Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci designed plans for a “mechanized knight,” a robot-like creation that relied on a pulley system. When the plans were discovered nearly five centuries later and built according to his specifications, the design worked perfectly.
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In 2012, a Manchester, U.K., couple jokingly invited Queen Elizabeth to their wedding. Her Royal Highness not only showed up, but brought Prince Philip.
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The lowest sounding instrument in an orchestra is the contrabassoon. Only a few soloists in the world play it.
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The first Troll doll was created by a Danish fisherman who could not afford a Christmas gift for his daughter. While it wouldn’t have won any beauty contests, when other children saw it they wanted one as well.
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There’s a website that tells you the best time to use the restroom during a movie in a theater so you don’t miss anything important.
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In 2009, six geologists were convicted of manslaughter for failing to predict a deadly earthquake in Italy. Though exonerated, they faced high levels of shame from the general public afterward.
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Compared to average shoppers, chefs are more likely to buy generic store brands for sugar, baking soda and other common kitchen staples.
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The state of Texas keeps a database of more than 500 executed inmates’ last words, going back to the 1980s.
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After plagiarizing work for his directorial debut, actor Shia LaBeouf plagiarized a public apology from a Yahoo! answers question about ... plagiarism.
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You can buy a room on a cruise ship and live on board for an annual fee.
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After more than six decades of separation, differences in the language have developed between South and North Korea. This leads to hardship for North Korean defectors after they escape, because they have to relearn their language.
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Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg once went undercover as a taxi driver in Oslo because he wanted to “hear from real Norwegian voters and taxis were one of the few places where people shared their true views.”
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When is a kiss not just a kiss? Ask the fellow who, in 2010, bypassed security at the Newark Airport to smooch his girlfriend goodbye. The entire terminal was shut down for seven hours and the gentleman became known as “Airport Romeo.”
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