Did you know that there is a town in America with a population of one? It may sound like fiction, but it totally exists. The town is called Monowi and it's in Nebraska. Its sole citizen is Elsie Eiler, who's also the mayor, the treasurer, the librarian, and the bartender in one.
It may sound like that's fake, but Elsie Eiler and her town Monowi are 100% real. This and more interesting stories come to you from the "Interesting Vault" subreddit, a place for "the internet's most fascinating, bizarre, and mind-blowing discoveries." Read on to find stories like the underwater bronze statue with Handsome Squidward's face and the man who kept the world's biggest pearl under his bed for 10 years.
More info: Reddit
#1 In 2015, A Woman Named Joy Milne Claimed She Could Smell Parkinson’s Disease Something She First Noticed In Her Husband Years Before He Was Diagnosed
Joy Milne said her husband’s scent changed long before doctors detected symptoms.
Researchers tested her with 12 T-shirts, six from Parkinson’s patients and six from people without the disease. She correctly identified all six patients’ shirts.
She also flagged one shirt from the control group.
Eight months later, that person was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
She later began working with researchers to help identify the compounds responsible for the scent, contributing to ongoing Parkinson’s detection research.
Researchers tested her with 12 T-shirts, six from Parkinson’s patients and six from people without the disease. She correctly identified all six patients’ shirts.
She also flagged one shirt from the control group.
Eight months later, that person was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
She later began working with researchers to help identify the compounds responsible for the scent, contributing to ongoing Parkinson’s detection research.
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140points
#2 On 9/11, Guide Dog Roselle LED Her Blind Owner And 30 Others Down 1,463 Steps From The 78th Floor Of The World Trade Center
When Tower 2 Collapsed During Their Escape, She Stopped At Subway Stairs Saving Them From The Deadly Cloud Of Debris.
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133points
#3 In The 1990s, Music Executives Told Sarah Mclachlan That Concert Lineups And Radio Stations Wouldn’t Feature Two Women In A Row Because It Was Not Profitable
In Response, She Founded Lilith Fair, A Music Festival Featuring Only Female Artists, Which Became The Top-Grossing Touring Festival Of 1997.
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118points
#4 In 2019, A Young Girl Named Bethan Donated Her “Most Precious Rock” To Poole Museum, Asking Only That It Be Displayed Behind Glass
The Ordinary Stone Became The Museum’s Most Famous Object Outshining Shipwrecks And A 2,300 Year Old Iron Age Boat.
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116points
#5 Alfredo Moser Found That A Plastic Bottle Filled With Water And Chlorine Could Illuminate A Home During Daylight Hours
In 2002, Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser came up with a brilliantly simple way to bring light into homes during the day especially in places without electricity. By filling a clear plastic bottle with water and a small amount of bleach (to prevent algae), then fitting it through a hole in a roof, the bottle refracts sunlight and creates the brightness of a 40-60W bulb inside the room.
It costs almost nothing, needs no power, and has changed lives in communities all over the world
It costs almost nothing, needs no power, and has changed lives in communities all over the world
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116points
#6 Stanislav Petrov : The Man Who Prevented World War III
On September 26, 1983, a Soviet military officer named Stanislav Petrov prevented what could have been a catastrophic nuclear war. Petrov was on duty at a Soviet early-warning station when the system reported multiple incoming U.S. missiles. Protocol demanded he report the alert as an attack, which could have triggered a Soviet nuclear retaliation.
But Petrov sensed something was off. The system reported only five missiles an illogical number for a first strike. Trusting his gut and reasoning that it was likely a false alarm, he chose to classify it as a malfunction and held off reporting it as an attack.
He was right. The warning was caused by a satellite malfunction, not an actual missile launch. His calm judgment likely prevented a full-scale nuclear war at the height of Cold War tensions.
But Petrov sensed something was off. The system reported only five missiles an illogical number for a first strike. Trusting his gut and reasoning that it was likely a false alarm, he chose to classify it as a malfunction and held off reporting it as an attack.
He was right. The warning was caused by a satellite malfunction, not an actual missile launch. His calm judgment likely prevented a full-scale nuclear war at the height of Cold War tensions.
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115points
#7 In 1848, Biddy Mason Was Forced To Walk 1,700 Miles From Mississippi To Utah, Then Taken On A Second March To California
After Learning Slavery Was Illegal There, She Sued Her Enslaver, Won Her Freedom In Court, And Bought Land That Ultimately Made Her One Of The Richest Women In Los Angeles.
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110points
#8 This Time, Punch Has Made Another Lil Monkey Friend Instead Of A Plushie
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97points
#9 In 1965, Six Teens Were Shipwrecked On An Uninhabited Island For 15 Months
They Survived By Creating A Strict Chore Schedule, Guarding A Single Fire, And Ending Each Day With A Song And Prayer. Their Families Had Already Held Funerals For Them When A Passing Boat Spotted Their Fire And Saved Them
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93points
#10 At 21, Lois Gibson Was Attacked And Nearly Ended By A Serial Attacker
She Became A Forensic Sketch Artist To Help Other Victims. Her Sketches Have Identified Over 1,300 Criminals Earning Her A Guinness World Record As The Most Successful Forensic Artist Ever.
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92points
#11 A Chinese Cat Litter Scientist Told His Daughter He Was Best Friends With Nba Legend Charles Barkley
She Thought He Was Joking Until Barkley Showed Up At Her Father’s Funeral In 2018 And Gave The Eulogy, Revealing Years Of Secret Dinners, Trips, And Hangouts On The Tnt Set With Shaq.
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87points
#12 In 1988, Li Jingzhi’s 2-Year-Old Son Was Kidnapped In China
She Quit Her Job, Distributed 100,000 Flyers, And Spent 32 Years Searching Across 20+ Provinces. While Looking For Him, She Helped Reunite 29 Other Missing Children With Their Families. In 2020, Police Found Her Son.
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86points
#14 A Friendly Orange Cat In Sydney’s Haymarket Became So Beloved By Locals That It Now Has Its Own Pin On Google Maps
Complete With A 4.9 Star Rating, 100+ Reviews, And Is Listed As An Official Tourist Attraction Alongside The Opera House.
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84points
#15 In 1989, Nike Filmed An Ad In Kenya With A Samburu Tribesman, Overlaying His Words With “Just Do It”
An Anthropologist Who’d Spent 2 Years With The Tribe Watched The Ad And Revealed What He Actually Said: “I Don’t Want These. Give Me Big Shoes.”.
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83points
#16 Actor Richard Harris Received A Rolls Royce Phantom In 1965
He Parked It In A NYC Garage, Went On A Drinking Binge, And Completely Forgot It Existed For 25 Years. When He Found An Old Photo Of Himself With It In 1999, His Accountant Confirmed He Owed $92,000+ In Parking Fees.
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74points
#17 The "Ship Of The Zipper" Created By Japanese Artist Yasuhiro Suzuki In 2004
Was Built In The Shape Of A Zipper Tab So That The Boat's Wake Mimicked That Of A Zipper Opening. The Boat Debut At The Setouchi International Arts Festival, And Attendees Had A Chance To Catch A Ride!
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73points
#18 Jonny Kim Became A Navy Seal, A Harvard-Trained Doctor, And A NASA Astronaut All Before Turning 40
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67points
#19 Seattle Artist Sunday Nobody Spent $25,000 To Create A Bronze Statue Combining Ancient Greek Discobolus With Handsome Squidward’s Face
He Consulted Archaeologists To Ensure It Could Survive 1,000 Years Underwater, Then Sank It 9 Meters Deep In The Mediterranean Sea To Confuse Future Archaeologists.
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65points
#20 In 2008, Actor Giancarlo Esposito Was Bankrupt And Considered Hiring A Hitman To End Him So His Kids Could Collect Life Insurance
He Changed His Mind Realizing The Trauma It Would Cause. One Year Later, He Was Cast As Gus Fring In Breaking Bad.
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65points