Want to be more interesting in 2022?
I spent half of 2021 tweeting important and hard-to-believe stories...stories you were probably never taught in school.
And now, theyβre all available in one place...for you to read and share with your friends.
The collection:
I spent half of 2021 tweeting important and hard-to-believe stories...stories you were probably never taught in school.
And now, theyβre all available in one place...for you to read and share with your friends.
The collection:
Before we dive into this seemingly eternal rabbit hole, let's take a look at the Table of Contents:
I. ANTHROPOLOGY: 8 Stories About People
II. HISTORY: 8 Hard-To-Believe Historical Events
III. GEOGRAPHY: 13 Fascinating Places Around the World
Ready?
Let's get started:
I. ANTHROPOLOGY: 8 Stories About People
II. HISTORY: 8 Hard-To-Believe Historical Events
III. GEOGRAPHY: 13 Fascinating Places Around the World
Ready?
Let's get started:
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (1/8)
Who: Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters
Why it's important: It's a story of the worst and best of humankind; an African-American soldier shows heroic bravery in the face of both peril and hate during WWI:
Who: Henry Johnson and the Harlem Hellfighters
Why it's important: It's a story of the worst and best of humankind; an African-American soldier shows heroic bravery in the face of both peril and hate during WWI:
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (2/8)
Who: D.B. Cooper
Known as: Being the mastermind behind the ONLY unsolved plane hijacking in US history:
Who: D.B. Cooper
Known as: Being the mastermind behind the ONLY unsolved plane hijacking in US history:
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (3/8)
Who: Mansa Musa
Known as: Being perhaps the richest person in the history of the world (oh, and handing out gold like it was candy -- literally -- and causing a $1.5bn economic crash in the Middle East in 1324):
Who: Mansa Musa
Known as: Being perhaps the richest person in the history of the world (oh, and handing out gold like it was candy -- literally -- and causing a $1.5bn economic crash in the Middle East in 1324):
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (4/8)
Who: Juan Pujol GarcΓa
Known for: Messing with the Nazis SO bad as a double agent spy, that he's referred to today as "the spy who saved D-Day":
Who: Juan Pujol GarcΓa
Known for: Messing with the Nazis SO bad as a double agent spy, that he's referred to today as "the spy who saved D-Day":
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (5/8)
Who: Oobah Butler
Known for: Creating a fake restaurant and writing so many fake reviews about it...that it eventually became the #1 Restaurant in London on TripAdvisor..
Without ever serving a meal.
Seriously:
Who: Oobah Butler
Known for: Creating a fake restaurant and writing so many fake reviews about it...that it eventually became the #1 Restaurant in London on TripAdvisor..
Without ever serving a meal.
Seriously:
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (6/8)
Who: "Sir" Timothy Dexter
Known as: The luckiest millionaire to ever live.
Yep.
This dude got rich in the 1700s and 1800s in ways you just won't believe (and ridiculously gave himself the "Sir" title after):
Who: "Sir" Timothy Dexter
Known as: The luckiest millionaire to ever live.
Yep.
This dude got rich in the 1700s and 1800s in ways you just won't believe (and ridiculously gave himself the "Sir" title after):
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (7/8)
Who: The "Durable Michael Malloy"
Known as: The guy that just would. not. die.
No matter what.
It's an awfully strange, awfully sad, and awfully...unbelievable story:
Who: The "Durable Michael Malloy"
Known as: The guy that just would. not. die.
No matter what.
It's an awfully strange, awfully sad, and awfully...unbelievable story:
ANTHROPOLOGY: Stories About People (8/8)
Who: Javad Rezabaksh
Who he is: Javad is my friend.
He's an Afghan gemologist who courageously fled Kabul after it fell to the Taliban in August.
His story is one of resilience, hope, and love for country:
Who: Javad Rezabaksh
Who he is: Javad is my friend.
He's an Afghan gemologist who courageously fled Kabul after it fell to the Taliban in August.
His story is one of resilience, hope, and love for country:
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (1/8)
What: The 6th largest navy in the world at one point belonged to....Pepsi.
Yeah. You read that right.
PEPSI.
When: 1989
What: The 6th largest navy in the world at one point belonged to....Pepsi.
Yeah. You read that right.
PEPSI.
When: 1989
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (2/8)
What: The British invaded the Kingdom of Benin (in what is now Nigeria) and not only annexed their land, but also stole their art.
The worst part?
They still haven't returned it.
When: 1897
What: The British invaded the Kingdom of Benin (in what is now Nigeria) and not only annexed their land, but also stole their art.
The worst part?
They still haven't returned it.
When: 1897
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (3/8)
What: The US's "Secret War" on Laos...in which they dropped more bombs on Laos than they did in all of WWII combined.
When: 1964-1973
What: The US's "Secret War" on Laos...in which they dropped more bombs on Laos than they did in all of WWII combined.
When: 1964-1973
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (4/8)
What: Perhaps the strangest war in the history of the world...the "Goat War" of the GalΓ‘pagos Islands.
When: 1997-2006
What: Perhaps the strangest war in the history of the world...the "Goat War" of the GalΓ‘pagos Islands.
When: 1997-2006
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (5/8)
What: The most mysterious book in the world...a book of puzzling drawings and uncrackable code.
When (it was written): Between 1404 and 1438 (we think)
What: The most mysterious book in the world...a book of puzzling drawings and uncrackable code.
When (it was written): Between 1404 and 1438 (we think)
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (6/8)
What: There are loopholes...and then there are LOOPHOLES.
And this loophole?
It may have caused some of the catastrophic incidents at sea as of late.
A thread on the "Flag of Convenience":
What: There are loopholes...and then there are LOOPHOLES.
And this loophole?
It may have caused some of the catastrophic incidents at sea as of late.
A thread on the "Flag of Convenience":
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (7/8)
What: The shortest war in history (38 minutes to be exact).
When: 1896
What: The shortest war in history (38 minutes to be exact).
When: 1896
II. HISTORY: Hard-To-Believe Historical Events (8/8)
What: The 1904 Summer Olympics Men's Marathon
Likely the most absurd sporting event...ever:
What: The 1904 Summer Olympics Men's Marathon
Likely the most absurd sporting event...ever:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (1/13)
Where: The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)
What it's known for: Being "the ultimate insurance policy for the worldβs food supply" in the event of...Doom's Day:
Where: The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norway)
What it's known for: Being "the ultimate insurance policy for the worldβs food supply" in the event of...Doom's Day:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (2/13)
Where: Lake Natron (Tanzania & Kenya)
Why it's fascinating: It's a lake that literally turns animals into stone:
Where: Lake Natron (Tanzania & Kenya)
Why it's fascinating: It's a lake that literally turns animals into stone:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (3/13)
Where: The Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan (otherwise known as "the Door to Hell")
Why it's fascinating: It's a 5,350 square meter HOLE OF FIRE in the middle of a Turkmenistan desert:
Where: The Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan (otherwise known as "the Door to Hell")
Why it's fascinating: It's a 5,350 square meter HOLE OF FIRE in the middle of a Turkmenistan desert:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (4/13)
Where: San Pedro Prison (Bolivia)
What it's known for: Being the most interesting jail in the world
Why?
Because there are literally...no rules:
Where: San Pedro Prison (Bolivia)
What it's known for: Being the most interesting jail in the world
Why?
Because there are literally...no rules:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (5/13)
Where: Jinwar (Syria)
What it's known for: Being a commune (read: oasis) built by women...for women...in the middle of what has been a devastating and oppressive war zone:
Where: Jinwar (Syria)
What it's known for: Being a commune (read: oasis) built by women...for women...in the middle of what has been a devastating and oppressive war zone:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (6/13)
Where: The Indiana Bell Building (Indiana, USA)
Why it's fascinating: In 1930, the building was literally rotated 90Β° over the course of 30 days.
The craziest part?
No one inside felt a thing:
Where: The Indiana Bell Building (Indiana, USA)
Why it's fascinating: In 1930, the building was literally rotated 90Β° over the course of 30 days.
The craziest part?
No one inside felt a thing:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (7/13)
Where: The Nazca Lines (Peru)
What they are: Mysterious, HUGE geoglyphs scattered throughout southern Peru.
We still aren't sure where they came from...or why they're there:
Where: The Nazca Lines (Peru)
What they are: Mysterious, HUGE geoglyphs scattered throughout southern Peru.
We still aren't sure where they came from...or why they're there:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (8/13)
Where: Roopkund Lake (India)
Why it's fascinating: It's a lake hidden deep in the Himalayas that's inexplicably surrounded by 700 human skeletons:
Where: Roopkund Lake (India)
Why it's fascinating: It's a lake hidden deep in the Himalayas that's inexplicably surrounded by 700 human skeletons:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (9/13)
Where: Ao Island (Japan)
Why it's fascinating: Cats outnumber humans there 36:1
The (terrifying) photos and background:
Where: Ao Island (Japan)
Why it's fascinating: Cats outnumber humans there 36:1
The (terrifying) photos and background:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (10/13)
Where: Nagoro (Japan)
Why it's fascinating: DOLLS outnumber humans there 14:1
The (not as terrifying, I promise) photos and background:
Where: Nagoro (Japan)
Why it's fascinating: DOLLS outnumber humans there 14:1
The (not as terrifying, I promise) photos and background:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (11/13)
Where: Hallstatt See-Huizhou (China)
What it's known for: Being a literal copy-paste of the original Hallstatt in Austria:
Where: Hallstatt See-Huizhou (China)
What it's known for: Being a literal copy-paste of the original Hallstatt in Austria:
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (12/13)
Where: Bhutan
Why it's fascinating: Take a look for yourself π
Where: Bhutan
Why it's fascinating: Take a look for yourself π
III. GEOGRAPHY: Fascinating Places Around the World (13/13)
Where: The Floating Schools of Bangladesh
What they're known for: Providing Bangladeshi children floating schools and playgrounds in areas that have been devastated by floods:
Where: The Floating Schools of Bangladesh
What they're known for: Providing Bangladeshi children floating schools and playgrounds in areas that have been devastated by floods:
And...that's about it!
If you enjoyed any (or all) of these threads, be sure to follow @DavidZabinsky for LOTS more stories like these in 2022.
If you enjoyed any (or all) of these threads, be sure to follow @DavidZabinsky for LOTS more stories like these in 2022.
With the help of some remarkable entrepreneurs from all around the world, I also help tell stories of founders in emerging and frontier markets.
Check out "Not From Silicon Valley" wherever you get your podcasts:
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Check out "Not From Silicon Valley" wherever you get your podcasts:
Spotify: open.spotify.com
Apple: podcasts.apple.com
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