Napoleon vs. The Rabbits In 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte planned a rabbit hunt to celebrate a military victory. His chief of staff mistakenly gathered tame rabbits instead of wild ones. Instead of fleeing, they charged at Napoleon, forcing him to retreat.
Mary Toft’s Rabbit Birth Hoax In 1726, Mary Toft convinced doctors she was giving birth to rabbits, sparking widespread medical confusion. It was later revealed she had been faking the deliveries using real rabbit parts, leading to a notorious scandal.
Clowns vs. Firefighters in Toronto In 1855, a brawl between circus clowns and firefighters at a brothel escalated into a riot. Firefighters set circus tents ablaze, exposing corruption within the Toronto police force and prompting much-needed reforms.
The CIA’s XL Condom Plan During the Cold War, the CIA considered dropping oversized condoms labeled “Medium” over Soviet territories to demoralize their enemy. Fortunately, this bizarre psychological warfare tactic never came to fruition.
WWII Bat Bombs A U.S. dentist proposed using bats equipped with incendiary bombs to attack Japan. The plan was scrapped after a test run resulted in bats setting a military hangar and a general’s car on fire.
Australia’s Emu War In 1932, Australian soldiers fought an infestation of emus that was destroying crops. Despite using machine guns, they lost to the birds, which outran their bullets and adopted evasive strategies.
The Watermelon Riot In 1856 Panama, a dispute over an unpaid slice of watermelon escalated into a deadly riot between locals and U.S. travelers, leading to extensive damage and several fatalities.
NASA’s Dolphin Experiment Gone Wrong In the 1960s, NASA funded an experiment to teach dolphins English. A researcher, Margaret Lovatt, lived with a dolphin named Peter, leading to a controversial relationship. The project was shut down when its lead scientist became more interested in LSD.
Boston’s Molasses Flood In 1919, a massive molasses tank burst, creating a 30-foot wave that killed 21 people and destroyed buildings. The syrup reportedly moved at 35 mph, and the area supposedly smelled of molasses for years.
Teddy Roosevelt’s Unstoppable Speech In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot before a campaign speech. His folded speech and glasses case slowed the bullet. Instead of seeking medical attention, he delivered a 90-minute speech, saying, “It takes more than that to kill a bull moose.”
Defenestrations of Prague In 1618, two Catholic officials were thrown out of a castle window by Protestants in Prague, triggering the Thirty Years’ War. Miraculously, the victims survived the fall.
Krakatoa’s Devastating Eruption In 1883, the Krakatoa volcano erupted with the force of 200 megatons of TNT. The explosion was heard 3,000 miles away, and the resulting tsunami devastated nearby islands.
Sweden’s Disturbing Dental Experiment In the mid-1900s, Swedish researchers deliberately fed excessive sugar to mentally disabled patients to study tooth decay, leaving many with irreversible damage. The unethical experiment remains a dark chapter in medical history.