Let's get something clear. Pizza is important.
The only thing second to importance in pizza is the toppings that go on said pizza. And this is where most people tend to fundamentally disagree.
u/NuclearWinterGames asked:
What is the most underrated pizza topping?
Here were some of the answers.
A Little Leaf Makes A Big Difference
This is how my husband orders pizza for me. Not even kidding.
"I'd like a cheese pizza with basil. Extra basil. And then when you think you have enough, reach in and clear out that container. Then head to the storage room, grab all of the basil and add it. When you're done with that, head back to the garden and pull the whole plant. Then go next door and grab any of their basil. When you're done, you're about half way there."
I love him.
Aepples And Banaenaes
Banana peppers. Oh man a thin crust pizza with italian sausage, green olives, and banana peppers is the best!!
Extra Salt
Anchovies get a lot of reflexive "eww, gross" reactions from people who probably have never had a pizza with anchovies, but they're great.
Fungus Yum-gus
Mushrooms, every time I say that mushrooms are my favorite toppings I get a "eww" as I reply but I don't know why. They're so good.
A Little Extra Crunch
Basil? Onions? Chicken? None of these are underrated. 99% of places will have these options. The only guy below with a real underrated one was the potato guy.
A real answer is roast corn. A lot of it too. Cheese, a little onion and pepper and a crap ton of corn.
Spicy But Less Greasy
Salami. The flavor isn't as strong as pepperoni, but still definitely there. More importantly it doesn't curl up and get burnt on the edge with a pool of grease in the middle.
Redditors Recount The Wedding Objections They Witnessed | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
All Parts Of The Cow
I dunno about underrated exactly, but green chili is an excellent topping that's hard to find outside parts of the southwest. Potato is definitely underrated, although tater tots specifically are meh. Most underrated, in my opinion, is cow tongue, which is amazing on a pizza.
Mm Good
Pineapple, apparently. I'm sad for those of you who have never had a good Hawaiian pizza.
For those of us who have... spinach! Saw it on the Pizza Hut web app and decided to try it. I used that, olives, red peppers, and meatballs with the Balsamic drizzle. Called it Pizza Caprese and it was amazing! Got weird looks when I picked it up, but the second time, I told then they should try it sometime.
A Little Bit Of Pasta
Macaroni
Toppers Pizza has a macaroni pizza that's the best damn thing you'll ever have. Especially if you get the buffalo chicken mac and cheese tall boy. Truly superb.
Also, Kwik Trip has surprisingly good food. Their mac pizza is pretty good, just add hot sauce. They also have a bacon mac pizza but it's harder to find.
More Kinds Of Spicy
Sausage. Not that people don't like sausage on pizza, but in Massachusetts out by Cape Cod, where there's a huge Portuguese community, a favored topping for pizzas (not to mention filling for omelets) is chourico, and its less-spicy cousin, linguicia. I don't doubt there're a lot of other local toppings the general public doesn't know about.
People Reveal The Biggest Red Flags They Ever Ignored
Reddit user opticfawn asked: 'What's the biggest red flag you ignored?'
As Jane Austen so famously taught us in her immortal classic Pride and Prejudice, first impressions can be deceiving.
For while the dashing Fitzwilliam Darcy first appeared arrogant, rude, and snobbish to Elizabeth Bennett, she would soon learn that he was, in fact, the true love of her life.
However, even if we shouldn't jump to conclusions based solely on a first impression, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious about certain things we notice.
A "red flag," as it were.
There are many people who deeply regret entering into what proved to be an ill-advised romantic relationship, or hiring an employee who proved anything but up to the task, feeling that they missed the obvious sign back when they first met them that this was an association bound to end in disaster.
"What's the biggest red flag you ignored?"
Bad Luck, Or Bad Habits?
"She had astronomically bad luck."
"She had been falsely accused of plagiarism and kicked out of college."
"She had a DUI on her record even though she wasn’t that drunk but the breathalyzer was miscalibrated and they mixed up her blood sample with a different DUI arrest."
"She got fired from her job for stealing when she didn’t actually steal but got set up."
"Everything just went wrong for her."
"Or maybe, just maybe, she was a huge a**hole who couldn’t own up to her own sh*t."- AmatuerCultist
Dubious Track Record
'She told me every guy she dated broke up with her."
"I eventually found out why."- draiman
Can't They Weren't Honest
"'I'm not in a good place to be in a relationship'."
"Yeah, I probably should have listened to that one."- spockgiirl
Drew Barrymore Oops GIF by NETFLIXGiphyThem Against The World
"Everything was always someone else's fault."
"All of his ex's were crazy/wrong."
"His family was problematic."
"Everybody was against him."
"Egad, did I find out about him the hard way."- ricwash
"She rage-quit every relationship she had ever had."
"I was her last friend, so I thought she would hang on to me."
"Nope."- Logical-Pop-458
The Words "I'm Sorry" Can Go A Long Way...
"He never apologized for anything."
"Even stuff that was 100% his fault."
"But my dumba** would have to apologize for everything, even stuff out of my control."- imlovegina
Sorry Taylor Swift GIFGiphyBefore, After, Or During One Wonders...
"He got arrested on our first date."- Sapphyrre
What Were They Trying To Hide?...
"When the person I was seeing would never introduce me to their friends or family."- graces-taylor12
Never Trust A Manipulator
"My gf at the time used the words, while talking about manipulating someone, 'I just always know what to say to make someone feel how I want…' hesitates then looks over to me and says '…but I don’t do that to you because…I care about you too much…'"
"This was pretty late in the relationship’s life, so I think she just barely cared to hide it anymore."
"I was heavily mentally checked out, and accepted this excuse without a second word."
"I did 100% notice it deep inside myself, and I still remember the pang of self hatred."- Terapyn
Manipulate 90 Day Fiance GIF by TLCGiphyWinning Isn't Everything... Or Is It?
"She was such a sore loser."
"Like toss the cards if she was losing at cards or smash and smear all the letters around if she was losing at Scrabble."
"It escalated from there as she would literally corner me in a room and tear into me for something I said."
"I left once as she went to the bathroom, mid-tirade."
"In her pajamas and slippers, she ran down two floors of her apartment's parking garage to stop me."
"Oh, and neither of her own kids would talk to her."
"Her parents and sister didn't speak with her, either."
"But they got the religion and she didn't."
"I just thought I could make it work, everyone has sore points and triggers."
"But I was so relieved when she left."- milescowperthwaite
Read The Room!
"My ex-boyfriend used to tell me how much he wanted to f*ck other people (my sister, my friends, his friends, etc) while we were being intimate."- lightasapetal
Over It Rose GIF by HULUGiphy"Do You Like Scary Movies?"
"First date she told me her favorite movie ever was 'The Exorcist'.”
"Whatever, I love scary movies."
"Soon after, we actually watched a scary movie, she came back from the bathroom wearing a scream mask and holding a kitchen knife because she thought it was funny.'
'I did not, but I was just like ok she’s 'quirky'.”- genekreamer
Patterns...
"The ex-wife had left her two previous partners for someone she had an affair with."
"I didn't think it would happen to me."
"It took 10 years, but it did."- MartyFreeze
"She cheated with me before she broke up with her ex and we got together."
"Imagine my surprised Pikachu face when she was f*cking a bunch of guys behind my back."- Greylings
Surprised Meme GIFGiphyThe Age Old Blame Game...
"Blaming me for things that I had no effect on."
"She got a bad grade on a quiz because I helped her study."
"Blamed me for her dropping her laptop because I was in another room doing my own thing and couldn't hear what she was saying so she had to get up off the couch which led to the dropping of the laptop."
"Blamed me for her not being prepared for a presentation at work because I had a work event instead of 'being there for her' which always meant just sitting there on the couch next to her while she put it together."
"Blamed me for her backing into a pole in a parking lot because I didn't pick her up from work, but I decided we'd meet at a restaurant."
"So many more, nothing was ever her fault."- turkeysandwich1982
It's never wise or fair to prejudge someone.
But if anything about someone causes suspicion, there's absolutely nothing wrong in doing a little investigating.
Possibly saving you a bucket load of trouble down the road.
Tsar Nicholas II makes most terrible rulers look like saints in comparison. From the moment he was crowned Tsar, his reign was an utter catastrophe. So who was the man who ended the 300-year rule of the House of Romanov? Was he really as bad as they say? Dive into this chilling figure's dark history, and you'll agree—he was even worse.
1. He Was A Spoiled Brat
The future Tsar Nicholas II was born in the lap of luxury at the extravagant Alexander Palace in Saint Petersburg. From the moment he was born, he knew nothing but comfort and excess. If you think that would make him a spoiled brat, you're right on the money. Nicholas II was one of history's biggest bratty rich kids—and Russia would pay dearly for it.
2. His Family Tree Was Messed Up
Nicholas was born in a time when the royal family trees of Europe were unbelievably twisted. Out of a desire for political alliances and to keep royal blood "pure," nearly every monarch on the continent was related in one way or another. That led to a lot of cousins marrying cousins—and apparently, Nicholas was into that kind of thing.
In 1883, at an extravagant royal wedding, Nicholas spent the entire time making eyes at his first cousin, the British Princess Victoria. It just ended up being a brief fling, but at least Nick realized what his type was—and that type was "women he was related to."
3. He Had An Embarrassing Nickname
The future Tsar's family tended to baby young "Nicky," and while he usually loved the coddling, it could get on his nerves too. His uncle was the formidable Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, and the family had to find a way to tell them apart. They took to calling Uncle Nick "Nicholas the Tall," and little Nicky "Nicholas the Short."
It wasn't the most flattering nickname, but it was a whole lot better than the ones he earned later in life: Vile Nicholas, Nicholas the Hangman, and Bloody Nicholas.
4. His Grandfather Survived One Attack
Nicholas's disastrous reign killed the Russian Imperial Family forever, but it's not like the Romanovs' reputation was great to begin with. The glory days of Peter the Great were long gone, and the people of Russia were already starting to turn on their rulers. In 1881, when Nicholas was just 13 years old, revolutionaries attacked his grandfather, Tsar Alexander II.
The Tsar was traveling back to the Winter Palace when an explosion rocked his carriage. He survived the blast and stepped out of the wreckage—it was the last thing he ever did.
5. But He Didn't Survive The Second
File:Zar Alexander II (cropped).jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgWhen Alexander II emerged from his carriage, another attacker tossed a second explosive at the Tsar's feet. There was nothing he could do—the blast tore through him. Remarkably, despite the fact he'd lost both legs, Alexander survived long enough to be carried back to the Palace, where he succumbed to his injuries in his study.
It was a dark day for Nicholas's family—but there were even darker ones to come.
6. He Had To Watch His Grandpa's Last Moments
Nicholas and the rest of his family bore witness to Alexander II's gruesome end. He was just a boy, but Nicholas had to watch his grandfather's painful final moments. Little did he know, he would suffer a similar fate before long. But for now, his father became Tsar Alexander III, and Nicholas was suddenly heir to the throne.
If anyone hoped that things would get better now that Alexander II was gone, they were in for a rude awakening.
7. He Found Love In The Wrong Place
Life eventually returned to normal for the teenaged Nicholas, and pretty soon, it was time to start thinking about marriage. After all, he was the heir now, and he needed a wife and children to make sure the royal line continued. In 1884, at one of countless royal weddings, Nicholas' eyes cast across the crowd yet again—and this time, they settled on the bride's sister, Princess Alix.
I don't know what's more messed up: The fact that Alix was Nicholas's cousin, or the fact that she was 12 years old. Either way, one look at her and Alix left Nicholas absolutely transfixed.
8. They Were Meant For Each Other
Several years passed between Nicholas first meeting Alix and them meeting again, this time on Nicky's home court in Saint Petersburg. Despite the time that had passed, Nicholas was still head over heels for his now-slightly more age-appropriate cousin. To his joy, he found Alix reciprocated his feelings.
Unlike so many cold, political royal marriages, Nicholas and Alix really did seem to genuinely love one another. Unfortunately, love couldn't save them from their horrible end.
9. He Saw The World
Just as his love was blossoming, Nicholas packed up and left on a massive world tour. Along with his brother George and his cousin...George, the trio set out to see all the world had to offer, passing through Egypt, India, Singapore, and Thailand. Next they went to Japan—and that's where the trip took a chilling turn.
10. He Got A Sweet Tattoo
File:Nicholas II right forearm with Chinese dragon tattoo 08.jpg ...commons.wikimedia.orgThe highlight of the Japan visit was probably a trip to legendary tattoo artist Hori Chyo. While his extravagant uniforms would cover it up for most of his life, Nicholas actually had a huge tattoo of a dragon curling up his right forearm. Unfortunately, though, that wasn't the only mark he left Japan with...
11. His Trip Took A Dark Turn
A unit of Japanese policemen escorted Nicholas and his retinue through Japan—but partway through the trip, one of those officers snapped. On May 11, 1891, officer Tsuda Sanzo suddenly turned on Nicholas and violently thrust at his face with a saber. He struck flesh and went in for the fatal blow. Luckily for the Tsarevich, while Sazno was fast, Nicholas's cousin was faster.
Prince George of Greece and Denmark managed to block the assailant's sword with his cane, saving Nicholas's life. He was alive—but Sanzo had still managed to do some serious damage.
12. The Attacker Left His Mark
Nicholas II left the encounter with Tsuda Sanzo sporting a sickening, three and a half-inch wound across the side of his forehead. The attack shook him to his core, and he decided to cut his world tour short, heading home soon after. But the reverberations of the event had major consequences.
13. Japan Felt Awful
Japanese culture at the time took honor extremely seriously, and Sanzo's attack horrified the people of Japan. Emperor Meiji offered a personal apology, but that was just the beginning. Tens of thousands of people sent Nicholas telegrams, wishing him a speedy recovery and offering their sincerest apologies. But that wasn't enough for one young seamstress named Yuko Hatakeyama.
Since one of her countrymen had spilled the blood of a respected foreign guest, she believed she had to offer blood in return.
14. The Reaction To The Attack Was Even More Horrifying
As if the attack wasn't horrific enough, what came next was even more gruesome. Yuko Hatakeyama gathered a crowd in front of the Kyoto Prefectural Office and slit her own throat with a razor blade. She hoped her sacrifice would make up for the great shame that Sanzo's attack brought Japan. And remarkably, the Japanese people applauded her for it! They thought she was a true patriot, giving up her life for Japan's honor.
I doubt Nicholas cared, though. He'd long since put Japan in the rearview, and he was heading home to the "safety" of the Russian court.
15. He Shocked Queen Victoria
File:Tsar Nicholas II & King George V.JPG - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgIf you've ever had to go to a lot of weddings in a year, be thankful you weren't a European royal in the 19th century. It seems like half of Nicholas's early life was spent traveling to one country or another to go to a wedding. In 1893, it was the wedding of his cousin, the future George V of England, and Princess Mary of Teck. There, Nicholas met none other than Queen Victoria.
The monarch took one look at young Nicholas II and couldn't believe what she saw.
16. He Had A Doppelganger
What was so shocking about Nicholas to Victoria? Well, just look at a picture of Nicholas next to his cousin George, Victoria's grandson. The two of them look darn near identical! Turns out, when you have the royal families of Europe interbreed for a few centuries, people start looking alike. But Nicholas didn't spend the whole wedding staring at his doppelganger—he had eyes for someone else.
17. He Dated A Ballerina
OK, sure, Nicholas and Princess Alix were pretty much love-at-first-sight, but Nicholas still had some messy bachelor days in him. Around his cousin's wedding, Nicky started a brief but wild affair with Mathilde Kschessinska, a stunning ballerina. Apparently, Nicholas needed to get his womanizing out of him before his marriage, and Mathilde was the perfect partner.
They parted ways after Nicholas's wedding, but Mathilde Kschessinska developed a taste for Romanovs.
18. She Got Around
After Nicholas settled down with his wife, Mathilde jumped into the bed of another Romanov, Nicholas's close friend and cousin Sergei—but she didn't stop there. She soon shacked up with yet another Romanov cousin, Andrei Vladimirovich. Eventually, she gave birth to a boy named Vladimir. He went by the Romanov name for his entire life, but his mom jumped around so much, not even he knew who his father was!
19. He Was A Playboy
Before he was Tsar, Nicholas II kept busy with extravagant weddings, world travel, and chasing ladies. What he didn't spend much time doing was learning how to be Tsar. He'd been spoiled his entire life, and that didn't stop once he hit his 20s. The family probably assumed that their Nicky had lots of time to learn how to run an empire—after all, his father was only in his 40s when he took the throne.
Little did they know, Nicholas had far, far less time than they thought.
20. One Man Tried To Warn Him
File:Tsar Alexander III of Russia 2.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgThere was seemingly one voice of reason in all of Russia: A politician named Sergei Witte. He wanted Nicholas to start taking a role in politics so he'd be prepared when he took the throne. Witte rightfully pointed out that if Nicholas kept up his playboy lifestyle, he'd never understand how to run a country, but Witte's suggestions fell on deaf ears. Tsar Alexander III didn't want to trouble his son with state affairs.
Nicholas kept on living the Kardashian life, completely oblivious to how the real world worked—then his family's worst fears came true.
21. His Father Got Sick
Tsar Alexander III was a mountain of a man in his mid-40s. He seemed like he was in the prime of his life—yet not long after he became Tsar, his health started to fail. Pretty soon, it became clear that the Tsar was not long for this world. The family scrambled to get the soft-skinned Nicholas ready for the throne—but it was too late.
22. His Love Rejected Him
With the Tsardom ahead of him, Nicholas needed a wife, STAT. He quickly broke things off with his ballerina girlfriend and proposed to the love of his life, Princess Alix. But, to everyone's shock—most of all Nicholas's—she said no!
23. It Broke His Heart
Nicholas and Alix had been head over heels since they were young (arguably, since they were too young), but their religions came between them. Alix was a Lutheran, and she didn't want to convert to the Russian Orthodox Church. Nicholas was absolutely devastated—but some in his household actually rejoiced at the news. It turns out, not everyone was as fond of Princess Alix as the Tsarevich was...
24. His Parents Didn't Like His Lady
Nicholas's parents actually hated the idea of their precious boy marrying Princess Alix. Though she'd made quite the impression on Nicholas during her visits to Russia, the Tsar and Tsarina weren't nearly as thrilled. They thought she was dreadful and a terrible match for their boy. However, Nicholas was deadset on Alix, and with Tsar Alexander III on death's door, mom and dad had no other choice.
They gave Nicholas their blessing, and Alix finally decided that he was worth converting for. If this story had a happier ending, it would have been a triumph of true love—instead, Alix had just sealed her dark fate.
25. His Dad Made A Final Request
Unveiling of monument to Emperor Alexander III • President of Russiaen.kremlin.ruBy the fall of 1894, Tsar Alexander III was out of time—but before he passed, he called his beloved son to his bedside. He knew that Nicholas was nowhere near ready to be Tsar, but he still tried to offer one crucial piece of advice: Listen to any advice given by Sergei Witte, one of the country's keenest political minds. Just 10 days later, the Tsar succumbed to kidney disease.
This is the part where, in a movie, the underprepared Nicholas takes his father's advice, rises to the occasion, and leads his country to glory! Yeah, that's not what happened. It was a total disaster.
26. He Was Terrified
Things happen fast when a Tsar croaks. A priest named our Nicky Tsar Nicholas II that very night. In a private moment, Nicholas pulled his brother-in-law, Grand Duke Alexander, aside and, in a shaky voice, asked, "What is going to happen to me and all of Russia?" Nothing good, Nicky. Nothing good.
27. He Planned A Huge Celebration
Nicholas's ascension spelled doom for the Russian Empire, but people didn't know that quite yet. They decided the occasion was worthy of celebration, so the court held a massive celebration the day after the coronation. The government offered free food, drinks, and souvenirs to the entire city of Moscow.
It was supposed to be a joyous event. In mere moments, it turned into a nightmare.
28. He Picked A Terrible Place
Since the entire city of Moscow was supposed to be attending, officials chose to hold the celebration at Khodynka Field, the only place nearby that could fit them all. But this was no peaceful meadow—Khodynka Field was a training ground, and the mud and trenches made it look more like a warzone than a festival ground.
Before the day was out, the trenches weren't the only things that made Khodynka Field look like a battlefield.
29. His Reign Started With A Tragedy
Officials had promised the entire crowd of 100,000 people ample food and drink—but whispers started to spread through the mob that there wasn't enough to go around. Desperate citizens began to scramble to get their share, and it didn't take long for things to take a turn for the worse. Pretty soon, hundreds of people were being trampled or suffocated in the mass of hungry Moscovites.
By the time the day was out, 1,389 people lost their lives—and that many again suffered serious injuries. To put it in perspective, that's almost as many people as died on the Titanic. Some party, Nicholas.
30. He Looked Like He Didn't Even Care
File:Chodynka.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgIf the Khodynka tragedy was a bad start to Nicholas's rule, what he did next made things even worse. After the horrible day, Nicholas attended an extravagant gala for the French ambassador. He was worried he'd offend the French if he skipped it, but that didn't matter to his people. What they saw was their new Tsar, partying it up in style the very night that 1,300 of his citizens had perished.
From the jump, the people of Russia saw Nicholas as an out-of-touch and uncaring ruler. But, to be fair, they were pretty much right on the money.
31. People Had A Bad Feeling About Him
Russia was a superstitious country back in the 19th century, and after the Khodynka Tragedy, dark rumors started to spread about the new Tsar. People believed the horrific events were an omen of things to come. In fairness, it totally was an omen of things to come, but that didn't worry Tsar Nicholas II one bit.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Nicholas believed he was the best thing since sliced bread—and it would eventually be his undoing.
32. He Thought He Was The Chosen One
More than anything else, Nicholas II believed in one thing: God chose him to be Tsar. It didn't matter that he wasn't prepared, he was God's agent on Earth, so anything he did was God's will. That's a dangerous thing for anyone to think, but for the spoiled-rotten incompetent new Tsar of one of the biggest empires on Earth? Yeah, this was a recipe for disaster.
But still, even I've got to admit, Nicholas messed things up even worse than I would have thought possible.
33. He Was Completely Out Of Touch
Tsar Nicholas II had a lot of problems, but if you had to blame one for his downfall, it would have to be how hilariously out of touch he was. This was a guy who lived his entire life in extravagant palaces, surrounded by doting family members and sycophants. He'd been told his entire life that he was chosen by God. He quite literally believed he could do no wrong, and he thought everyone else believed the same thing.
The problem was, he could do wrong. A lot of wrong. And eventually, his people would make him pay for it.
34. He Thought He Couldn't Lose
Nicholas's laughable incompetence was put on display in 1904, when his country went to war with Japan. Not only was Nicky arrogant, but he was also prejudiced to boot. He assumed that the conflict would be a snap. Obviously, God was on the side of the refined, elegant, and white Russians, not this mysterious, uncivilized enemy.
Nicholas 100% believed he could not possibly lose—and it turns out, that's a pretty good way to lose.
35. He Ignored Every Warning Sign
File:Russo-Japanese War; soldiers bringing in the wounded to an o ...commons.wikimedia.orgEvery single decision Nicholas made in regard to the Russo-Japanese War was so laughably bad, he left all outside observers totally flabbergasted. He completely ignored reports of Japan's martial strength, totally confident the inferior Japanese couldn't hope to match the great Russians. His advisors pointed out very serious weaknesses in his own armies, but he laughed those off too.
Imagine a basketball team losing every single game of the season and still assuming they were going to win the championship. Nicholas would have been the coach of that team.
36. He Lost Again And Again
Japan handed Russia disastrous defeat after disastrous defeat, and Nicholas was still completely sure he was winning. Eventually, everyone around him begged him to start peace talks, but the Tsar looked at them like they were crazy. Why would he quit when he had the Japanese right where he wanted them?
It would take a true catastrophe to convince the delusional Nicholas II to wave the white flag. So guess what happened in May, 1905...
37. He Suffered A Truly Unbelievable Defeat
The Battle of Tsushima might be one of the worst defeats in history. The Japanese lost 113 men. The Russians lost over 5,000. And six battleships. Plus 14 more ships. And the Japanese captured over 6,000 of their men. Yet still, Nicholas didn't want to surrender! Luckily, his advisors finally got through to him, and the Tsar finally, begrudgingly, sued for peace.
Lord knows Nicholas didn't need a disastrous war to worry about—he had plenty of problems brewing at home, too.
38. It Wasn't Even The Worst Day Of His Year
For most rulers, the Battle of Tsushima would be the worst thing to happen in their entire reign. For Nicholas, it was barely the worst thing to happen that year. Just a few months before, a priest and activist named Georgy Gapon let Nicholas and his government know that he was going to lead a procession of workers to the Winter Palace to hand a petition to the Tsar.
They were going to do it on January 9, 1905—a date that would forever live in infamy as Bloody Sunday.
39. The March Started Peacefully
The workers' march started very peacefully. Gapon and his compatriots locked arms and walked through the streets, carrying flags, singing hymns, and some even holding up portraits of Nicholas himself. They spoke for the struggling people of the Russian Empire, and they arrived to ask Nicholas to help them.
Then Nicholas's forces opened fire.
40. It Ended In Tragedy
File:Winter Palace Panorama 3.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgCompletely unprovoked, various infantrymen, Cossacks, and Hussars throughout the city started firing into the peaceful crowd before they'd even reached the Winter Palace. As the bullets tore through the crowd, people began to wail, "The Tsar will not help us!" How right they were...
41. The World Was Horrified
By the time the guns lay silent, 92 workers lost their lives and several hundred more suffered horrible wounds. So much for a "peaceful procession." Bloody Sunday shocked people all around the world. To have the Russian army fire upon a peaceful crowd of its own citizens was a new low. The British Prime Minister put it best when he called Tsar Nicholas II "a blood-stained creature and a common murderer."
Well, he was half right—the blood-stained part would come later.
42. He Found The Bloodshed "Difficult"
Once the sun fell on Bloody Sunday, Nicholas retired to write in his diary. His words are telling: "Difficult day! In St. Petersburg there were serious disturbances due to the desire of workers to get to the Winter Palace. The troops had to shoot in different places of the city, there were many dead and wounded. Lord, how painful and bad!"
At least he seemed to acknowledge the Bloody Sunday was "bad," but I'd say "difficult day" is a bit of an understatement.
43. His People Rallied Against Him
Though Imperial guards apprehended many of the workers' leaders, Gapon himself managed to vanish into the crowd and go into hiding. From his safehouse, he published a scathing rebuke of the Tsar, calling him "soul-murderer of the Russian Empire." He placed the blame for the bloodshed directly at Nicholas's feet, and called for the people of Russia to rise up against him.
Like everything else bad that happened to Nicholas, he completely blew off Gapon's letter. He couldn't even fathom that people would actually listen to Gapon—but that's exactly what they did.
44. He Ignored His Father's Final Request
Remember the final piece of advice Nicholas's father gave him before he passed? It was simple: Listen to Sergei Witte. Well, 1905 was the perfect time to start. That summer, Witte wrote a desperate letter to Nicholas. After the horrible loss to Japan and Bloody Sunday, Russia was on the brink. Witte could see it—heck, anyone with eyes could see it—and he told Nicholas that without some serious reforms, he was doomed.
And Tsar Nicholas II...didn't listen to Witte. He spent the entire fall hunting and ignoring his duties. Nicky, buddy, your dad told you to do one thing, and you couldn't even do that!
45. He Ignored His Problems
Believe it or not, spending months hunting didn't solve Nicholas's problems. Unrest just got worse and worse, and Nicholas just kept ignoring it. When he couldn't stall any longer, he finally came up with a plan: Make Russia a dictatorship! I can only imagine the look on his advisors' faces when he told them about it...Seriously, what was it going to take to make this man listen to reason?
I wish I could say someone sat down and talked some sense into him, but that would be a lie. It took a chilling threat to finally make Nicholas do the right thing.
46. His Uncle Gave A Disturbing Ultimatum
In October 1905, Tsar Nicholas II finally signed the October Manifesto. The document limited his powers and created the Imperial Duma—basically Russian Congress. So, what finally made Nicholas have a change of heart? His uncle Nicholas (remember Nicholas the Tall?) literally told the Tsar that he'd shoot himself in the head if he didn't sign.
OK, that did it. The immovable Nicholas finally gave up a tiny bit of his power—but somehow, he managed to keep making things worse.
47. No One Could Save Him From Himself
If there was one person who might have saved the Russian Empire, it was probably Sergei Witte, but he never stood a chance. Witte was a voice of reason, and that was a language that Tsar Nicholas II just didn't speak. With the creation of the Duma, Witte became Prime Minister, but his relationship with the Tsar quickly turned tense.
Then, a mysterious figure showed up at the Russian Court, and Witte finally reached his breaking point.
48. He Let A Dark Figure Consume His Court
On November 1, 1905, a scraggly, bearded mystic named Grigori Rasputin showed up at Peterhof Palace. Empress Alexandra was immediately taken with this strange man, and she soon hung on his every word. It wasn't long before Rasputin started giving opinions on political matters. This strange man made Witte extremely suspicious, probably because he'd make pretty much any sane person suspicious.
Witte told Nicholas to get rid of the mystic. Nicholas ignored him and sided with his wife, so Rasputin stayed. Add that to Nicholas's ever-growing list of horrible decisions.
49. His Only Hope Abandoned Him
Give Sergei Witte credit: He put up with a whole lot to try and save the Russian Empire. Dealing with an incompetent Tsar who wouldn't listen to reason was a nightmare, but Witte tried his best. But, by 1906, the writing was on the wall: Nothing could save Nicholas from himself. Witte resigned as Prime Minister in April of that year—and the hopes of the Tsardom went with him.
Without Witte, Nicholas was well and truly doomed.
50. The Replacement Had An Even Worse Time
File:Pyotr Stolypin LOC 07327.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgAfter Witte resigned, a man named Pyotr Stolypin took his place. He didn't realize it, but by taking the job, he basically hung the noose around his neck. Sycophants told Nicholas that Stolypin was trying to steal Russia away from him. The Empress hated him because, like Witte, Stolypin wanted to investigate Rasputin.
Stolypin took the job because hoped he could actually accomplish some real good for Russia—but with Nicholas still around, "real good" was impossible.
51. His Words Made Absolutely No Sense
Pyotr Stolypin tried his best to steer Russia in the right direction for five interminable years. By the end, the rigors of the job had completely worn him down. Imagine trying to work with a Tsar who said stuff like, "Despite most convincing arguments in favor of adopting a positive decision in this matter, an inner voice keeps on insisting more and more that I do not accept responsibility for it."
Well, at least Stolypin wouldn't have to deal with one of the worst jobs ever for much longer: A gunman shot him at the opera in 1911.
52. His Family Life Was Fraught
To put it simply, Tsar Nicholas II's rule was a complete mess, but at least things were better at home, right? Of course not! First, there was the problem of succession. For the first decade of their relationship, the couple had only daughters, leading to a crisis of succession. Finally, in 1906, the couple had a boy: Their beloved Alexei. However, their joy quickly turned to terror.
The European royals' penchant for inbreeding had finally come back to bite them.
53. His Son Had An Incurable Disease
Royal doctors soon realized that Alexei suffered from Haemophilia B, a hereditary blood disease. Though treatable today, at the turn-of-the-century, the outlook was much more grim. Doctors had no effective treatments, and it usually led to an early demise. But, the saddest part is, this disease wasn't exactly a surprise: It had appeared in royal houses all across Europe.
54. It Ran In The Family
Alexei almost certainly got the disease from his great grandmother, Queen Victoria, who carried the gene mutation that caused it. And, because Victoria's children and grandchildren married into almost every noble house in Europe, soon royals all over the continent had the same affliction. It was so widespread that people took to calling Haemophilia B, "The Royal Disease."
Since no one knew what to do about it, Nicholas and Alexandra were constantly terrified that their boy's life was in danger—and it brought them to some dark places.
55. Their Fear Made Them Desperate
File:Rasputin PA.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgWhen traditional medicine failed their son, Nicholas and his wife turned to charlatans, mystics, and miracle workers. They were absolutely desperate, and they'd listen to anyone who they thought might help their boy. That's how a man like Grigori Rasputin, one of history's greatest manipulators, managed to worm his way into the Russian palace.
56. They Tried To Keep It A Secret
As if the country wasn't already in chaos, things around the Imperial Palace got extremely tense after Alexei was born. The Tsar and Tsarina didn't want the world to know their boy was ill, so they kept his condition a secret. However, anybody who saw the child would instantly know something was wrong, so people started to gossip.
It felt like a dark cloud hung over the entire palace already—then Rasputin walked through the doors and put the Tsar and Tsarina under his spell.
57. Everyone Wanted Rasputin Gone
Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin weren't the only people who mistrusted Rasputin. He made almost everyone nervous with his creepy vibe and his intense sway over Empress Alexandra. Many voices begged the Tsar to get rid of him. Maybe he finally would have—but then Alexei had a terrible accident, and everything changed.
58. He Nearly Lost His Boy
All it took was a minor injury to put Alexei's life in danger. So when the Tsarevich bruised his leg in 1912, it was genuinely a crisis situation. The bleeding wouldn't stop, and soon Alexei started fading away. Doctors tried everything, but there was nothing they could do. Eventually, priests came to give the boy his last rites.
Everyone had given up hope, and the Empress frantically ran to Rasputin for help—and a miracle happened.
59. Rasputin's Prediction Came True
Rasputin told Empress Alexandra, "God has seen your tears and heard your prayers. Do not grieve. The Little One will not die. Do not allow the doctors to bother him too much." The next day, Alexei's bleeding finally stopped, and he started to recover. If Alexandra listened to Rasputin before, she took her devotion to the next level now.
And, since Nicholas did pretty much whatever his wife told him to, that meant Rasputin was here to stay. Did it matter that all of Russia hated the man and turned against the Tsar because of it? Of course not.
60. The Worst Was Yet To Come
a group of soldiers walking down a dirt roadPhoto by National Library of Scotland on UnsplashIf the Russo-Japanese War taught us anything, it's that Tsar Nicholas II was hopeless when it came to military matters. That's probably why all of his advisors begged him not to enter WWI. To his credit, Nicholas didn't actually want to join the fight, but a complicated web of political alliances forced his hand. When fighting broke out in 1914, Nicholas had no choice but to enter the fray.
Unfortunately, while Nicholas had been busy hoping the matter would resolve itself, other countries had been preparing their armies. When WWI officially started, Russia found itself horribly unprepared—and Nicholas's forces paid for it with their lives.
61. He Dove Headlong Into Disaster
Despite virtually everything that had happened since the moment he became Tsar, Nicholas still thought he was invincible. Russia was still a massive empire, and his forces vastly outnumbered Germany's, so how could he lose? The Tsar immediately ordered an attack on East Prussia, which he assumed would be like taking candy from a baby.
He was about to learn the hard way, what the Germans lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in equipment.
62. The Germans Destroyed Him
By the time WWI broke out, Germany was a well-oiled machine built for warfare—and Russia was basically fighting back with sticks. It didn't matter how many men Nicholas had, without proper arms, or uniforms, or vehicles, or locomotives, they just couldn't contend with the Germans. When Nicholas's armies made it to East Prussia, they found the Germans ready and waiting.
It was a bloodbath. The Germans absolutely annihilated a Russian force that was nearly twice the size. If anything, it was even worse than the Battle of Tsushima. WWI had just begun, and Nicholas had already failed spectacularly—but he had lots more failure in him yet.
63. He Made A Terrible Decision
After devastating losses in East Prussia, Nicholas knew just what to do: Head to the front and inspire his men with his presence! That was a horrible idea for so many reasons. First, almost all of Russia hated Nicholas's guts, so he wasn't inspiring anyone. Also, he left his superstitious and paranoid wife Alexandra to take care of affairs back home, and she only managed to make things even worse.
And lastly, since he was away at the front, when Russia finally turned on Nicholas for good, he had no idea it was even happening.
64. Rasputin Finally Met His Maker
From the day he showed up in the palace, nearly everyone but Nicholas and Alexandra wanted Rasputin gone, but he stayed for 11 years. It's hard to overstate how much damage he did in that time. By the time a group of nobles murdered him in 1916, in the middle of WWI, the entire country blamed Nicholas, Alexandra, and Rasputin for Russia's endless hardships.
In Rasputin's defense, it was far more Nicholas's fault than it was his, but I guess it doesn't matter. With Rasputin gone, it was Nicky's turn next.
65. He Finally Hit Rock Bottom
File:The last photo of Nicholas II.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgRussia had somehow managed to stick with Nicholas through scandal after scandal after scandal—but WWI was finally the breaking point. Around 1.7 million Russians lost their lives fighting. On top of that, the army had pulled some 15 million men from farms, causing food prices to skyrocket and millions to go hungry.
Then the already-feeble Russian railway system started to fail, and Nicholas was too busy at the front to do anything about it. It's honestly a miracle no one had done anything about Nicholas already, but his time had finally come. The Tsar was finished.
66. His Men Abandoned Him
Nicholas returned to Saint Petersburg in 1916 and tried to bring his country back under his control, but it was useless. In March 1917, he tried to use his guards to quell unrest in Saint Petersburg, but he'd completely lost the loyalty of his men. He ordered them to fire upon the gathering citizenry, and they refused, firing into the air instead.
The very next day, several guard regiments in Saint Petersburg mutinied against the Tsar. By the time the sun set, 60,000 guards had rebelled and taken key buildings across the city. The revolution had begun.
67. They Forced Him Out
To try and bring the madness under control, the Duma formed a Provisional Government. Their first order of business: Tsar Nicholas II had to resign. The mere idea horrified the Tsar, but what could he do? He had no support, no troops, and the rebels had his family. He agreed to abdicate—but his troubles were far from over.
68. He Broke A 300-Year Streak
Tsar Nicholas II formally abdicated the throne on March 15, 1917. In doing so, he brought over three centuries of uninterrupted rule by the House of Romanov to an end.
69. Not Much Changed...At First
At first, life wasn't so bad for the disgraced Romanovs. They still got to stay at their luxurious Alexander Palace, though under guard, and they even got to keep their staff. Nicholas and his family kept on living the high life, pretending that things were totally normal—though they'd need to ignore the armed guards posted at every exit.
But it was just a momentary dream. The new government wasn't going to let the despised royal family live in luxury for long.
70. He Couldn't See What Was Coming
File:The Romanovs, 1913.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgEventually, the authorities moved Nicholas and his family to the town of Tobolsk, thousands of miles west of Saint Petersburg. There, they continued to live in comfort in the former Governor's Mansion. From this luxurious, isolated vantage point, Nicholas heard that the Bolsheviks had taken control of the government. He noted the development, but it didn't worry him one bit.
It should have. It really should have.
71. His Family Took It In Stride
The Romanovs treated their imprisonment like they were on vacation. They read books, played games, and exercised. Nicholas found himself fascinated by the simple task of chopping firewood; a completely novel experience for him. But, before long, things started to change. With Lenin gaining power, their guards became more demanding and restrictive.
Anyone could see that the Romanovs' situation was getting dire—but, if nothing else, Nicholas II was good at ignoring the obvious. Quite honestly, he believed he had nothing to worry about. He was wrong.
72. They Had False Hope
The Romanovs weren't completely clueless. They knew they were not among friends, but they still weren't worried. They were certain that any second, an army of their allies would storm the grounds and rescue them. If that failed, then there were still loyal citizens all over the country who were plotting their daring escape, right?
Except, no one was coming. Russia's allies were all dealing with the fallout of WWI, leaving no time to worry about the Romanovs. And, despite their hopes, pretty much everyone in the country was glad they were gone. No, help was not on the horizon—something much darker was.
73. Their Final Journey Was Brutal
In April 1918, the Bolsheviks moved the Romanovs to the city of Yekaterinburg—a truly miserable journey. They often had to camp in the middle of nowhere, or ford across frigid rivers, and at one point, a group of treacherous Red Guards tried to abduct and eliminate them. After a grueling, five-day journey, they finally made it to Yekaterinburg, but I wouldn't say they were safe and sound.
Yekaterinburg was where Tsar Nicholas II and his family met their chilling fate.
74. The Walls Closed In
While no one really cared about the Romanovs, that doesn't mean everyone was happy with the Bolsheviks. In June 1918, the Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion sent alarm bells ringing all throughout the new government, and it led to a wave of terror across Russia. The Bolsheviks started eliminating anyone they deemed a threat to their reign.
Nicholas's brother, Grand Duke Michael, fell victim to the purge in June. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the family joined him.
75. Their End Finally Came
File:Church on the Blood, Yekaterinburg (110).jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgOn July 16, 1918, the Czechoslovak Legion was nearing the gates of Yekaterinburg. Rather than risk the royal family falling into someone else's hands, authorities in Moscow sent the order to eliminate them. The guards wasted no time. At 2:00 am on July 17, guards dragged the Romanovs out of their beds. They claimed the house was no longer safe and told the bleary-eyed family to head down to the basement.
None of them would leave that basement alive.
76. Their Loyal Servants Went With Them
Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their five children all entered into that basement in Yekaterinburg. Alexei, now 13 but still weak as a kitten, couldn't make it down the stairs himself, so his father had to carry him. Joining them were the family doctor and three of their loyal servants. Despite everything Nicholas had done, he still had the loyalty of these four poor souls. They paid for it with their lives.
77. His Wife Made A Final Demand
Even in her final moments, after all they'd been through, Empress Alexandra was still bossing people around. Horrified that the guards expected them to wait in an empty basement, she demanded that they bring in chairs. The guards left and brought back two simple chairs—one for her and one for Alexei. As soon as they sat down, the executioners started to file into the room. Sitting wasn't going to make much of a difference...
78. He Made One Final Plea
The guards told the Romanovs they were to be executed. Even to his last, Nicholas just couldn't see what was right in front of him. He gasped and cried, "What? What? Did you say?" He then turned to his family, and the lead guard gave the order to fire. In his final moment, Nicholas cried, "You know not what you do!", but it didn't stop the bloodshed. The guards opened fire on the family.
Then, when the firing stopped and the dust cleared, they realized the execution had gone horribly wrong.
79. The Execution Wasn't Clean
Nicholas, his wife, and his son lay unmoving, but their four daughters were still alive. Each of them wore several pounds worth of diamonds sewn into their clothing, spirited out of the palace long ago. The stones had somewhat protected the girls from the bullets—but it only delayed the inevitable. The guards set upon them with bayonets, before finally shooting them each in the head.
Now, the only thing left was to get rid of the bodies.
80. He Ended Up At The Bottom Of A Mine Shaft
File:Nicholas II, Tsar.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgTsar Nicholas II was, by every possible metric, an absolutely terrible ruler. Still, it's hard to say anyone deserves the fate he got. After the execution, guards drove the Romanovs' remains out to a nearby mineshaft. They took everything of value off of the bodies, then burned them, soaked them in acid, and tossed them into the abyss. It was a truly disturbing end for the House of Romanov—but in a way, they got lucky.
Nicholas and his close family were already gone when Red Guards tossed them in that mineshaft. The remaining Romanovs met the same fate—but they were alive. If they didn’t die on impact, they slowly starved, surrounded by the bodies of their loved ones.
If what goes around comes around, then it’s true that people create their own fates. Doing a good deed or doing someone dirty both have direct consequences. Sometimes these consequences take time to materialize, but sometimes, we get socked with a bout of instant karma. These are some stories of Redditors who didn’t have to wait long to experience the universe in action.
1. Caught In A Speed Bump
I was in the passing lane on the highway, slowly coming up on a couple of cars in the right lane. The speed limit was about to decrease ahead, and another vehicle came up behind me, going pretty fast. Instead of gassing it to get ahead of the traffic to my right, I slowed down and pulled into the right lane while the other car behind me was right on my tail.
Once I got into the right lane, the car floored it and passed me, honking their horn. The passenger's body was half out of the car window yelling at me and flipping me off as they passed. But they had no idea what was about to hit them. It turned out that the car I pulled in behind was an unmarked state trooper who promptly pulled them over. Justice was served.
2. Just Rewards
Before we were married, I was out to dinner with my wife and her dad. At the end of dinner, my father-in-law offered to pay for the meal. My wife asked to get her leftovers boxed to take them home. Her father was being difficult and started in on her, saying, “Well, you'll just leave them in the fridge, then they'll just get thrown out, blah blah."
I told him, "Listen, it's not your fridge. Leave her alone.” He got mad and yelled, "Don't tell me how to raise my daughter!" I yelled back at him not to speak to her in his nasty tone. As a result, he threw the bill at me and said, "FINE! YOU PAY THEN," and stormed out. We were all mad at that point, and my wife said, “Why did you have to start something??"
I paid the bill and was waiting for the receipt, but we were waiting for quite some time. Tensions were rising. Her dad was waiting outside, building up steam. I asked the waiter, "Can I just get our bill and go?" They replied, "Oh no, sir, you have to wait for the manager.” That's when I learned the beautiful, satisfying truth.
It turned out they had a contest running where every bill was a winner or some prize or another. Usually, people would win a free drink or appetizer. However, we had just won the GRAND PRIZE that dinner—which was a trip for four to Florida. And here's the kicker: Whoever pays gets the prize. Because her dad stormed out like a child, I had won it.
3. Target Practice
person standing in transportation vehiclePhoto by Ant Rozetsky on UnsplashWhen I was six years old, I was on the bus with my older brother coming home from soccer practice. We were seated at the back, right next to the big rear window. For some odd reason, I thought it would be funny to show the traffic behind us all the angles of my middle finger while staring at them with the most obnoxious facial expressions.
I would wait until the bus got to a stop and proceeded to do my thing when the bus shut its door and accelerated away. I was getting bored since most people would just ignore me and the reactions weren't as amusing as I thought they were going to be. I decided my game needed more thrill. Instead of flipping off oncoming traffic, my main target changed to pedestrians. This instantly turned into an enormous mistake.
The bus got to a stop, picked up the waiting people, and I had found my new target—a very buff man. As I heard the noise of the doors closing, I proceeded to show him both of my fingers and stuck out my tongue. This guy, however, didn't think it was all that funny. He sprinted alongside the bus, matching its speed for at least a block until the bus arrived at the next stop.
The bus was not that full, but the people in it witnessed this big chunk of rage giving chase and getting on to the bus. I cowered behind my brother, who had been oblivious to my shenanigans. I was in tears. The guy ended up being pretty cool about it and just told me not to do it again. He even gave me a piece of bubblegum afterward.
4. Big Rig Rumble
It was raining out. I was coming onto a freeway with my big rig, signaling and smoothly switching lanes while keeping an eye on a car behind me that had been crowding me. As soon as he hit the merge ramp, he gunned it in an attempt to pass me, cutting into the no-drive zone. The problem was that my cab was 60 feet ahead of him, as I had already begun to merge.
Half of my rig was occupying the lane he wanted. Once this guy realized he couldn’t pass me, he flipped out. He screeched so hard back into his lane that I felt the road tremble. He began blaring his horn and flashing his lights. I was just cruising along, totally calm. I was watching the traffic in my driver-side mirror, and when I saw a break, I knew what was coming.
This guy jerked into the left lane, floored it, and got beside my cab, honking the whole way. He swerved at me and then cut me off. He jerked into place in front of me, jammed his brakes—and then it all unraveled. He completely lost control of his vehicle. It was suddenly sideways at 45mph. I was nowhere near him, having already slowed down.
His car continued to spin until it was facing me, then it whipped back forward and headed straight into the ditch. It plowed the earth like a farm tool in front of all of us there on the freeway. I stopped. The left lane stopped. We just watched as this guy slowly got out of his car, which looked pretty damaged. Other drivers got out to help, and some were on their phones. I just geared up out of there nice and calm. It was instant karma.
5. It Was Smoothie Sailing
I suffered from insomnia. One morning, when I couldn’t sleep, I went to the convenience store at about 6:30 AM. On the way out, I saw a homeless guy who I had seen around the city for years. As usual, he was begging for change. I didn’t mind helping this guy out because he wouldn’t spend the money on anything bad; he legitimately needed food.
So, I went back in and bought him a couple of hamburgers and gave them to him. I proceeded to the smoothie shop, which opened at 7 am. I parked my car and opened the door. When I looked down, I saw a fresh $20 bill on the white line of the parking spot. Then, when I came back out of the smoothie shop, as I approached my car, I found yet ANOTHER $20 in the exact location. I checked my pocket, and the first one was still in there.
6. Disheveled Do-Gooder
person standing between shelvingsPhoto by Hanson Lu on UnsplashMy infant son couldn't sleep one day, so we walked to my local supermarket to get some basics and blow off steam. I looked terrible. I was sleep-deprived, grumpy, disheveled, and unkempt, just like any other new parent. My son was in a sling on my belly. As I was checking out, the woman behind me stepped forward and said, "Please let me pay for this. I've always wanted to help out in this way."
Despite my appearance, I was pretty well off, but she wanted this. I didn't have very much to buy, so I graciously thanked her and walked out, both of us smiling. My son finally fell asleep, so I just loitered about. I eventually noticed someone trying in vain to start their car—it was the lovely young woman who "helped" me out. I was a decent mechanic and happened to be toting a multi-tool around with me. I was able to get her car running in no time at all. It felt awesome.
7. It Was A Sign
I was a cart boy for a grocery store back in high school. One afternoon it was pouring rain out and terribly windy. A new black Escalade pulled up next to me while I pushed about 10 carts. The guy got out and yelled at me, saying I better not scratch his truck because "Heads will roll." I wasn’t in any way endangering his new car, but he proceeded to yell and warn me. And then *it* happened.
Just as he finished yelling at me, the sign from the pizzeria next door crashed into the side of his truck. That made my night a little better, even if I was soaked.
8. An Up Lifting Experience
I worked in a building with 10 floors. I was on the fifth. I was coming back to the lobby from lunch and in a hurry. I had just pressed the button to go up, and the elevator immediately opened. Before I stepped in, I noticed someone coming up the stairs about 30 feet away. I usually wait for stragglers to boost my elevator karma, you know.
As this person approached, I noticed she was fairly attractive and close to my age. She, too, was in a hurry and asked me if a specific company was in the building—she was running late for an interview. At this point, I realized she was not just attractive; she was gorgeous. I pressed the button for her floor. She asked me if I worked at that company as well since I hadn’t pushed the button to my floor yet.
I told her, “No, but since you're late, we'll get you there first, then I'll go back down to five.” She was very appreciative. We got to her floor, she gathered herself...and realized that she had forgotten her phone. She was supposed to call when she got there, so she asked if she could use my phone. I happily obliged. She said, "You were a great help. Thank you so much!"
I decided to go for it and replied, "No problem! Let me know how it goes." She smiled and said, "I sure will," and proceeded to tap away at my phone. She handed it back, smiled again, and walked away. She had programmed her name and number into my phone. For a guy who NEVER gets the girl, I was elated. The number worked, and we met up for a date.
9. A Minor Annoyance Had A Major Payoff
people in restaurantPhoto by K8 on UnsplashOne night, we went out with my uncle and his family for dinner at a nice restaurant. There were seven of us eating, and we were all drinking red. This increasingly belligerent guy from the bar kept coming up to our table and making conversation, commenting on how awesome my six-month-old son was, etc. By the end of the night, he was getting annoying, and my uncle was discussing whether or not he should say something.
We told him, “No, don't worry about it. He is just having a good time and seems like a good guy.” So when it came time to pay our bill, the waiter just said, "Have a nice evening. Thanks for coming in." My uncle and I were confused and asked the waiter about the check. His answer stunned me. He told us that the guy who kept coming up to us had paid our tab.
The server told us that it was already done and that the guy would do this all the time. Our bill was $1,500. My uncle sought the guy out and gave him a big hug. The guy just said, "You have such a beautiful family. Pay it forward sometime." He had even tipped the waiter some crazy amount from the look the waiter gave us. So, I learned always to be nice. You never know who is a millionaire.
10. Karma Decked Him Good
My buddy and I were having a drink on a large wooden patio at an ocean-side bar/restaurant. A middle-aged couple was sitting next to us. Our tables were next to each other, and they were relatively close to us. As my buddy and I were just taking in the view, he caught eyes with the dude and said something innocuous like, "Good evening."
The guy retorted, "Mind your own business and keep your eyes to yourself." My buddy and I looked at each other with a "Did that just happen?” expression. My buddy looked back over at him and said something like, "Relax, buddy, sorry to bother you." At that point, we were a little put-off. We got back to our drinks and enjoyed the sunset.
Two minutes later, the guy pulled out a ring for his partner. It was a large diamond. She was excited, and he had a sufficiently smug, self-satisfied look on his face. She went to hand it back to him. Then disaster struck. When he grabbed it, he fumbled. It fell to the deck, rolled an inch or two, and then promptly disappeared, falling between two slats of the deck.
I felt bad for the woman. The guy’s face went white and then immediately red. He was barely able to maintain his composure. It looked like he wanted to strike his lady friend. The dude looked over at us, and now we were looking straight at him. We just smiled casually. He called a waiter over and started discretely explaining what had happened.
He wanted someone to pull up the deck slats. However, that was NOT going to happen. The waiter was cool as ice. Despite the guy raging at this point, the waiter flatly told him something to the effect of, "Look, man, you can come back tomorrow and talk to the manager, or pay your bill and leave now.” The guy sat down. His lady friend was visibly shaken.
While enjoying our drinks and the sunset, my friend and I remarked about how karma, while certainly inspiring, is almost magical when it's instant.
11. I Exceeded My Tipping Point
I was working at a bar. As I was on my way in one Thursday night, I saw a guy standing by the road with a sign that said something like, "Far from home, no place to sleep, and hungry.” I waved him over and gave him $5, the only cash I had, and told him to take care of himself. I usually took home about $5 in tips on Thursdays and $10 on a good day.
That day, three separate people won big on the slot machines, and each gave me $20 tips. I ended up taking home about $75 in tips.
12. A Totally Car-mic Experience
assorted-color vehiclesPhoto by Drew Dau on UnsplashWhen I was 16, I lived out of my car because I couldn't get an apartment since no one would rent to a 16-year-old. It was an old beater, and I had to push start it everywhere. I had just pulled into Walmart to buy some decent clothes, and there was a purse in the basket of the cart next to mine. When opened it, I couldn't believe my eyes.
Inside the wallet was a thousand dollars in cash, several credit cards, and an ID. I soo wanted to spend it, and I was going to. So, I grabbed the cash and put the purse back in the cart. Except when I was paying for my clothes, I just couldn't bring myself to pay with the money I had taken. So, I paid with mine and went back to my car. The purse was still there, so I put the money back in and looked at the address.
It was right down the road, but it took me about an hour to find. When I finally got there, I parked in the street. The lady was standing in her garage next to her nice new car, in a fancy neighborhood, on the phone, canceling her credit cards. I walked up and asked if she had lost her purse. I was pretty rough-looking, and I could tell she was a bit nervous.
So I handed it to her and told her I had to open it to find her address. She didn't say anything, and I got in my car and left. I was disappointed because it seemed she didn't appreciate it. I went on to where I worked, and where I would stay in my car. The next day before my shift, I woke up went to McDonald's to get breakfast.
I got to work. Then I noticed something strange. I saw the same lady leaving. I thought, "That wasn't her, just coincidence." When I went inside, the parts for my car were there, $100, and a note saying thanks. I was confused. I couldn’t figure out how she knew what parts I needed or even where I worked. But it was actually so simple.
A few days before, I had gone over what I needed for my car, along with the number to the parts store, and wrote it down on the back of a pay stub. When I got out by her house, this paper came out of my car. After I left, she picked it up. When she realized all her money was in her purse, she went down and picked up the parts and dropped them off for me.
It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done. I got about $300 worth of parts and $100 cash. The good feeling I had for weeks was worth way more than the money I would have made if I had kept it all.
13. This Was The Tops
I used to deliver pizzas. One day, I was taking redelivery for an order that was wrong the first time. I was going to the worst hotel in our delivery area. The redelivery was a single, one-topping medium pizza. I pulled up, and a guy said he needed some cash for a tow truck. He gave me the typical sob story. Usually, I wouldn’t give in to those things, but for some reason, this guy’s story seemed plausible.
I cut him off and asked him how much cash he needed. He told me seven dollars, so I gave it to him. He ran back to the gas station, and I didn't see him again. I went to deliver my pizza. I ran up the stairs to the hotel room, gave them their replacement pizza, apologized for the first mistake, and left. As I was walking away, the guy came out and said, "Oh wait, we forgot to give you a tip."
Any tip on redelivery is a win, so I hustled back to the room. The guy handed me a $50 bill and told me to have a good night.
14. Karma Sealed This Deal
At one point in my life, I sold furniture and was terrible at it. Since I worked solely on commission, I barely made any money. Often, I had nothing left after paying rent and bills and wouldn’t eat for days because I couldn't afford to. One day, I was trying to sell furniture and sold nothing, so I had made $0. An old couple came in and was looking at TV stands.
All the other sales reps avoided them. We all knew that they would take up a bunch of time and end up buying something for around $100.00, so the commission was going to be $2.00. There would be no add-ons because no one in their right mind would purchase a $29.99 extended warranty on a $100.00 item. But I came up with a plan.
I figured I had nothing to lose if I helped them, and perhaps my luck would turn around. They ended up buying two stands but couldn’t put them together themselves because they were old. There was a service I could have referred them to for a fee, but I was desperate and didn't want to lose the sale, especially after having spent around 45 minutes with them.
So, I told them, "I'm off at 9:00 pm. If you come to pick me up, I'll come set up the stands for you for free.” They took the offer, paid for the furniture, and left. The other sales reps laughed at me. The old couple picked me up promptly at 9:00 pm. I loaded the boxes into their trunk. As we drove to their house, I found out that he was a retired judge and she had always been a housewife.
We got into their beautiful condo, and I began assembling the furniture. I could smell food cooking and tried to ignore it, but I hadn't eaten in about three days at that point, so it was hard. I worked for almost three hours straight. I then moved the finished product into position and moved their TVs for them. It was close to midnight, and I was trying to excuse myself from their home politely.
The old lady grabbed me and took me to the kitchen. She sat me down and pulled out a plate of freshly made roast beef. That was better than any money. I was so grateful. I held back tears as I ate the delicious home-cooked meal. It was now after 12:30 am. I thanked them again for all that they had done for me. But it wasn't even over yet.
I was about to leave to find my way home by bus, but the old man stopped me and offered me a ride home. The lady packaged up the rest of the roast beef and told me to keep the Tupperware. They both came for the ride, and I couldn't stop thanking them for helping me. As the car stopped and I got out, I thanked them one more time. Then the lady handed me an envelope.
I didn't open it, just thanked them. I happily went up to my apartment, knowing that I would sleep with a full stomach that night and that I would get to eat for the next few days. I was feeling great. I opened the envelope and burst into tears. There was a thank you card with $100 inside. After that, for the rest of the time that I sold furniture, I always ran to help the people nobody else wanted to.
I changed my focus from getting a big sale every day to getting all of the small ones nobody cared about, and it got me through until I got a better-paying job.
15. The Universe Paid Us Back
File:Walmart store exterior 5266815680.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.orgI was at Walmart, and the lady in front of me was buying a bag of dry beans and some baby food. She didn't have enough money in her food stamps account. I said, “Let me buy that for you.” I was a little annoyed at the cashier because when I said that, the cashier remarked, "You don't have to do that. She gets more money tomorrow. She can come back then and buy it."
I didn’t care if she could go back the next day. She was obviously buying food for her family, and they may need it that night. The next day, my wife got a job offer that would give her a significant raise over what she was currently making, solving our own financial problems. The two events may not be related, but it was close enough for me to think that something else was at work there.
16. We Curried A Favor With Karma
One night, my sister, my now-ex, my friend, and I decided to go for some curry. Since it was late, we called up the curry house to make sure they were ok with us coming down. The owner answered and said it would be no problem. As soon as we got there, we were greeted by the owner and were seated. However, it quickly became pretty obvious that the guy serving us didn’t want to be there.
We brushed it off. It went from bad to worse. He then started throwing our plates down and was being obnoxious, so we had a quiet word with the owner. Well, he proceeded to be even ruder, but we couldn’t do much. We left the restaurant and shrugged the whole thing off. As we were driving back home, though, I saw the server driving behind me, right on my tail.
He must have seen me get into my car and decided to follow me. He pulled up beside me when I was stopped at some traffic lights. He was swearing and showing me a rather impressive display of hand gestures. We ignored it, but I admit he was starting to aggravate me. The lights changed green, and he sped off like a lunatic, trying to run me off the road and swerving all over.
Sadly, he failed to notice the cruiser that had pulled up behind me at the lights, so on went the lights and the sirens. They pulled him over and booked him right then and there. We glided off into the distance, barely able to contain the euphoria from the instant karma. I never saw him at the curry house again. I assume he got fired!
17. Stick In The Mud
When I was about eight years old, my family visited some friends one day after church. They lived on a farm, so one of their kids and I went out to look at the cows. I was dressed in my Sunday best, so I was careful not to get all muddy. The other kid noticed and grabbed a stick that was lying on the ground that had some muck on the end of it.
He started chasing me around, threatening to wipe it all over me. He finally cornered me against some fencing and was about to throw the stick at me when I saw their huge golden retriever sprinting towards him from behind. At the last second, he raised the stick above his head, and the dog, trying to get it, leaped in and full-on tackled him. He landed face-first in a mud patch, and I ran away.
18. Dog Day Afternoon
brown and white long coated small dog lying on green grassPhoto by Ralu Gal on UnsplashOne day while I was driving down the highway, I saw this HUGE poster about a lost dog. About 20 miles down the road, the little dog from the poster ran out in front of my car. Luckily, I was able to stop in enough time. I picked it up and took it back to the owner's house. They were so happy, and I was so happy for them. When I went to get back into my car, it stalled and wouldn't start.
It was an old car, and the engine was done. It turned out that their daughter had just graduated college and was looking to sell her car. In return for their dog, they gave me the car for free.
19. Karma Shut Me Down
I used to work as tech support for a college campus. There were classrooms with motion sensors connected to the lights. So if there was no one in the room, the lights would shut down. A professor came into our office and told us the classroom didn't have working lights. I instantly knew what had happened. The light switch was on, but the motion sensor turned them off.
When she flipped the switch, she turned the lights off instead of on. I bought a soda on the way to the classroom and hit the lights. They turned on. I went to the room where she was temporarily teaching her class and told her, "The lights are on in the room." She asked me how I turned them on, to which I smugly replied, "I just flipped the switch."
Her entire class started laughing. I paid for my rudeness instantly. Feeling full of myself, I turned around and opened the soda I got from the vending machine. It burst and sprayed my face and shirt with Dr. Pepper.
20. It Was A Christmas Miracle
When my brother and I were kids, there was a Christmas when our family didn't have enough money to buy us presents, food, or decorations. Some distant relatives sent my brother and me $50 each. We gave the money to our parents so that they could buy a tree and Christmas dinner. We had accepted that we wouldn't get presents, and that was fine.
We went outside to play in the snow. While rolling the base to a snowman, I noticed something sticking out of the snowball and plucked it out. It was a $100 bill. We went to the neighbor and asked if she had lost it. She told us that indeed she had. She commended us on being noble and returning the money, then allowed us to keep it. She also handed me a Christmas card for my parents. In the card was another $100, so we could get presents that year.
21. That’s The Ticket!
people sitting down inside vehiclePhoto by Mitchell Johnson on UnsplashOne day, I was about to get on a bus. The guy in front of me wasn't moving onto the bus, and I quickly realized he was frantically searching for his wallet. After a few moments had passed, I finally piped up and offered him two bus tickets. He clearly had a problem accepting charity, but he took the tickets and thanked me profusely.
He promised me that I would see the tickets again. About six months later, I was about to get off the bus at the opposite side of the city when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around, and the person who tapped me asked if I remembered him. I thought about it for a second, hoping that he wasn't some friend of my dad's that I had met and forgotten about.
Once he saw that I clearly did not remember him, he told me that I had given him bus tickets a while back, and he was repaying me. He gave me two bus tickets and promptly got off the bus. Those two tickets are still in a hidden pocket of my wallet. I'm saving them for the next time I see someone who has forgotten their wallet and needs them.
22. My Car Ran On Kismet
I had just finished grocery shopping. I loaded the bags in my car, got in, and turned the key—nothing. For whatever reason, my car wouldn’t start. I sat there for another 20 minutes, checking the wires on my battery, making sure everything was properly in place. I had just changed the battery the month prior, so it couldn't have been that.
I called my girl to pick me up. She said it was going to be about another 20 minutes. I saw an elderly lady pushing a cart to her car. This cart had four times more bags than mine did. I knew it was going to be a struggle for her. I went over and offered her help. She accepted. I helped her load the groceries into her car and went back to give my vehicle another try. Surprisingly, it started. My first thought was, “This car must run on karma.”
23. This Good Deed Suited Me Well
I was in line at Wendy's when a gentleman realized he had misplaced his wallet. He ran to and from his car, very flustered. He jumped on the phone with his wife to have her look for it and drive to Wendy's. While he wasn't paying attention, I had stepped in front of him and paid the $8 for his food. We were both obviously on our lunch breaks, so I felt bad.
The guy insisted that I don’t buy his meal, but I told him it was too late. I patted him on the shoulder and said, “Pay it forward,” with a smile. He approached my table and told me that was one of the nicest things he had ever witnessed. He then told me to come across the street to his tailor shop after work. He gave me a custom $800 suit.
24. The Universe Took Them For A Ride
people sitting on bench in front of building during daytimePhoto by Sandy Ravaloniaina on UnsplashWhen I was about 20, I was standing at a bus stop waiting for the bus. The street I was on had a little bit of construction going on, and there were some orange barricades set up down the middle of the road. They were made of metal and had a yellow flashing light on top. As I was standing there, I saw a Porsche convertible coming down the street with three guys about my age inside.
As they got closer, I could see them looking at me and talking to each other. The car began to slow down. I knew at this point I was in trouble. I knew that they were going to do something stupid. Sure enough, as they passed, they all turned in my direction and, on cue, yelled something rude at me as they passed. Unfortunately for the driver, karma was quick.
As he turned his head to yell at me, he swerved his car to the left, hitting several of the metal pylons and tearing up the driver's side of what I could only assume was his father’s car. Correction: His father's very, very nice car. Needless to say, the idiot sped off from me in a great hurry. I spent the rest of my day in a surprisingly great mood!
25. A Good Start To The New Year
I was walking home with my friend after a pretty tame New Year's Eve party. My friend and I hit a fork in the road where our houses were in different directions, so we said our goodbyes and I carried on for the 10-minute walk home. A minute later, I turned a corner onto an empty street, and as soon as I did, two young guys wearing all black raced around the corner behind me.
They slowed down a few feet behind me and started following me, so I crossed the street and began to walk fast. I turned around 15 seconds later, and it seemed as if I had put a good bit of distance between us, so I thought I was in the clear. I kept walking for another 20 seconds and heard a weird noise. I turned around just in time to see a fist coming towards my face.
I dodged it. The first dude put his dukes up and screamed at me unintelligibly, and the other started creeping at me from the other side, trying to back me into a corner. I decided to run. I dashed off right between them, and they started chasing me down the street. One was yelling to the other, "You better catch him!" We came to a main road.
Two cars were coming in opposite directions, perfectly timed for me to run between them and leave the muggers on the other side of the street. I kept running for another three solid minutes at a panicked pace and got a block away from my home. I tried to make sure they didn't follow me to my house. There was no sign of them. As I was leaning over to catch my breath, I looked down. On the pavement sat two £20 notes folded up. It was unbelievable.
26. Jim Wasn’t So Dandy
When I was 18, a group of friends and I spent a long weekend at my buddy’s place in the Adirondacks. We split our time between his grandparents' house, which was up on a hill, where we had our meals and where we showered, and a cabin right on the lake where we did our drinking. There were eight of us in all, but Tom and Jim were the most memorable.
Tom was relatively new to our circle of friends, somewhat awkward, but generally a nice guy. Jim was the opposite. He was immature, hotheaded, self-conscious, and selfish. The only reason he was there was that he had been friends with my buddy since birth. Jim was constantly belittling Tom to assert his dominance in an otherwise non-existent hierarchy.
One Saturday, after lunch, someone suggested beer pong in the cabin. We were all in. Impatient as always, Jim went railing down the hill to the cabin ahead of us, screaming, “I GOT FIRST GAME! I GOT FIRST GAME!” The rest of us followed casually behind. When he reached the bottom of the hill, he took a bounding step onto the front bumper of Tom’s green little Ford.
We suddenly heard an extremely unsettling crunch. He had driven his foot through the car’s windshield. Then, his forward momentum propelled him to take a fourth and final step, ripping his leg back out through the windshield. He collapsed onto the roof, screaming in pain. The image of leg hair trapped in the spider web of shattered glass and the gash on Jim’s leg will forever be instant karma for me.
27. Karmic Cupid
smiling woman in white long sleeve shirt standing beside yellow flower during daytimePhoto by Quentin billington on UnsplashWhen I was in university, I dated this girl for about a month, and things were not going well. She was gorgeous. However, she was also a moron. So, I was hedging my bets. One day she came to my place after a night of partying and asked to go to a movie. I said, "Sure," and away we went. While walking to the cinema, we started having another enormous argument, and I decided to end it right then and there—so I did. I instantly regretted it.
She would not accept it and kept fighting with me until she finally walked away in tears. Immediately afterward, I called my best friend and asked if he wanted to get some drinks because of the unfortunate day I had just had. When I hung up, I saw the date—it was Valentine's day. I hadn’t even realized it. I sighed and started walking to my friend’s place, feeling like a fool. Then I got hit by a bus. It wasn’t serious, but it hurt.
28. I Got The Stamp Of Approval
When I was in college, I used to volunteer at homeless shelters and soup kitchens. After volunteering for some time, I got to know many of the guests that came in. So, one day my girlfriend and I were getting frozen yogurt downtown when a homeless woman that I had gotten to know walked in. She was timid and usually kept to herself, so I kept my distance but acknowledged her by saying hi and asking how she was.
She seemed happy to see me, and we had a small chat. At the end of it, I offered to buy her frozen yogurt. I knew she had the means to buy it, but I thought if I could save her some money, she could spend it on something else another day. She respectfully declined. I then went to pay for my girlfriend's yogurt and asked the cashier if I could pay for the homeless woman’s as well without her knowing.
Since you would pay by weight, I just told the cashier to double the weight of my girlfriend’s food since that should have been a good estimate of how much the homeless woman would get. The cashier gave me the biggest smile. I paid for both, and she asked me if I had a stamp card. I did not. The cashier then took out a stamp card and stamped it ten times right then, which gave me 16 ounces of frozen yogurt for free. She handed me the card, thanked me for what I did, and told me to have a great day.
29. My Fate Was Fixed
I was driving through my neighborhood and saw a man running in his pajamas with a gas can in his hand. So, I stopped and asked if he wanted a ride to wherever his car was stalled. He climbed in my car and explained that his kid needed to be at school, his wife needed a ride to work, and unfortunately, someone had taken all the gas out of their car the night before.
He also told me that my right tail light was out and that he owned a car shop. Later that day, I took my car into his shop, and he fixed the tail light and other minor problems for free.
30. If You Wish It, It Will Come
man in black jacket walking on sidewalk during daytimePhoto by Brandi Alexandra on UnsplashMy girlfriend said she was feeling very sick and asked me to go to her place. I was a poor college student and had just enough money to get to her place, but not enough for the bus fare to get to my finals the next day. Still, she said she needed me, so I went, thinking I could ask her parents for a loan. The next morning, I was already at the bus stop when I remembered I had no money.
There was no time to go back. I just stood there for a minute thinking. Then a bill large enough to pay my fares for the month slapped against my leg. There was no one else around as far as the eye could see. Even though I was an atheist, I had to look upwards that day—just to check.
31. Karma Got Her Rocks Off
My wife had taken my kids, who were six and three at the time, to visit my parents. While romping outside, our six-year-old started picking up rocks and throwing them. For obvious reasons, my wife told her not to. However, my mother proceeded to tell her it was OK. She also told her that she should throw them at the geese. She got proven so wrong soon enough.
Although angry that my mother had usurped her parental authority, my wife didn’t say anything in the interest of keeping the peace. A few short minutes later, my daughter, for no apparent reason whatsoever, whipped a rock at my dad, hitting him in the temple. Finally, he and my mother both got to witness why my wife told our child not to throw rocks in the first place.
32. It Was Blind Luck
I had to meet a friend in town. I could have walked it, but was feeling lazy, so I waited for a bus. I was sitting, listening to music when some older women walked up to me. They asked if I could look after this other woman who was blind until the bus came. I said sure and introduced myself to the woman, and we talked a little while we waited for the bus.
We ended up waiting for ages. I called my friend to cancel since I was with the lady and I couldn’t leave. An hour later, the bus finally showed up. She was meeting a friend in the shopping mall, outside of a McDonald's. So, I walked with her to McDonald's to make sure she met her friend safely. All went well, and she thanked me for being kind.
I told her it was no problem and it was nice meeting her. Afterward, I was hungry and wanted to pick something up for dinner. So, I went to the supermarket and grabbed some cheap lasagne. I went to pay at the self-checkout, and as I put my lasagne in the bag, I saw someone had left a sushi platter. I loved sushi but never got to eat it because I couldn’t afford it.
There was no one looking for it, so I picked it up and put it in my bag. I went and sat by the river and enjoyed my fabulous sushi platter.
33. I Was Finally In The Clear
woman in white long sleeve shirt holding clear wine glassPhoto by Kateryna Hliznitsova on UnsplashIt was early in the morning and I was driving home from a New Year's Eve party. It was dark out. The road was icy and extremely foggy. The streets were twisty and narrow, and the likelihood of deer crossing the road was high, so I was driving very slowly with my fog lights and hazards on. About halfway home, some person peeled out of a side street and started tailgating me.
They were flashing their high beams, honking their horn, apparently in hopes that I would speed up or pull over. Given the road conditions and poor visibility, I declined to do either. I figured that when the road widened in a couple of miles, I would pull to the side and let the person pass. Otherwise, they could take their chances and pass me on the left. I made an awful miscalculation.
For four very tense miles, instead of passing, this dirtbag tailed me, weaving back and forth, shouting out the window. The fog was swirling around, my car was slipping on black ice, and I was worried that a deer would come bounding across the road at any moment. Just as the road widened into two lanes, and before I could pull over, the driver decided they had enough.
They screeched out from around me, narrowly missing my car, while the passengers hung out the windows shouting and throwing bottles and cans at me. When the last can bounced off the hood of my car, I pulled over and wished I could destroy their car with the power of my mind. Fortunately, karma was on the job! A state trooper, who'd been lurking in the darkness, pulled out and sped off after them.
By the time I crept by them, he had all four of them face down on the ground with their hands behind their backs.
34. Only Fools Rush In
I was in the middle lane of a three-lane divided highway. The lane to my left was ending, forcing people to merge into the middle lane. Coming up on where the left lane was about to end, some woman was trying to speed up to get in front of me in her Tahoe. Mind you, there was a ton of free lane space behind me, but apparently, she had somewhere important to be.
So I checked the lane to my right and saw a car coming up. I wasn’t going to cut him off, so I let off the gas and coasted a little to see if this woman was really committed to getting in front of me. She was. She cut in front of me and gave me a quick wave as if that should excuse her. At the same time, I was watching my right-side view mirror for the car that was coming up.
Sure enough, the car in front of her wasn't going as fast as she needed, and she just cut over to the right lane as the car I was watching passed me. I hit my brakes hard because I knew what was going to happen. The car to my right passed by me as this lady cut over to its lane. She ended up taking the front end of that car against her right rear passenger door, pushing her vehicle sideways. I smiled and waved as I went by.
35. I Was Awash With Good Mojo
I was in Bed Bath & Beyond, about to check out my items, when I noticed a pregnant woman with about 10 full bags struggling to open the door. I put all of my items to the side. I told the next person in line to go ahead of me and rushed to help the pregnant woman with the door. Afterward, I helped carry her bags to her car.
Once they were all loaded into her trunk, she turned, thanked me, and handed me an envelope, saying she hoped to repay me for my deed. After I got home from buying my items, I opened the envelope. Its contents were incredible. Inside were two tickets to a sold-out concert that I had been itching to see.
36. Surfs Up
ocean waves crashing on shore during daytimePhoto by Subtle Cinematics on UnsplashWhen I was about six years old, my cousin and I were standing knee-deep in the surf. A giant wave came and wiped her off her feet and washed her into the beach. I turned and started laughing while pointing, drawing attention to what had just happened. When her disheveled head surfaced, I said, "Hahahaha! You got dumped b—," and that's when an even bigger wave took me out. I deserved it.
37. My Deed Scored A Major Goal
I was working at a concession stand. Early in my shift, a guy came in and asked if we sold empty cups. His wife was a kindergarten teacher, and her class was in the area for a picnic, but she had forgotten cups for the drinks. We weren't really supposed to, but I sold him 60 cups at the employee rate of 10 cents each. He thanked me, gave me $8, and ran out.
Three hours later, I was on my break when the cook ran to our break room. He told me that a Hall of Fame quarterback had walked into the concession stand. I was a huge fan of the player, so I went inside to help get his order ready. As I gave him his food, a guy next to him pointed to me and said, "Hey, that's the guy who sold us the cups!"
It turned out that the quarterback's daughter was in the class. When he paid his bill and got his change, he handed me $20 as a tip for helping out earlier.
38. In The Zone
I was driving on a two-lane road. There was a double yellow line, and I was approaching a flashing school zone. I slowed from 45 to 25 at precisely the right moment. The car behind me didn't seem to care about the speed restriction and proceeded to tailgate me, flashing her lights, honking her horn, and yelling as she passed me.
She floored it, ignoring everything about the situation, including the oncoming traffic. She zoomed in front of me and was almost out of sight when the blue lights of a cruiser turned on from a hidden spot just on the other side of the school zone. She immediately hit the brakes and pulled over. By the time I got to where they were, I had the passenger window down and was laughing loud enough that they both heard me. She glared at me, and I blew the officer a kiss as he tipped his hat to me.
39. Plenty Of Fish In The Sea
people riding on white boat during daytimePhoto by Gene Gallin on UnsplashI worked on a charter fishing boat. I did everything from cut bait, clean fish, upkeep, and maintenance on the boat. However, since we worked for tips, a large amount of our day was spent getting to know the customers who paid to come out and fish. The more you connected with them, the more obligated they felt to tip generously after the trip.
One morning a man came aboard, and after the usual jargon, he revealed himself to be a local preacher hoping to catch enough fish for a fish fry his congregation planned to hold. We promptly told the other customers, most of which agreed to give him whatever fish they didn't want to keep. We had a good catch of croaker that day and sent him home with well over several hundred pounds of fish.
When it came time to collect tips, he offered the other mate and me a $20 bill. We told him to put it in the offering plate for us next Sunday. Teary-eyed, he expressed his gratitude and said that our generosity would be returned ten-fold. That afternoon a man and his son chartered the entire boat for themselves. Hours later, after an effortless and relatively fun trip, he tipped us $200 apiece.
40. Taco Belles
I was fresh out of infantry training. It was my first weekend out on the town with my friend. We had it all—dog tags, moto marine corps shirts, the works. We were sitting on the beach one fine Saturday when a very hot woman with two of her friends approached us. Being the naive guys we were, we thought she was honestly just interested in our company. It took so much trouble to find out the truth.
My friend and I started talking her up to try and see which one of us she was interested in so the other could wing, if necessary. As we walked down the beach in the direction she recommended, we came across a humble taco shack. The girl said we should get tacos. Conveniently, no one in her group had any money, so my friend and I suggested we continue walking.
They declined, insisting that we find an ATM to buy them tacos. After we said it wasn't happening, they said, "Oh, we thought you guys were gonna buy us tacos.” My friend, realizing we were being used, said, "Heck no, we thought you were going to buy us some tacos." With a look of disgust, they promptly excused themselves from our company.
As we started to walk away, the owner of the taco stand caught up with us and said, "Thank you guys so much for not buying that trash any tacos—have some free ones on me." She gave us three delicious homemade tacos each, and we ate them as we walked past the women who were trying to lure their next victim into buying them tacos. The looks on their faces were priceless.
41. A Coke And A Smile
I worked at a pizza joint during college. We sold some beverages out of a fountain machine and others in a can. One day, this lady in a business suit came in acting a little frantic. She wanted soda in a can but wasn't happy with our selection. She got pretty nasty when I told her we only sold Coca-Cola out of the fountain.
She left the store mad and went across the street to a little hot dog stand to see about buying her drink there. They had it in a can, but apparently at a price she did not want to pay. So, she came storming back to my pizza joint and snottily said, “The Coke across the street was too expensive, so I have to settle for your fountain soda.” She wanted six of them.
She got even angrier when I offered her a choice of 12 or 32-ounce cups and even more aggravated when I told her we didn’t have carrying trays. However, I offered to get her a box to carry them all. She was just flat-out unhappy that she had to deal with this. To make things worse, we had a faulty batch of soda cups that day. About every tenth cup had a pinhole in it.
I did not know that, as I had just started shift when this woman first came in. Wouldn't you know it, but this woman in her business suit got one of the defective cups and soda sprayed ALL OVER the front of her suit. I was sure she thought we did it on purpose. I apologized offered her a wet rag and a replacement cup. But when she finally walked out the door, my boss and I had the biggest laugh!
42. How The Wind Blows
white sedan on parking lot during day timePhoto by Gerrie van der Walt on UnsplashIt was a particularly windy day. I was in the parking lot at a grocery store with my dad. As we exited the building, we saw a shopping cart being pushed along by the wind at walking speed. The cart passed right in front of this woman who just watched it go by, despite it going slow enough that she could have easily caught it.
My dad turned to me and said, "Why didn't she just grab it?" We continued to watch this cart gain speed. After a few seconds, a burst of wind came through, and the cart rocketed across the parking lot directly towards this one van. We could hear it smash into this van over the howling wind and saw the huge dent in the driver's side door from over 75 feet away.
We then noticed that the woman from earlier who watched the cart go by her was walking in the same direction as the van. With each step, my dad and I could barely contain our excitement. When she got to about 15 feet away from the car, we saw her hands rise into the air. At that point, we just lost our composure and laughed until we got home.
43. On The Brink Of Embarrassment
One day the armored transport company came into my work to drop off cash for us. One of the guards was the rudest guy we had ever met. He came in demanding, "I need your manager now," and "When are you going to take care of me?" So, the manager took the cash, finished the transaction, and the guy walked out. A few moments later, he came back in asking to use the phone. His partner had gotten out of the truck and locked the keys inside. We were all busting a gut. It was well deserved.
44. Karma Stepped In
There was a kid at school who I always disliked. I was walking down the stairs after my last class had ended after a bad day. This kid proceeded to follow me down the stairs and be a total pain for no reason, saying, “I hate you.” Not even five seconds later, this moron fell down the entire staircase and landed right into a group of girls. His face reached a new level of red I didn’t think was possible.
45. The Universe Made Its Point
person showing right middle fingerPhoto by Franco Antonio Giovanella on UnsplashOne day, a coworker who slightly outranked me was joking around and busting my chops. She was giving me a hard time, saying I was dumb and that they paid me too much. She went to sit down and somehow got her right hand stuck awkwardly underneath her. The maneuver broke her pointer finger. Through the tears, she looked at me and said, "Guess I deserved that," and chuckled a little.
46. That’s Nacho Order
I was at Taco Bell and had ordered nachos bell grande—and so did the man immediately behind me in line. We waited together for our food to get done, and when they called my number, he grabbed my food. He looked at me and said, “You ordered the same thing as me, but I'm in a hurry, so you can just take mine when it's ready.”
This guy didn't care two bits what I had going on. He was in a suit and tie, and I was in my construction clothes. He took one step toward the door and slipped, spilling his drink and my nachos all over his shirt and jacket. At that exact moment, they called his number. I picked up his nachos, thanked him, and walked out the door.
47. Hat’s Off
I was out with my girlfriend at a late-night movie when I spotted another older couple walking. The guy had a long coat, cane, sunglasses at night, and a bowler-type hat. The wind was blowing hard. All of a sudden, I watched this guy's hat fly off his head and into the street. He didn't seem to mind and just kept on walking. I began chasing the hat just for fun and to be helpful.
I brought the hat back to the guy and he said, "Thanks, brother," to which I replied, "No problem, man. I just like chasing stuff." He went in for a handshake, and I felt something in his hand. I wasn’t sure if he had just handed me a business card or something. I walked away with my girlfriend. Once we got in our car, I turned to her and said, "That guy just gave me this." I unfolded a crisp $100 bill. It was the easiest $100 I ever made.
48. He Wanted To Be Starting Something
square of brown wooden tablePhoto by Nicolas Hoizey on UnsplashI was walking to the pub after work one rainy evening when I saw a guy intentionally shove himself into a fairly nerdy-looking dude who was walking along with his girlfriend. He stopped and accused the nerdy guy of pushing him and then gave him a mouthful. What followed was pure karma. It was one of those moments that was so perfect and full of justice that it was almost too good to be true.
The big guy took a huge swing at the nerdy guy and ended up slipping because it had been raining out. He completely missed hitting the nerdy guy and ended up in a flustered mess on the floor. The nerdy guy looked bewildered, and his girlfriend was desperately trying to drag him away, but he stood his ground. The big dude seemed to become even angrier due to his embarrassing fall.
He got back up and took another swing, which the nerdy guy dodged. He slipped again and fell to his knees. The nerdy guy, who was as ruthless as he was good at not getting punched in the face, saw this as a great opportunity to get this nonsense over with. So, he smacked the guy right in the face with a sweet jab that made a “'thwack” sound.
The original guy went down once and for all, sprawled on the bridge in the rain, while the nerdy guy took his girl's hand and they went on their merry way together. Meanwhile, I went to the pub and had a pint in nerdy guy's honor. It was beautiful, just beautiful.
49. He Got His Kicks On Route 66
I remember taking a road trip through Ohio during a blizzard. I was used to driving in the snow, but this was so bad I could hardly make out where I was going. The roads were empty. Since my car wasn't really fantastic, I was chugging along at a slow pace in the right lane because I wasn't in that big of a hurry—and I didn't want to crash.
Suddenly, a fully-loaded truck blew past me in the left lane, kicking up a bunch of snow against my car and whiting out my windshield. I was flying blind for a few moments while my wipers got rid of the snow. When I could see again, a chill ran down my spine. The guy seemed to have slowed down and kept pace next to me.
Then, he slowed down more, revved his engine, and proceeded to do it again. He got his kicks off of harassing smaller cars, and there wasn't anything I could do. There weren’t any exits to get off, and I didn't want to speed up in such bad conditions. After blasting me three or four more times, he sped off. I spent the next half hour grumbling about this jerk on the phone to my friends.
While chatting, I spotted something. The interstate took a sharp turn, and off the road on the left, there was a truck flipped on its top, half-buried in snow. It was him.
50. She Got A Doggone Sweet Surprise
I used to clean a local gymnastics facility on the weekends. The owner would rent out the place for birthday parties, and one of the coaches was always present for them. One weekend, I saw a car pull up about an hour before the party was to start. I was finishing cleaning the lobby, and we had no power as our lights were being replaced.
This woman came in and headed upstairs. About ten seconds later, she came STORMING down the stairs, got in my face, and started yelling, "WHY is there no power?! I'm supposed to set up for this party. HOW am I supposed to do that WHEN I CAN'T SEE WHAT I'M DOING?!" I was a little stunned and told her that, per the owner's policy, she couldn’t be in the building until the coach arrived.
Her face went purple. She yelled, "HOW DARE YOU TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN NOT DO! THE OWNER SAID I COULD BE HERE WHENEVER I WANTED. I WON'T TAKE THIS GARBAGE FROM SOME STUPID KID!" I said, "Fine, but your power won't be on for another 45 minutes. You might as well go wait in your car until the coach gets here."
She stomped off, tried to slam the door, and proceeded to try and call the owner. When the coach finally arrived, I told her what had happened and how she acted towards me. I also left a note for the owner and called her to inform her. I left the gym and went home for the night. The following day, I went in to get paid. The owner pulled me aside and told me I did everything right in that situation. Then I found out the whole story.
I found out that not only was that lady completely nasty to the coach as well, but that she didn't pay for the party, and she stayed a full hour longer than what was rented. Then, I got the best news possible. When the parents were all inside, her dog had gotten into the cake that was in her car and ate about half of it. Her reaction was deranged.
She then said, "Oh, we can still use it. We'll just cut around the parts the dog ate." 40 minutes later, she came running back into the gym, grabbed a bunch of paper towels, and returned to her car. Within the time that she brought the cake inside to the time she went back out, her dog had pooped and puked EVERYWHERE in her car—on the seats, floors, armrests, even the dashboard. This car was COVERED in poo and vomit.
The Worst Things People Can Say At A Funeral
Funerals are extremely sad occasions. There are no two ways about it.
Nothing anyone says can really make you feel better during a funeral, especially if it's for someone you're really close to.
However, certain things people say can make you feel worse.
Redditors know there are some inappropriate or insensitive things people can say during a funeral, and they are ready to share what those things are.
It all started when Redditor Comfortableguy12 asked:
Parentless
"My grandmother died in 1978. At my grandfather's funeral in 2012, someone leaned into my dad and whispered "you're an orphan now""
– seanofkelley
"My 60 year old mom said “I just realized I’m an orphan now” while sitting in the airport flying home from her mom’s funeral"
– greenleafbrownbark
Still There
"after i left my moms grave this year after placing flowers for mothers day i texted my friend. "good news. my moms right where we left her""
"that is the morbid sense of humor that i have. my family has a similar sense of humor."
– NerJaro
"We went to a family member’s graveside services. I said to my brother "I think Dad is buried over there" - pointing to the right. My brother said "No, I think he’s over there" - pointing to the left. Our uncle (dad’s brother) came up between us and said "well I don’t think he moved!""
– RockabillyBlues1
Yikes!
"“Just say sorry for your loss then move on.”"
"“I’m sorry for your loss, move on.”"
– Choice-Bus-1177
Too Soon?
"Not the funeral, but during the planning of my dads. He wasnt a church goer but would attend family functions and find a way to slip out during services. When we were discussing his church service, I said for it not to be too long else he'll be getting out the coffin and waiting outside till it was over. Definitely too soon for that comment."
– emmadilemma71
"He’d have thought it was funny."
– adamkissing
Jaw Dropping
"So, now that you are single..."
– SomeJadedGuy
"Oh no"
– mvs2417
Worst Advice Given Twice
"I’m sorry for your loss. Move on."
– wine_n_cats
"I'm sorry for your loss. Move on."
– TheShlepper
No Chill
"Story is that at the funeral of my great grandfather on my mom's side (who was by all accounts just a super mean hateful man), the preacher said something along the lines of "Let's get this over with quickly just in case Satan wants to personally come get his #1 guy""
– tubahero3469
My Money!
"Well, now I’m never get that $20 back."
– UsedToHaveThisName
"This is actually funny."
"I knew a girl who had an extremely dark sense of humour. She was usually in rough times and I’d lend her money. I hadn’t seen her for about 3-4 months as she was a regular customer at my work. One day someone came in and asked if we knew her, told us she died in her apartment months before and they just found her. I was like, “damn some people will do anything not to pay someone back.” Something she would have laughed at."
"RIP though. She was great."
– sweetcreamclot
"My dad did this to one of his close friends wife. He approached her and was like, "Hey... So this might not be the best time, but Tony owed me twenty bucks..." And she laughed so hard that it lightened the mood for a little bit"
– neverforglet
"That's a risky joke. Obviously he knew it wouldn't fall flat. Good for him."
– PitBullFan
"Everyone cracks up laughing. Then the guy says, “Hehe… no, but seriously, I really could use that 20 bucks…”"
– Metals4J
Completely Insensitive
"When my 3 month old son died of SIDS; a lady came up to me and said “At least you are young enough to have other children.""
– grandmaWI
"I don’t understand how people can think that human children are interchangeable. I’m so sorry."
– imabaaaaaadguy
And Again
"I was struggling with infertility for years. When my dad died my stepsister said "I bet you feel so bad that you never gave him any grandkids." I will remember that for as long as I live. I've never felt worse or lower in my life."
– MistressAlabaster
Guest At Your Own Funeral
"“Even with all of her health issues, I glad Grandma was able to come today.”"
– Spirited_Outside1583
"I did text my sister in law to remind her not to be late to her own funeral. It was a joke we'd always had, and I promised to do it for her when we knew she was dying. Cried my eyes out sending that message, but also would have absolutely shat myself inside out if there had been a reply."
– MadWifeUK
Definitely Not Okay
"This post reminds me of what someone said when my grandfather passed away. He had really bad Alzheimers and it was so painful for my mother to watch her father essentially degrade over time. We were at his funeral when someone said to my mother "Who cares? He was pretty much already dead.""
"Because of the disease, and I was literally going to kill this motherf**ker for saying that to my grieving mother at her own father's funeral. Luckily my brother is much more level-headed than me and told me to just walk away and focus on making sure my mother is okay rather than focusing on murdering the dipsh*t who said that. I do not think I have ever been more mad than I was in that moment in my entire life. Not even close.""
– SweeetBunnn
Very Unhelpful
"“God has a plan” No, the plan was for my dad to see my little brother grow up to be a man. I don’t hate religion, and don’t sh*t on peoples beliefs, but I hate when people said that sh*t"
– Tight_Ad3092
"It's very short sighted"
"I'm sure it gives them solace. But unless they know you feel the same it's a useless saying altogether. Even if the person believes in god's plan.mentioning it may not help them in that moment."
– deterministic_lynx
Horrible...But Hilarious
"All the old people poking me at weddings saying you’re next … I’ve started doing the same to them at funerals"– hquer
"You are the worst, (writes down idea)"– Fastincrib
I might steal that too...