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When A Day At Work Turns Into A Nightmare

When A Day At Work Turns Into A Nightmare

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People Break Down The Weirdest Facts They Know

The Dumbest Questions Ever Asked

The Dumbest Questions Ever Asked

Unbelievably Entitled People

Unbelievably Entitled People

People Break Down The Biggest Unsolved Mysteries In Human History

People Break Down The Biggest Unsolved Mysteries In Human History

Incredibly Satisfying Revenge Stories

Incredibly Satisfying Revenge Stories

History Lovers Share The Most WTF‽ Historical Events They Know

History Lovers Share The Most WTF‽ Historical Events They Know
Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

It might surprise you to know that the last Civil War widow died near the end of last year.

Wait, what?

Yes, you read that correctly. Her name was Helen Viola Jackson, and she married James Bolin in 1936 when she was 17 and he was 93.

"He said that he would leave me his Union pension," she later told historian Hamilton C. Clark. "It was during the [Great] Depression and times were hard. He said that it might be my only way of leaving the farm."

Jackson never remarried and kept the marriage secret for decades.

Wild, huh?

Hard to believe, but it happened. Here's the report from Smithsonian Magnazine.

History is full of some wild facts, as we were so kindly reminded by Redditor day_tripper96, who asked the online community:

"What's a bizarre historical event you can't believe actually took place?"

"In 1920..."

"In 1920, President Paul Deschanel of France fell through the window of the train while traveling on the Orient Express. He stumbled up to the nearest signal box in his pajamas and told the signalman that he needed help and that he was the President of France. The signalman reportedly replied 'And I'm Napoleon Bonaparte."

Bunnystrawberry

Cue laugh track!

This is a moment worthy of a sitcom.

"In AD 897..."

"The Cadaver Synod - In AD 897, Pope Stephen VI had his dead rival Pope Formosus exhumed and put on trial. Stephen had a deacon speak on the dead pope's behalf. Naturally, Formosus was found guilty. Stephen ordered that two fingers Formosus used for blessing people be cut off and had his corpse thrown in the Tiber river."

HordaksPupil

Well, it's not like he could defend himself soooo... no one is surprised. Deliciously petty.

"It worked."

"Good old Operation Mincemeat.

Basically, during WWII, the British find some dead body of some poor guy, dress it up like a British officer, attach some fake intel onto him, then throw him into the ocean, hoping he floats to enemy territory to mislead them.

It worked."

mitchade

The chances that this would have worked must have been miniscule. Talk about a victory!

"The astronomer..."

"The astronomer Tycho Brahe had a pet moose that he used to get drunk with. One time he brought it to a dinner party at a friend's house. But sadly, the moose did not survive the night. Once again the poor moose got drunk on beer and died from a nasty fall down a set of stairs. Tyco Brahe also lost his nose in a duel, so he wore a prosthetic nose made out of metal. Some sources say brass, others say it was a gold/silver alloy. He was also employing a small court jester named Jepp that he believed to be clairvoyant."

Asher-the-Squid

These Gestures Are Offensive In Other Countries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

People explain the friendly gestures in one country that are offensive in another. It's imperative to do a little research about the destinations and culture...

"100 years ago..."

"The Halifax Explosion. 100 years ago two ships did a shit job of passing each other while entering / leaving Halifax Harbour, in Nova Scotia. One of them was LOADED with explosives destined for WW1. They collided and one of them burned for a while, then exploded. The blast was a ~2/3 again larger than the one we saw in Beirut last year.

Thousands died or were blinded by shattering windows. There was a local tsunami (which followed a brief moment where the seabed was exposed to air), and then a monster snowstorm covered the relief effort in snow.

Largest human-made explosion even until the nuclear bomb, and I think it remains the largest maritime accident ever."

kayriss

This is one of those historical events that continues to horrify me and fill me with morbid curiosity. I went to Halifax some years back and never got a chance to visit the museum. Looks like I'll need to!

"Alexander the Great named..."

"Alexander the Great named (or renamed) 70 cities after himself. Some still have the name or derivatives of it - Alexandria in Egypt being the most obvious, but also Iskandariya in Iraq and Kandahar in Afghanistan."

mordenty

"Hannibal marching elephants..."

"Hannibal marching elephants over the Alps to attack Italy."

And the fact that he left Spain to do this just before Roman forces arrived to take him on, and then Rome was just like "meh" and continued south when they figured out where he was going. They didn't care because they thought there was no way he could do anything. Polybius's account of Hannibal is fantastic, especially if you read what he says about the First Punic War and the Carthaginian Civil War as a context. The petty hatred between Rome and Carthage was insane, and had been going on for an insanely long time. Makes the 100 Years War look like nothing."

jdward01

"The only time in history..."

"The time when Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the island where he was imprisoned on after his army was defeated, he snuck back into France under the nose of King Louis XVIII and literally every royal guard and roadblock from Marseille to Paris, and when he was actually caught just outside Paris, he managed to persuade the soldiers (who just so happened to be former Bonapartists) to escort him into Paris where he managed to successfully cause the king to flee, on top of raising a FULL ARMY to wage war against Europe AGAIN. The only time in history an emperor took back an entire country just by waving his hat."

golu218805

Honestly, Napoleon's entire life story would qualify. That man just would not quit.

"Massive wave..."

"The Great Molasses Flood, Jan.15, 1919. Massive wave of molasses from a broken tank flooded the area. It killed 51 people and injured 150. 2.3 million US gallons."

keltoy1545

I learned about this as a kid when I picked up a book that listed "weird but true" facts. This was one of them. It sounded quite ridiculous until I read about the horrible way the victims died.

"Surprisingly..."

"During the siege of Tenochtitlan, the conquistadors built a trebuchet. However, the conquistadors, being an exploratory expedition, had not brought any military engineers with them. So they winged it. Surprisingly, they did build a trebuchet, which fired exactly one shot, directly upwards, which promptly came down and smashed the trebuchet. This event is chronicled in both the journals of the conquistadors present as well as the Aztec records."

VolJin

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Food Trends People Can't Wait To Die Out

Reddit user Prestigious-Humor872 asked: 'Food Trends People Can't Wait To Die Out'

Assortment of various foods
Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash

Food trends are not so very different from fashion trends, constantly evolving and quickly becoming outdated or passé.

Can you think of the last time you were served ambrosia at a dinner party?

Or have you noticed how anything featuring kale is now met with an eye roll rather than excitement?

Of course, some food trends tend to last longer than others.

Even if many people wish that they would also become extinct... the sooner the better!

Redditor Prestigious-Humor872 was eager to hear all the food trends people wished would die out, and fast, leading them to ask:

"What modern food trend can you not wait to die?"

Less Isn't Always More...

"2 ingredient desserts (with 7 'optional' ingredients that appear once you read the actual recipe)."- strawberry-emma

You Pay For The Experience

"Food trucks that charge the same price as a premium restaurant but serve half the size on a floppy plate that I have to stand up to eat."- thorn_10

"Food trucks."

"Weren’t they supposed to serve cheaper food because of lower overhead?"

"No brick and mortar?"

"We have a lobster roll truck-pulled by a Range Rover- that shows up for lunch and charges $22 for one entree."

"Ridiculous."- tizzymyers·

Giphy

Choice Of Words...

"Calling a slight alteration to a recipe a 'hack'."

"Adding parmesan cheese to your grilled cheese sandwich is not a 'hack'."

"It's a minor recipe change."- No_Pear_2326

Jumping The Gun A Bit...

"If I'm on a website I'm only there to look at your menu."

"I'm not interested in starting an order before I've looked at the menu."

"No, I don't want to give you my zip code."

"Just give me your menu and some food pictures."- DueRest

Staying Humble?

"Fancy restaurants that say they serve 'street tacos' and proceed to charge $18 for three."- Chipwich75

T-Bell Yes GIF by Taco BellGiphy

There's A Reason We're Told Not To Play With Our Food...

"The stupid food wasting trends on YouTube and TikTok etc."- fluffernuttersndwch

Presentation Is Key...

"For some reason putting food in wine glasses."- Ralphroberts603

"Restaurants serving food on cutting boards, shovels, paper, shells, or anything that is not an actual plate."- Funny_Disaster1002

meat grill GIF by Gifs LabGiphy

Remember The Golden Arches And The Red Roofs?

"Making all fast food buildings look like cookie-cutter beige/grey boxes."

"They all used to have their own distinct personalities."- mattnotis

There's Economizing, And Then There's Jusy Poor Hygeine...

"The videos of people making food in sinks."

"Gross."- h20rabbit

Is It Even Still A Secret After 100 Thousand Views?

"Any TikTok/IG trend that makes life more difficult for fast-food workers with overly complex orders or ordering stuff not on the menu or trying to 'one up' each others orders etc."- HiThisIsMichael

bored fast food GIF by Zaxby'sGiphy

Maybe It Gives Them Incentive?

"Tipping as an option BEFORE receiving good service."- mytimeis2044

Sweet Tooth? Or Cavity Express?

"Sweets on top of sweets."

"A milkshake with a donut, lollipop, and cupcake attached."- Marleygem

Technology Slowly Taking Our Jobs...

"I just went to a restaurant, not a fast food place, a sit-down restaurant where you have to scan the QR code for the menu, then a screen pops up where you have to place your own order."

"No one comes to the table to answer questions, nothing."

"You place your order, a person comes by and throws your drinks at you. "

"Then they swing by a while later and throw your food at you."

"That’s all you see of them."

"You pay your bill on your phone, and are still expected to tip."- Megmuffin102

Saint Urbain Website GIF by Front of HouseGiphy

Be it in presentation, cooking style, or flavor profile, people will likely always try to make food "cool" in truly bizarre ways.

Sometimes ignoring that the only thing that should truly matter is whether or not it tastes good.

At least people have finally realized that kale doesn't need to be added to everything!

For now, at least...

food trends

People Share Their 'I Married The Right Twin' Experiences

Two identical goats stare into the camera while standing in a field.
Photo by Jørgen Håland

When discussing love and relationships, the motto is usually less is more.

But what if there is more of one partner?

Being involved with identical twins can be quite the experience.

Can you really tell them apart?

Is everything identical?

If you're attracted to one, aren't you automatically attracted to the other?

So many questions.

Now we need some answers.

Redditor nicknamesofdaveryder wanted to hear about love and the twin experience, so they asked:

"Redditors who married someone with an identical twin sibling, why are you glad you're not with the other twin instead?"

I've never met a lot of twins, let alone gotten involved with a pair.

I have questions.

Hopefully I get some answers.

Saved

Comedy Central Wink GIF by Drunk HistoryGiphy

"My late husband's twin was a non-functioning alcoholic and my husband wasn’t. My husband says joining the navy was what saved him from going down that road."

iteachag5

Falling Asleep

"Story time! I am an identical twin (we still look so much alike!) and one night I spent the night at her house. She and I fell asleep in the same bed because we were up late talking, etc. Her husband slept on the couch. The next morning my twin went to take a shower and her husband laid down on the bed with me (thinking it was her of course). I jokingly said 'Hey sailor, looking for a little variety?' He shot off the bed and said 'If I was looking for variety, do you think I'd choose you??'"

tanyagal2

The Good Guy And The Other One

"I didn't marry him but I dated an identical twin. His twin's girlfriend and I used to joke around that she got the evil twin. He was just a selfish, messed-up person. One of the benefits of breaking up with my boyfriend was no longer having his twin in my life. Plus, his ex gf and I are still great friends! The good guy was just the lesser evil. She wanted to get as far away from that family as I did. The best thing to come out of those relationships was our friendship."

super-ro

Love Wins

"My dad's an identical twin. People have a hard time distinguishing them, but to my mom and me, they look like two completely different people because of the way they walk/talk/etc. Obviously, my mom only fell in love with this one person. When you love someone it's actually pretty easy to tell identical twins apart."

michaelsgavin

Issues

Threaten Ashley Olsen GIFGiphy

"The other twin has the same personality as I do. We argue readily and are super competitive with each other. We butt heads on a lot of issues."

why_not_send_a_nude

Personality clashes aren't just a twin thing.

It's a human thing.

We can't help ourselves.

Different People

Triplets GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy

"I work with a guy who married an identical triplet, one of the triplets also works with us. I asked him one day if it was weird working with someone who looked just like his wife. He got a little pissed and basically said they are all very different people and he doesn't see much of his wife in her."

LeafMeAlone_99

He's Evil

"We’re not married but known each other since we were 12 and have been together 3 and a half years. His twin is a massive di**head who tried to break us up multiple times, was madly in love with me in his own words, and after 2 years of pursuing me declared I was a terrible person and put him through hell. Because I didn’t break up with his TWIN BROTHER to date him."

xMollyP

Life Choices

"My husband and his twin brother look very different to me, although they are identical and get mistaken for one another all the time. They couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. They have different values and life goals, hobbies, one is introverted and the other is extroverted. If they were two people who didn’t look alike, I would automatically not be attracted to my brother-in-law simply because we are not remotely compatible personality-wise."

"Also they have very different styles. I do not find the way my husband’s twin dresses/grooms his hair attractive. It’s so wild to me when people can’t tell them apart because they couldn’t be more different in my eyes."

lanieeeeeeee

Opposites

"Well, my wife and I have been together for 30 years. She has a 'mirror' twin. Even now, if you don’t know them well or interact frequently you will not be able to tell them apart. They are complete opposites. I married the extrovert, she has never met a stranger, will try anything at least once, and can find a positive aspect in almost everything she encounters, they are also best friends, my wife drags her sister along all the time."

"Once she’s out she enjoys our activities. I love my SIL, all three of them, but so glad I married the one like me. The mirror part even goes for looks, when I see my wife’s reflection I see my SIL, it’s weird sometimes. Also, attitude and personality are everything, I have never been 'attracted' to her twin."

redbonecouchhound

The Look

Sexy Damon Wayans Jr GIF by Global TVGiphy

"I used to date an identical twin. Although I found his brother objectively handsome, I wasn't attracted to him at all. It was cool to directly experience how attraction goes far beyond just the looks."

Liatessa

I've never been intrigued by twins, and now I never will be.

twins

The Best Examples Of Someone Going From 'Genius' To 'Idiot'

confused man in blue t-shirt

Sander Sammy on Unsplash

My Father was considered a genius.

At 16 he graduated high school as Valedictorian, joined the United States Navy as soon as he turned 17 then was promptly recruited by Admiral Hyman Rickover's team converting the Navy from diesel to nuclear power.

He served as a nuclear and electrical engineer on naval vessels after the conversion project ended, then as a reactor inspector for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after retiring from the Navy.

He also needed a full time babysitter in order to survive. Things like paying bills, buying groceries, feeding himself all escaped him. He lacked any semblance of common sense.

Really smart people doing very unsmart things isn't uncommon.

And sometimes a person is labeled a genius who's really an idiot with good brand marketing.

Keep reading...Show less
life

The Corporate Decisions That Were Met With Huge Public Backlash

Woman noting feedback on corporate decision
Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

Corporations don't get big overnight.

A lot of tough decisions, big wins, and sometimes even bigger losses, go into their growth.

But sometimes companies make mistakes that the public simply cannot let slide, and it can be hard to imagine how the company could stay afloat after the backlash.

Redditor Astro_Shogun asked:

"What decision by a company received the most amount of backlash from the public?"

Dang It, Photobucket

"When Photobucket decided to take the whole internet hostage by asking for 400 dollars a year for what was previously a free image storage solution. The move broke years of forum posting and erased a significant portion of the web collective knowledge."

- denpo

"Yup. And now they're holding almost all of my son's childhood photos (some of which I managed to save in other places) hostage."

- KnockMeYourLobes

"Browse any forum thread from the early 2000s and practically all the images are gone because everyone used Photobucket back then. It will be the same way with Reddit whenever Imgur goes under."

- NothingOld7527

So Salesy

"JCPenny doing away with sales and trying to present itself as a more upscale store. Sales immediately plummeted, and they reversed course quickly."

- flyingcircusdog

Cheap Jewelry

"Gerald Ratner said the reason his jewelry company could sell stuff so cheap was because the products were crap. It destroyed the company overnight."

- simplemtbman

Front Wheel Drive

"Ford, in the '80s, tried to replace the aging Fox body Mustang with a front-wheel drive, Mazda-based car. This was pre-internet, but car people got UPSET and deluged Ford with a letter expressing their anger."

"Ford backtracked, kept the Fox body around, and released the vehicle that was going to be the new Mustang as the Probe. It lasted two generations, but the Mustang soldiers on."

- StillN0tATony

Online Only

"Microsoft got roasted when they announced Kinect and always-online were required for the Xbox One. Took all the momentum they had from the 360 era and put them miles behind Sony."

- Jerry_Williams89

Childhood: Destroyed

"Sonic having human teeth."

- LightDash

"I just immediately pictured teeth in a Sonic milkshake and had a horrified reaction before my brain caught up to you meaning the character."

- Rolizas

Questionable Upgrades

"Very recently, T-Mobile. A company that 10 years ago called itself the Uncarrier by making a series of pro-consumer changes to its plans and the previous CEO built almost a sort of cult of fans of the company. Then T-Mobile acquired Sprint and got a new CEO."

"A couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile internal documentation revealed it was going to automatically upgrade customers on old grandfathered plans up to new plans, which were more expensive. Customers would have to call in to opt out of the change. 'They weren’t raising customers’ rates, they were moving them to better plans.'"

"Well, major tech news got ahold of that, and then even some local news stations, and T-Mobile quietly 'clarified' a week later via internal communications that only one percent of their customers would be affected."

- artimaticus8

Coming Together in Hate

"Anyone remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad when she solved police brutality?"

- vernon3

"Those moments are precious. There are a few things these days that bring everyone on the Internet together. That was one of those things. We all hated the Pepsi ad that solved police brutality."

"That ad had it all. Pandering, ignorance, arrogance, and talking down to their audience."

- notwoutmyprob

"And a Kardashian."

- Kitchen_action

With Every Purchase

"I couple of years back a local Detroit area car dealership decided the best way to celebrate MLK day was to give away free car alarms with every purchase."

"Nobody liked that."

- graveybrains

A Sale Gone Too Well

"Hoover UK offering two free flights to America if you spend £100 on their products. They anticipated that people would spend a lot more than the minimum required which would cover the approximately £600 value of the tickets."

"When the company was deluged with purchases around the £100 mark, they reneged on the offer, which prompted a very expensive lawsuit. The fallout was so bad that the UK division of the firm was sold to a rival company."

- Live-Dance-2641

New Drink, Who Dis?

"New Coke."

- PeggyWithPhatA**

"After the relations disaster, the public clamored for the decision to be reversed, and Coca-Cola released 'Coke Classic.'"

"Coke Classic soon had an even higher market share than Coke did before the public relations fiasco, and a new theory made the rounds: that Coca-Cola deliberately made these decisions, simply to gain publicity, and increase market share."

"The reaction from Coca-Cola’s executives was, 'We aren’t that smart, and we aren’t that stupid.'"

- Malthus1

A Tweet Turned Sexist

"Burger King stating that 'Women Belong in the Kitchen.' What they were TRYING to say was that they wanted more diversity. People didn't see it that way, and in the end, they had to issue an apology."

- zerbey

The Downfall of an Incredible Publication

"Here’s one there should be a public outcry about."

"Disney bought National Geographic and controls everything it does. This is the last year the iconic magazine will be available. I’m incensed."

- redheadMInerd2

(The writer of this article is equally incensed.)

Predicting the Future

"I feel like whatever YouTube is cooking up lately will be the next one."

- Just_Aioli_1233

"Tech companies sure know how to kill off highly popular and profitable apps, super quick. It’s interesting to watch it happen in real-time. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, all losing tons of followers and destroying their own stock."

- Eleanor_of_Accutane

It's easy to see how all of these mistakes resulted in huge backlash, sometimes at the total expense and downfall of the business.

But some of these mistakes were made by companies that are still huge today, and to a certain extent, that's kind of surprising.

backlash