In 1905, Einstein experienced his ‘Year of Miracles,’ during which he published three groundbreaking papers that transformed physics. He introduced the particle theory of light (earning him the Nobel Prize), provided evidence for the existence of atoms, and presented the special theory of relativity, culminating in the famous equation E=mc². He was 26 years old.
9/50 After arguing with his wife, an Italian man walked 450 kilometers and was subsequently fined.
In 2020, after an argument with his wife, a 48-year-old Italian man walked 450 kilometers from Como to Fano to calm down. Walking around 65 kilometers per day, he was supported by locals with food and drink. Police found him and fined him €400 for violating lockdown rules. His journey was widely reported and nicknamed “Forrest Gump” by Italians.
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8/50 Michel Siffre’s 1962 cave experiment revealed natural sleep cycles up to 50 hours.
In 1962, geologist Michel Siffre spent two months in a dark cave to study his sleep-wake cycle. Without external time cues, he assumed each sleep was one day but miscalculated by two weeks. His body naturally adjusted to cycles longer than 24 hours, sometimes reaching up to 50 hours. This experiment provided groundbreaking insights into human chronobiology.
7/50 Sunken ships provided radiation-free steel for medical and scientific use.
Steel for scientific and medical uses was sourced from sunken battleships until recently because post-1945 steel was contaminated by radiation. This uncontaminated steel was crucial for precision instruments and research. Modern methods have lessened the need for these old sources.
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6/50 Boy died after classmate threw cheese, triggering severe allergic reaction.
In 2017, 13-year-old Karanbir Cheema from West London died after a classmate threw a piece of cheese at him. The severe dairy allergy caused him to go into anaphylactic shock. Despite immediate medical attention, he passed away days later, underscoring the critical nature of food allergies.
5/50 Warnings ignored in 1962, 1970 avalanche in Peru killed 30,000.
After a deadly avalanche in 1962, American climbers warned Peruvian authorities of a larger potential slide. These warnings were ignored and suppressed. The deadliest avalanche in history occurred in 1970, resulting in approximately 30,000 fatalities.
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4/50 Men’s alien abduction claim verified by secret police recording in 1973.
In 1973, two men reported being abducted by aliens to the police, who doubted their story. To catch them in a lie, the police secretly recorded their conversation. Surprisingly, the men continued discussing their frightening experience. This event, known as the Pascagoula Abduction, remains a notable case in UFO history.
3/50 US lawns use 9 billion gallons of water daily for irrigation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that residential outdoor water use, mainly for landscape irrigation, accounts for nearly 9 billion gallons of water each day. This substantial consumption reflects the large-scale maintenance of lawns and gardens across the country (EPA).
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2/50 Russians dug the deepest hole at 40,318 feet in 1970s.
In the 1970s, Russian scientists attempted to dig through the Earth’s crust with the Kola Superdeep Borehole project. They reached a depth of 40,318 feet before stopping in 1989. This borehole remains the deepest hole ever dug by humans.
1/50 1985 Mexico City earthquake: miracle babies survived seven days in rubble.
When an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City in 1985, the Juárez Hospital collapsed. Remarkably, several newborns, known as the “miracle babies,” survived for seven days without food, water, or human contact.
