The Wacky World of Wierdities
Hoaxes through the Ages
Check out this website to find some incredible stories: The Museum of Hoaxes
Nightmare Book!
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came to him in a nightmare so scary that his screams woke up his wife Fanny. After waking from his dream, he worked feverishly three days and nights without break to put his inspiration on paper. He read it to his wife and she disliked it so much that he threw the manuscript in the fire and burned it.
Still, he couldn’t get the story out of his head. He again spent three days penning the new manuscript. His publisher accepted it and published it as a "shilling shocker."
A Cathedral Like You'll Never See Again!
The "Bone Cathedral" pictured below is "decorated" with the skulls and bones of hundreds of corpses. It is one of Europe's most bizarre pieces of architecture.
Present, But Not Voting
Famous English philosopher Jeremy Bentham suggested that instead of burying people, it made more sense to embalm them. Then, "every man might be his own statue." At his death, he donated his body for medical studies to University College in London, the school he had founded. After medical experiments had been conducted, school officials reconstructed his skeleton, gave it a wax head, and dressed it in Bentham’s clothes. For many years after his death, Bentham presided over meetings of the college committee and was listed in the minutes as "present, but not voting."
Sometimes A Title Makes A Big Difference
How likely would you be to pick up a book entitled The Sea-Cook? If you say, not likely; you'd be agreeing with Robert Louis Stevenson's publishers. The Sea-Cook was the title he suggested for the classic book that now is known as Treasure Island.
Now That's A Monopoly!In 1975 twice as much Monopoly money was printed as real money in the U.S! Monopoly is the best selling game of all time. Nearly 100 million sets were sold in the 50 years of its existence. The game’s inventor was Charles Darrow of Philadelphia, an out-of-work heating engineer. Invented in the 1930’s, Darrow tried to sell the game to Parker Brothers, but they turned it down because it was too complicated. Darrow sold 5000 sets he had made privately and convinced Parker Brothers that it would be a hot seller. Darrow ultimately became a millionaire as a result of the game he created.
Danger: Falling Tortoise ZoneThe famed Greek dramatist Aeschylus was purportedly warned by a prophet that he would be killed by a "blow from heaven." According to legend, the prophecy was fulfilled when an eagle dropped a tortoise on the writer’s bald head - mistaking it for a rock. Allegedly, Aeschylus was killed. This adds a whole new wrinkle to the fable of the Tortoise and the Hair (or lack of it)!
Talk About A Tough Audience!Ben Jonson - England’s first poet laureate and famous dramatist - was jailed in 1604 for making fun of King James Scottish friends in a piece he and two others had written to entertain the royal court. Their sentence was to have their ears and noses cut off! Fortunately, influential friends were able to arrange their release before the sentence was carried out. This was not the first time Jonson was in trouble. In 1598 he was jailed for murder after a rapier duel with fellow actor Gabriel Spencer. When Spencer died of his wounds, Jonson was tried for murder but escaped because he was a clergyman and clergy could not be hung. Nonetheless, as a convicted murderer, Jonson did lose all his possessions and was branded with "T" on his left thumb. (The "T" stood for Tyburn, the name of the gallows from which he was to be hung.)
That's For The BirdsShakespeare’s influence is felt in nature even in America. The black bird called the starling was not native to the United States, but a wealthy New Yorker Eugene Scheifflin released 100 of the birds in Central Park in his project of bringing to America all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works.
Printing CostsJohann Gutenberg is the German printed remembered for printing the Bible. Experts say that about 48 copies of the original 200 exist. They are worth about $1 million each. Ironically, though, printing these copies bankrupted Gutenberg who had partnered with Johann Fust to make printing history using movable type. Not able to repay the money loaned him by his partner, the press and its movable type was "repossessed" by Fust and his son-in-law who used the press to set up a very successful printing business of their own.
Will Write for Funeral ExpensesDr. Samuel Johnson, best remembered for his work on the English Dictionary, wrote his famous work Rasselas in just 7 nights. His mother (age 90) was deathly ill and he need the money for medical expenses. Sadly she died just after the 40,000 word work’s completion and the money for the book went to pay her debts and funeral expenses.
Poems From The GraveDante Gabriel Rossetti, famous British painter and poet, was grief-stricken at the death of his wife Lizzie. At her burial, he placed in her coffin his only manuscript of poems he had been working on. He told friends, "I have often been working at these poems when she was ill and suffering and I might have been attending her. And now they shall go!" Seven years after her death, Rossetti claimed his wife’s spirit came to him in the form of a songbird and told him to reclaim his poems. He had the coffin dug up and retrieved the poems. Published in 1870, the first edition of these poems sold out in two weeks. Six more editions had to be printed by the end of the year.
Famous Pen NamesMany authors have used a pseudonym or nom de plume to publish their works. Here are some of the more famous ones.
Acton, Currer, & Ellis Bell -- Anne, Charlotte, & Emily Bronte
Boz -- Charles Dickens
Lewis Carroll -- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson
Elia -- Charles Lamb
George Eliot -- Mary Ann Evans
O. Henry -- William Sydney Porter
John le Carre -- David Cornwell
George Orwell -- Eric Blair
Ellery Queen -- Frederic Dannay & Manfred B. Lee
Saki -- Hector Hugh Munro
George Sand -- Amandine Dupin
Stendahl -- Marie Henri Beyle
Mark Twain -- Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Jules Verne -- L. M. Olehewitz
Voltaire -- Francois Marie Arouet
What's In A Name?These famous stars changed their names to better suit their images . . .
Julie Andrews: Julia Wells
Fred Astaire: Frederick Austerlitz
Theda Bara: Theodosia Goodman
Charles Bronson: Charles Buchinsky
Michael Caine: Maurice Mickelwhite
Cyd Charisse: Tula Elisse Finklea
Joan Crawford: Lucille Le Sueur
Tony Curtis: Bernard Schwarz
Kim Darby: Derby Zerby
Doris Day: Doris Kappelhoff
Phyliss Diller: Phyliss Driver
Kirk Douglas: Issur Demsky
Greta Garbo: Greta Gustaffson
Judy Garland: Frances Gumm
Stewart Granger: Jimmy Stewart (because there already was a famous Jimmy Stewart!)
Cary Grant: Archibald Leach
Rita Hayworth: Margarita Carmen Cansino
Rock Hudson: Roy Fitzgerald
Boris Karloff: William Pratt
Danny Kaye: David Daniel Kaminsky
Dean Martin: Dino Crocetti
Walter Matthau: Walter Matasschanskayasky
Marilyn Monroe: Norma Jean Baker
Mickey Rooney: Joe Yule
Roy Rogers: Leonard Slye
Robert Taylor: Spangler Bough
John Wayne: Marion Morrison
Natalie Wood: Natasha Gurdin
It All Ads Up!
The average American sees or hears 560 advertisements each day!
What A Way To Go!When crusaders die en route of their journey, their bodies were chopped up and the fleshed boiled away. That way his skeleton could be easily carried back to Europe for a Christian burial.
Tipping Can Be ImportantWhen condemned to death by beheading in medieval or Renaissance England, the condemned was obliged to tip the executioner to make sure he did his job with one blow. Even though axes were sharp, it wasn't always that simple. At the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, it required 15 blows before her head was separated from her body.
Tom Sawyer Was The TypeMark Twain's famous work The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was the first novel to be written on a typewriter. Twain typed it himself on a Remington in 1875. However, he tried to keep this quiet to cut down on the questions and hoopla surrounding this accomplishment.
Haggis, Anyone?Haggis is the traditional Scottish meal served to commemorate the writer Robert Burns. Authentic haggis is made of the lungs, heart, and liver of a sheep, chopped with onions, seasonings, suet, and oatmeal. It is boiled in a pouch made of the sheep's stomach.
To Die For!In Elizabethan slang, the term "to die" carried a sexual connotation. Watch for this double entendre in the works of John Donne (The Prohibition & The Canonization) and in Shakespeare's King Lear.
Keep Your Pants On!In 19th century England, the terms "trousers" and "pants" were considered obscene. Women called trousers their "inexpressibles" or a "pair of dittoes." In Victorian England this was taken so far that even the wooden legs of pianos were covered so that people in the room wouldn't be reminded of human legs. You can see hints of this in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist.
Kissing CousinsWhat people of England and America call a "French kiss," people of France call an "English kiss."
How Do You Want Your Name Remembered?Civil War general Joseph Hooker's name has proved to be infamously memorable. A man with a passion for the ladies, Hooker was stationed in New Orleans. He spent so much time with the prostitutes in the town that they came to be known as "Hooker's division." Eventually, the name "hooker" became synonymous with prostitute in memory of the general's questionable exploits.
That's Backwards!The butterfly was originally known as the flutterby.
Don't Monkey AroundThe monkey wrench was named after its inventor - the blacksmith Mr. Charles Moncke.
Goose Him!
Lord Byron had four pet geese that he took everywhere with him . . . even to social gatherings. He was a great animal lover and had a zoo in his Italian apartment that included many animals including peacocks.
Mother Goose?Some scholars believe that Mother Goose was a real person. Her name may have been Elizabeth Vergoose and she is supposed to have collected or written some of the most famous English nursery rhymes. (Some believe that there is an occult connection to some of the rhymes.) Her son-in-law was a printer (Thomas Fleet) and is often credited with first publishing the tales in Boston in 1719.
That's Write!At the death of Sir Isaac Newton, a trunk was found among his effects that contained almost 100,000 pages of work unknown until that time.
That's Even More Write!The Belgian mystery writer Georges Simenon wrote an average of one novel every 11 days. He wrote over 230 novels in his name and another 300 under a pseudonym.
He's A CardThe kings found in the decks of playing cards are believed to be based on a portrait of England King Charles I of the 1600's. Some believe the queen of playing card fame may be Queen Elizabeth I. It is said that modern playing cards developed from the tarot fortune-telling cards. Tarot cards had four suits - cups, wands, coins, and swords - which have been changed to hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. Early tarot cards also featured kings, queens, and knights (or jacks as they are called today.)
A Woman With Something Extra
Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII. She is said to have had six fingers on one hand and six toes on one foot. She wore special gloves throughout her life to keep this a secret. She is also said to have had three breasts.
A Hair LessQueen Elizabeth I was completely bald. She lost her hair at age 29 after contracting smallpox. She always wore a wig which started the fashion trend of wigs that last over a hundred years. In 18th century England, wigs were up to 4 feet tall. They were decorated with all kinds of trinkets including stuffed birds, flowers, fruit, or even ship models. To keep them from coming apart, they were matted with lard (animal fat). The lard attracted mice, rats, and insects to the wigs which were sometimes worn for months at a time. Gold mesh was sometimes used on the wigs to make them rodent-resistant.
Merry ChristmasThe Christmas wreath was designed as a reminder of Christ's crown of thorns.
Is This Staged?Until the mid-1700's, spectators in English theaters often sat on stage only feet away from the actors. Spectators who didn't like actors could bump them off the stage. Legendary actor David Garrick reformed this in 1760 and moved the audience from the stage to the orchestra and the pit.
Mad As A HatterThe Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is actually based on a terrible problem that developed in the Industrial Age. Hatmakers often used mercury as they processed the felt for their hats. Mercury, of course, is deadly poison. Often it lead to insanity. It is estimated that 10% of workers in hat factories ended their lives insane.
Writing Can Be Such A HeadacheMigraine sufferers often experience an "aura" before the onset of their headaches. This can include seeing intense colors, flashing lights, and even monsters or apparitions. Lewis Carroll suffered from migraines throughout his life and is supposed to have taken some of his Alice in Wonderland characters from apparitions he experienced.
Wholly Moses!A number of European depictions of Moses portray him with horns sticking out of his head . . . similar to how many picture the devil. This stems from an old mistranslation. The Hebrew word of "horn" and "ray of light" are spelled the same way. Interpreters used "horn," when they should have used "ray." Michelango's famous sculpture of Moses shows two horns sticking out of the top of Moses' head.
Bible Boo-boosProofreading and translations of the Bible have not always measured up. The Breeches Bible of 1560 earned its name because it states that Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made breeches for themselves. The Bug Bible of 1551 has an interesting translation of the Psalm 91. The line "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night" reads "Thou shalt not be afraid of any buggies by night." The most notorious of these error-filled Bibles is the Wicked Bible where the printer forgot the little word "not" and ended up with the commandment "Thou shalt commit adultery." This was not popular with the King who sentenced the printer to prison time to improve his proofreading skills.
Marlowe's HeroesTwo of Marlowe's major works were based on the life of real people. Marlowe's character Tamburlaine was modeled after the Mongol conqueror Timur the Lame (1336-1405) was a ruthless conqueror known for playing polo with the heads of those he had killed in battle. He also left records of his victories by having his men erect 30 foot tall pyramids of heads. Faust, the leading character in Marlowe's The Tragicall Historie of Dr. Faustus, was a 16th century doctor of theology at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. The Faust legend is that this man sold his soul to the devil in exchange for supernatural powers. Philip Melanchthon, Martin Luther's right hand man, claims to have known Faust personally.
Pencil PowerThe average pencil will draw a line 35 miles long or write approximately 50,000 words!