TayTweets — Source

Tags:

Visual

Scroll down for the next article

Must Read

Trivia & Jokes

34 of the Funniest Tweets from Monday, March 10, 2025

Movies & TV

12 Random Bits of Pop-Culture Trivia You Won’t Repeat If You Know What’s Good for Ya

Movies & TV

‘Severance’ Fans Flame Viewer Who Says the Show Is Better When You Skip Through It

Movies & TV

Tony Hinchcliffe’s First Netflix Special Was So Bad That He Scrubbed It From the Internet

Movies & TV

Of Course the ‘Mythic Quest’ Spin-off Will Put An ‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Actor in the Spotlight

Trivia & Jokes

40 Competitive Bits of Sports Trivia That Were All Vying for the Number One Spot on This List

VIRAL ON CRACKED

1

The Bonkers On All Levels 90's Movie

2

23 Weird Ways Your Body Betrays Your Personality

3

40 Celebrity Hobbies, Interests and Skills That Are Somehow Way Less Interesting When Us Normies Do Them

4

25 Wacky Cheating Scandals from Game Shows and Pro Sports

5

40 Random Bits of Trivia to Recite Like a Rosary As Your Plane Prepares to Land