Irony is a beautiful thing. History is wrought with stories and circumstances that contradict themselves. Here are 19 examples that will make you think these instances are fabricated but they are, in actuality, 100% true.A Canadian university was promoting safe sex by handing out condoms with safe notes. The condoms were recalled because the staples punctured holes into the condoms.
A dying man who received a heart transplant ended up marrying the donors widow. In a twist of fate, he took his own life in exactly the same way as the donor.
The city of Orlando placed a statue of a homeless Jesus sleeping on a bench. The homeless people of Orlando are banned from sleeping on benches.
A New Orleans pool facility was celebrating one year without a drowning. It was attended by 100 lifeguards. Unfortunately a man drowned at this event.
The New York Times in the 1920’s was dismissive of crossword puzzles. In fact the paper made the statement, “the craze evidently is dying out fast.” Today, the New York Times Sunday edition has the most recognized crossword puzzle.
The building that held the patent for the modern day fire hydrant burned down in 1836. No one really knows who invented the lifesaving structure.
Union General John Sedgwick told his men to stand up because Confederate soldiers “couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” Moments after he uttered those words, he was shot and killed.
John Morales, the performer who played McGruff the Crime Dog, was put behind bars after police found 1,000 pot plants and a grenade launcher in his possession.
Gary Kremen probably wishes he had not founded Match.com. He lost his girlfriend to a man she met on his website.
An artist who was expelled from school and told he would “never amount to much” was commissioned to paint a portrait of the headmaster who expelled him. Let’s hope he did not paint a goofy expression of the headmaster.
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is the fear of long words. The term sesquipedalophobia is used in formal writing.
The kudzu vine was planted in the United States in the 1930’s after the government insisted it would help preserve nature. Instead, this vine actually kills neighboring trees and plants as it grows.
A tree was planted in 2014 to honor George Harrison. The tree was killed by an infestation of beetles.
Charles Darwin, infamous for his theory of evolution and survival of the fittest, married his cousin.
Barry Manilow had a popular hit in 1976 with ‘I Write The Songs.’ Unfortunately, he did not pen it. It was actually written by Bruce Johnson.
In 1974, 80,000 government-made lapel buttons, promoting toy safety, had to be recalled because their edges were too sharp.
By Ludwig van Beethoven’s 26th birthday, he began to lose his hearing. 28 years later when he premiered his Ninth Symphony, he could not hear applause or the orchestra. However, this did not stop him from composing more music and performing live albeit with greater difficulty.
The Guinness Book of World Records should have seen this coming. One of their honorees, recognized for holding the world record for ‘Most Lawsuits Ever Filed’ sued the publication for damages.
Chinese alchemists invented gunpowder in the 9th century. Funny thing, they were looking for an ‘elixir of immortality.’
