Fourteen years before the Titanic would sink, a man named Morgan Robertson wrote a novel about a British ship named the Titan. Just like the Titanic, the Titan was called “unsinkable” but proceeded to hit an iceberg and sink. The book even included details about there not being enough lifeboats to hold the passengers onboard the Titan.
Perhaps Robertson was clairvoyant because fourteen years after the book was published in 1898, the Titanic emerged and sank in a way that exactly mirrored the sinking of the Titan.
President Lyndon B. Johnson Flashed More Than a Smile During an Interview Once
It’s hard to believe, but Lyndon B. Johnson made quite a statement after a reporter annoyed him by repeatedly asking why American troops were still overseas in Vietnam.
Perhaps Johnson momentarily forgot how to use his words, instead of whipping out his “johnson” and exclaiming “THIS IS WHY!”
A Circus Train Made History but for Reasons You Might Not Think
In 1918, after falling asleep at the wheel, a train engineer accidentally crashed into the back of another train. This secondary train happened to be a circus train, transporting circus performers.
86 people died in the crash, some of which included a trapeze artist and two brothers who put on a strongman act. Perhaps running away with the circus isn’t such a good idea after all.
Dentures Used to Be Made of Real Teeth
More like dead-ures, dentures used to be composed of teeth that were collected from dead soldiers.
The teeth were harvested and placed in synthetic gums for use by people who needed a new set of chompers. Teeth were taken from both Union and Confederate soldiers to be repurposed this way.
The Founder of the Smithsonian Institution Uses the Building as His Burial Ground
James Smithson is buried in the Smithsonian and is said to still be presiding over the place. Employees claim to have seen his ghost roaming around the building.
There were so many reports of Smithson’s ghost that the museum decided to open his casket in 1973 to make sure his remains were still intact.