1. The Rotor The Rotor was basically a giant spinning drum that pinned riders to the wall with centrifugal force. Once the ride reached full speed, the floor would drop away, leaving people stuck to the sides while laughing, screaming, […]

1. Saturnalia in Ancient Rome Imagine a holiday where social rules were flipped upside down. During Saturnalia, masters served slaves, gambling was encouraged, and public drunkenness was not just allowed but expected. The streets of Rome turned into a carnival

1. No Whistling Underwater in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia Believe it or not, the little town of Berkeley Springs once had a law on the books that forbade people from whistling underwater. It sounds silly because, well, who can whistle

1. Jell-O Salad with Vegetables Back in the 1900s, Jell-O wasn’t just a sweet treat, it was a canvas for everything from canned peas to shredded cabbage. Cookbooks and housewives alike were convinced that suspending vegetables in brightly colored gelatin

1. Turning Flour Sacks into Clothes During the Great Depression, store-bought clothing was a luxury many families couldn’t afford. Instead of wasting anything, people found creative ways to reuse flour sacks and feed bags by sewing them into dresses, aprons,

1. Bloodletting for Balance For centuries, people believed that letting out blood could cure almost anything, from headaches to fevers. The idea was that the body had four humors—blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile—and when they were out of

1. Charles Stratton, “General Tom Thumb” Charles Stratton, known as “General Tom Thumb,” was one of P.T. Barnum’s biggest stars. Standing at just over three feet tall, he charmed audiences around the world with his wit, humor, and theatrical performances.