What are some of the craziest, wildest but definitely true stories from across history?

 

History is replete with fascinating and often unbelievable stories that are indeed true. Here are a few examples:

The Dancing Plague of 1518: In July 1518, in the town of Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire), a woman named Frau Troffea began dancing in the streets uncontrollably. Within a month, dozens of people had joined her, and the dancing epidemic had spiralled out of control, with people dancing for days or even weeks without rest. It's still unclear what caused the phenomenon, with theories ranging from mass hysteria to ergot poisoning.

The Great Emu War: In 1932, Australia faced an unusual problem: a large population of emus was wreaking havoc on farmland in Western Australia. The government dispatched soldiers armed with machine guns to cull the emu population, but the emus proved surprisingly resilient and difficult to hit. The "war" ended inconclusively, with the emus emerging victorious.

The London Beer Flood: In 1814, a vat containing over 135,000 imperial gallons (about 610,000 litres) of beer ruptured at the Meux and Company Brewery in London. The resulting deluge of beer flooded the streets, destroying buildings and killing at least eight people. The incident was attributed to a combination of structural failure and weak vats.

The Great Molasses Flood: In 1919, a massive storage tank holding over 2 million gallons (about 7.6 million litres) of molasses ruptured in Boston's North End. A wave of molasses over 25 feet (7.6 meters) high swept through the streets at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometres per hour), causing widespread destruction and claiming 21 lives.

Tsutomu Yamaguchi, the Double Atomic Bomb Survivor: Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a Japanese engineer who survived both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. He was in Hiroshima on a business trip when the first bomb was dropped, and despite being injured, he returned to his home in Nagasaki just in time for the second bombing. He lived until 2010 and became a symbol of the horrors of nuclear warfare.

These are just a few examples of the many bizarre and incredible stories that have occurred throughout history. They serve as reminders of the unpredictability and complexity of the human experience.