A manhole cover became Earth's fastest spacecraft by accident. NASA detonated a nuclear bomb underground in 1957. They put a steel cap over the hole. High-speed cameras caught it flying away at impossible speed. It was never found again. Space program started three years later.
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Science Gone WrongApr 16, 2026
In 1980, NASA accidentally launched a manhole cover into space at 125,000 mph during an underground nuclear test, making it potentially the fastest human-made object ever created.
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Science Gone Wrong
The 1904 Olympic Marathon included a runner who hitchhiked half the race, another who was chased by wild dogs, and one who nearly died from rat poison
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Science Gone Wrong
In 1958, the US Army accidentally irradiated an entire town in Tennessee while testing nuclear weapons effects on vegetables
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Science Gone Wrong
In 1962, a failed NASA rocket launch accidentally created the largest man-made light show visible from 1,000 miles away
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Science Gone Wrong
Scientists accidentally created glow-in-the-dark cats by inserting jellyfish genes into cat DNA to study genetic diseases, and the cats passed the trait to their kittens.
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Dark History
The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 killed 21 people when a tank containing 2.3 million gallons burst in Boston
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Unbelievable Records
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds and covered 301.5 feet, achieved by a hen named Sheena in 2014.
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Dark History
During the 1904 Olympics, marathon runners were given brandy and strychnine as performance enhancers, and one athlete nearly died from rat poison.
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History
Oxford's Ancient Origins
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Ironic Twists
The Unsinkable Sam was a cat who survived the sinking of three different warships during World War II
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Ironic Twists
The Titanic's sister ship Olympic became known as 'Old Reliable' and sailed safely for 24 years before retirement
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Animal Oddities
Male seahorses are the only species where males get pregnant and can give birth to 2,000 babies at once
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Animals
The Professional Sleepers