What are some absurd historical facts that seem false?
10. Bangladesh has a larger population than Russia
Russia is the largest country in the world, its surface extends to cover Pluto’s. However, Bangladesh has a population of 156.6 million people, Russia 143.5 million.
9. A scammer sold the Eiffel Tower
Victor Lustin was one of the greatest con artists in history. The biggest scam was convincing a merchant to buy the Eiffel Tower.
Inspiration came from reading an article about tower maintenance costs. Some Parisian citizens, given the high maintenance costs, proposed to demolish it.
Lustin didn’t miss the opportunity. He devised a plan to convince merchants (iron merchants) to buy the pieces of the Tower. He rented a limousine and pretended to be a government director with the secret task of selling the metal scraps from the tower.
A dealer paid Lustin $20,000 in cash, plus an addition of $50,000 to make sure he didn’t lose the deal. I took the money and the scammer fled to Austria and the trader didn’t say anything about the scam for fear of being cheated.
8. There are more synapses (nerve connections) in our brains than there are stars in our galaxy.
Astronomers estimate more than 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. Neuroscientists believe that by the age of three, the number of synapses in our brain is more than a trillion.
Over time, the average adult remains with 500 billion nerve connections.
7. A nuclear bomb was lost off the coast of Georgia.
On February 5, 1958, an Air Force plane crashed into a B47 bomber carrying a 7,000-pound nuclear bomb.
The army searched for the bomb for months without results.
6. Mammoths roamed the Earth during the construction of the pyramids.
In 1650 BC C., the last mammoth specimens died on the Russian island of Wrangle. In this period, the already advanced Egyptian Empire dedicated itself to the construction of the pyramids.
4. Finland and North Korea are separated by a single country.
Technically, Russia borders 10.5 miles with North Korea and 833 miles with Finland. Geographically, the two countries are divided by one.
3. The tragic world record for the simultaneous release of balloons
Balloonfest, an event organized in 1986 by the “United Way” of Cleveland, was intended to hold the world record for releasing a disproportionate number of balloons all at the same time.
What could have been a spectacular event turned into a tragedy. The balloons spilled throughout the city, settling on Lake Erie, the Burke Lakefront Airport and the neighboring area.
The balloons also hampered the Coast Guard’s search for two missing sailors who were later found drowned. The event organizers and the city itself were sued by citizens, who claimed millions of dollars in compensation for the damage they reported.
2. Children were prescribed heroin as cough medicine.
Bayer, the pharmaceutical company that produces aspirin, marketed heroin in 1890 as a remedy for coughs and colds. What is surprising is that Bayer continued to market heroin even after 1912, years in which research reported the harm caused by the use of the substance.
In the United States until 1914, heroin was administered to adults by prescription. Only at the end of 1924 was it completely banned.
1. During World War II, a man received the highest service honor from Germany and England
Joan Paul Garcia, during World War II, was a double secret agent. He applied to work with the allies, but his request was denied. Thus, under a false identity, he proposed as a secret agent for the Nazis. Years later he was called by the allies and accepted. During the conflict he worked for the British and the Germans. He received the “Iron Cross” from Germany and the title of “Most Excellent Order” from the British Empire.
