Failed Constitutional Amendments
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Hundreds of proposed to the are introduced during each session of the . From 1789 through January 3, 2025, approximately 11,985 measures have been proposed to amend the United States Constitution. Collectively, members of the and typically propose around 200 amendments during each two-year term of . Most, however, never get out of the in which they were proposed. Only a fraction of those actually receive enough support to win Congressional approval to go through the constitutional ratification process. Some proposed amendments are introduced over and over again in different sessions of...
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Captain Thomas Moore
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Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a officer and . He made international headlines in April 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his during the . He and the during the , and later became an instructor in . After the war, he worked as managing director of a concrete company and was an avid motorcycle racer. On 6 April 2020, at the age of 99 during the first COVID-19 national lockdown, Moore began to walk 100 lengths of his garden in aid of , with the goal of raising £1,000 by his 100th birthday on 30 April. In...
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The Fir-Tree - by Hans Christian Andersen
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"The Fir-Tree" (: Grantræet) is a by the Danish poet and author (1805–1875). The tale is about a so anxious to grow up, so anxious for greater things, that he cannot appreciate living in the moment. The tale was first published 21 December 1844 with "", in , in , by C.A. Reitzel. One scholar (Andersen biographer []) indicates that "The Fir-Tree" was the first of Andersen's fairy tales to express a deep pessimism.
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Canals on Mars
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During the , it was erroneously believed that there were "" on the planet . These were a network of long straight lines in the equatorial regions from 60° north to 60° south latitude on Mars, observed by using early telescopes without photography. They were first described by the Italian astronomer during the of 1877, and attested to by later observers. Schiaparelli called these canali (""), which was mistranslated into English as "canals". The Irish astronomer made some of the earliest drawings of straight-line features on Mars, although his drawings did not match Schiaparelli's.
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Great Feasts
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The Field of the Cloth of Gold (: Camp du Drap d'Or, pronounced ) was a between King and King from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at , between in and in the English , it was an opulent display of wealth by both kings.
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Storm Chasers
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National Geographic article on Storm Chasing called Chasing Tornadoes.
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Robert Maxwell
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Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovak-born British and politician. Of , he escaped the and joined the during . He was decorated after active service in the . In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up to a major academic publisher. After six years as a (MP) during the 1960s, Maxwell again put all his energy into business, successively buying the , and , among other publishing companies.
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Collar Bomb Heist
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On August 28, 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Douglas Wells a near his hometown of , , United States. Upon being apprehended by police, Wells died when an locked to his neck detonated. The investigation into his death uncovered a complex plot described as "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI".
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Penis Theft
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Koro is a delusional disorder in which individuals have an overpowering belief that their are retracting and will disappear, despite the lack of any true longstanding changes to the genitals. Koro is also known as shrinking penis, and was listed in the .
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Balloon Fest 1986
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Balloonfest '86 was a event in , , United States, held on September 27, 1986, in which the local chapter of set a by almost 1.5 million . The event was intended to be a harmless . However, the released balloons drifted back over the city and and landed in the surrounding area, causing problems for traffic and a nearby airport. In consequence, the organizers faced lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages, and cost overruns put the event at a net loss.
info_outlineCaptain Sir Thomas Moore (30 April 1920 – 2 February 2021), more popularly known as Captain Tom, was a British Army officer and fundraiser. He made international headlines in April 2020 when he raised money for charity in the run-up to his 100th birthday during the COVID-19 pandemic. He served in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War, and later became an instructor in armoured warfare. After the war, he worked as managing director of a concrete company and was an avid motorcycle racer.
On 6 April 2020, at the age of 99 during the first COVID-19 national lockdown, Moore began to walk 100 lengths of his garden in aid of NHS Charities Together, with the goal of raising £1,000 by his 100th birthday on 30 April. In the 24-day course of his fundraising, he made many media appearances and became a household name in the UK, earning a number of accolades and attracting over 1.5 million individual donations.