Weird Facts

This blog features verified mind-blowing facts, interesting stories, and global news. The information on this blog serves general informational purposes only.

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sources : cbc, fox11online, washingtonpost

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sources : leadersedge, newsweek, fox35orlando, medium

About 6,000 people have actually bought insurance policies that pay out $10 million if they can prove they were abducted by aliens. A Florida company has been selling them since 1987.

Since 1987, the St. Lawrence Agency in Altamonte Springs, Florida, has sold alien abduction insurance policies, later priced at $19.95–$24.95 each. These novelty policies promise up to $10 million in coverage for anyone who can prove they were abducted by extraterrestrials, with requirements like an “authorized onboard alien” signature. Payouts are structured as $1 per year for 10 million years and include extras such as psychiatric care, sarcasm coverage, and double identity coverage. Owner Mike St. Lawrence reported selling more than 6,000 policies by 2019. The company has received two claims and has reportedly paid out on at least one. Other insurers, including some in the UK, have offered comparable policies over the years.

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sources: abc, cnn, wikipedia

The world’s first floating hotel opened off the coast of Australia in 1988, and later sat abandoned in North Korea before being demolished in 2022.

The Four Seasons Barrier Reef Resort, also known as the John Brewer Floating Hotel, opened on 9 March 1988, anchored about 70 km off Townsville, Australia, over the Great Barrier Reef.

Designed as a luxury seven-storey resort with roughly 200 rooms and suites, it faced storms, high costs, and logistical issues and closed after about a year. It was towed to Vietnam in 1989 and operated as the Saigon Floating Hotel from November 1989 to August 1996, before Hyundai Asan bought it in 1998.

Hyundai Asan then moved it to North Korea’s Mount Kumgang Tourist Region and reopened it in 2000 as Hotel Haegumgang. Tourism halted in 2008 after a South Korean tourist was shot by a North Korean guard. The hotel sat abandoned and rusting for over a decade until Kim Jong Un ordered its demolition.

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sources : vice, gov.br,

More than 200 years ago, sailors are believed to have left goats on a Brazilian island that has no fresh water. The goats not only survived, they multiplied. Scientists still don’t fully know how, and a researcher said he had never seen them drink seawater.

Their survival despite the lack of known freshwater sources turned them into a scientific puzzle. Brazilian authorities and researchers began studying the animals as a potential “genetic treasure” for traits linked to adaptation to water scarcity.

In early 2025, the last 27 goats were removed alive to restore native vegetation and protect seabird nesting sites. Instead of being culled, they were transferred to research institutions for scientific studies, including genetic analysis and research into traits that could be useful for goats in arid regions.

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An ambulance allegedly struck a cyclist in Oregon, brought him to a hospital for treatment, and then sent him a $1,862 bill for the ambulance ride.

In October 2022, 71-year-old William Hoesch was cycling in Rainier, Oregon, when, according to his lawsuit, a Columbia River Fire & Rescue ambulance made a sudden right turn and struck him, fracturing his nose and causing other injuries. The same ambulance crew then provided medical aid and transported him to the nearest hospital. Later, the ambulance service sent Hoesch a bill for $1,862 for the ride. He has since filed a nearly $1-million lawsuit against the provider, claiming it is responsible for both the crash and the transport costs. The case highlights the unusual fact that he was billed by the same ambulance service involved in the accident.

sources : theguardian, people

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sources : casemine, independent, lbc

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sources : inquirer, people, whyy, abcnews

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In 2010, a guy in Connecticut had his arm trapped in his furnace for 3 days, smelled it rotting, and sawed through most of it himself with a saw blade before passing out. A coworker who noticed he missed work stopped by, heard the dog, called 911, and firefighters had to rip the furnace apart to get him out. Doctors say he saved his own life.

sources : ABC News, CBS News, TIME, JEMS

In June 2010, 31-year-old Jonathan Metz of West Hartford, Connecticut, reached into his basement furnace to fix it, only to have his left arm become trapped between the heating cores. After three days alone, drinking only leaking water and screaming for help, he smelled his own flesh rotting from gangrene. Knowing infection would kill him, he made a tourniquet from his shirt and used a saw blade to cut through most of his arm before passing out. A coworker and friend, worried when Metz didn’t show up for work, stopped by, heard the dog barking, and called 911. Firefighters freed him with heavy rescue tools. Doctors say his desperate self-amputation saved his life by stopping the toxins from spreading.

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For almost 10 years in 1920s Los Angeles, a wealthy woman kept her secret lover living full-time in her attic—coming out only when her husband was away. One night in 1922 he heard them fighting, came down, and shot the husband dead. Then he calmly went back up into the attic… and the case remained tangled for years, with the full story emerging about eight years later. The truth only came out in 1930.

sources : 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Walburga “Dolly” Oesterreich, the wife of a wealthy manufacturer Fred William Oesterreich, began a secret affair in 1913 with 17-year-old Otto Sanhuber, a sewing machine repairman. To hide the relationship, Otto moved into the attic of the couple’s home, kept hidden from Fred. He lived there for nearly a decade, emerging when Fred was out. On 22 August 1922, Otto overheard an argument, came down, and shot Fred dead during a struggle. The couple staged the scene as a burglary. Otto then returned to the attic and remained hidden for years, with the case breaking open about eight years later. The truth emerged in 1930 when her attorney, Herman Shapiro, told police. Dolly and Otto were tried; Otto was found guilty of manslaughter but freed because the statute of limitations had expired, while Dolly’s case ended in a hung jury and she was released.

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On September 5, 1942, after the USS Gregory was sunk near Guadalcanal, 15 American sailors, many wounded, were left drifting helplessly on a raft, dangerously close to enemy forces. In the darkness of the Pacific, with sharks in the water and drifting toward enemy fire and a Japanese-held shore, 22-year-old Charles Jackson French tied a rope around his waist, jumped into the ocean, and swam for hours through the night, towing the raft and the injured men away from danger until they were spotted and rescued.

sources : 1, 2, 3, 4

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Dolly Parton’s Dollywood is one of the largest employers in East Tennessee. After the 2016 Smokies wildfires, she raised over $9M through the My People Fund and gave 900+ families $1,000 a month, with the final month increased to $5,000, to help them rebuild. The FBI later honored her foundation for that leadership.

sources : people, dollyparton, fbi,

Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Parks & Resorts employs about 4,000 people, making it the largest employer in Sevier County and one of the biggest in East Tennessee. After the devastating 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires destroyed or damaged over 1,000 homes, she created the My People Fund through the Dollywood Foundation. A telethon she hosted raised more than $9 million within days, and the fund ultimately collected and distributed over $12 million. It provided more than 900 affected families with $1,000 per month for six months (with the final payment increased), totaling roughly $10,000 or more per family to help them rebuild. In 2019, the FBI presented the Dollywood Foundation with its Director’s Community Leadership Award for her outstanding response and leadership in the recovery effort.

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A Dollar General cashier with diabetes was denied permission to keep orange juice at her register—then got fired for drinking a $1.69 bottle during a low-blood-sugar emergency (even though she paid right after). A jury later awarded her $277,565.

sources : law.justia, govdelivery, businessinsurance

A Dollar General employee, Linda Atkins, who has type 2 diabetes asked her manager if she could keep orange juice at her cash register for emergencies, but was told policy didn’t allow it. In late 2011 and early 2012, while working alone, she had low-blood-sugar episodes and drank a $1.69 bottle of orange juice from the store cooler to treat them. After each episode, she paid for the juice and told her manager what happened. Dollar General later fired her under its “grazing” policy, which prohibits consuming merchandise before paying. A federal jury found Dollar General liable and awarded Atkins $27,565 in back pay plus $250,000 in compensatory damages, for a total of $277,565. It showed that medical emergencies can’t be ignored just because of a store rule.

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In 2020, a nurse at Yale’s fertility clinic stole fentanyl from about 175 vials over five months, swapped it with saline, and sent women into excruciating pain during their egg-retrieval procedures. She did it for her own use while patients suffered through IVF without pain relief.

sources : justice.gov, dea.gov, today, medscape, nbcconnecticut

In 2020, a nurse at Yale’s fertility clinic in Connecticut, Donna Monticone, was discovered doing something horrifying. Over about five months, investigators say she stole fentanyl (a powerful painkiller) from the clinic’s supply — about 175 vials — and replaced it with saline, then put the vials back. That fentanyl was meant to help women during egg-retrieval procedures for IVF. Instead, many patients ended up getting saltwater, and suffered severe, unexpected pain during the procedure. A federal investigation uncovered the tampering later in 2020. Monticone pleaded guilty, gave up her nursing license, and was sentenced to weekends in prison plus home confinement. Yale was also fined by the DEA for controlled-substance security failures and reached settlements with patients.

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In 1982, truck driver Larry Walters tied 42 helium balloons to a lawn chair for what he thought would be a short backyard float with drinks. The chair soared to 16,000 feet over Los Angeles, drifted into airline paths, and, after about 90 minutes to two hours, he descended by popping balloons, tangled in power lines, causing a blackout, then was rescued and got down unharmed. The FAA fined him $1,500 for violations of airspace/communications regulations. The story attracted worldwide media attention.

sources : smithsonianmag, nytimes, latimes, snopes

On July 2, 1982, truck driver Larry Walters fulfilled a 20-year dream by tying 42 helium weather balloons to a Sears lawn chair in his San Pedro backyard. Expecting a gentle float of about 100 feet, he instead quickly rose to 16,000 feet after the craft was untethered. Shivering at altitude, he drifted into controlled airspace near Long Beach Airport, where airline pilots spotted him. During the flight he began shooting balloons with a pellet gun (which he dropped), then tangled in power lines, briefly blacking out part of Long Beach. Walters was rescued and got down unharmed, gave the chair to neighborhood kids, and was later fined $1,500 by the FAA for operating in controlled airspace near Long Beach without contacting the tower and related violations. The stunt brought him international admiration, and the chair later ended up in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

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sources : beckersspine, blavity, cnn

A neurosurgeon based in Louisiana, Dr. Olawale Sulaiman, has been flying to Nigeria since 2010 for monthly medical missions—after taking a pay cut—doing free spine care and hundreds of surgeries for people who otherwise couldn’t get treated.

Since 2010, he’s taken monthly trips, spending up to 10 days at a time performing free spine surgeries and treatment. Reports say he even took a pay cut in the U.S. to keep doing the work.

So far, he’s completed hundreds of surgeries and helped thousands more through preventive care — quietly using his skills to close a healthcare gap where it’s needed most.