It’s a fascinating world we live in; and the deeper into its secrets we delve, the more there is to discover. That’s probably the reason all sorts of informative platforms online—whether they’re focused on videos, podcasts, or other formats—seem to be blooming nowadays.
One of such rabbit holes of information about anything and everything in life is the ‘fasc1nate’ account on X (Twitter). The posts, enthralling you to scroll for hours, cover information about science, gadgets, history, art, and much more, providing a little something for everyone to enjoy. We have gathered some of the most captivating examples shared by the account on this list for you today, so wait no longer and scroll through to learn something new.
#1
In 1913, 10-year-old Sarah Rector received a land allotment of 160 acres in Oklahoma. The best farming land was reserved for whites, giving her a barren plot. Oil was discovered there, and she became one of the country's first black millionaires
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387points
#2
The crew of Return of the Jedi mocked Admiral Ackbar's ugly character design. Director Richard Marquand refused to alter it, saying, "I think it's good to tell kids that good people aren't necessarily good-looking people & that bad people aren't necessarily ugly people."
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377points
#3
From 1940 to 1944, Corrie ten Boom and her family used their home in the Netherlands as a hiding place for Jews fleeing the Nazis.
They had built a safe room in their home above the family shop on Barteljorisstraat in the Dutch city of Haarlem.
There, Corrie ten Boom, her sister, and their father would save the lives of some 800 Jews fleeing the Nazis.
The ten Boom family joined the Dutch resistance after Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940.
Guided by their religious beliefs, they quietly funneled desperate Jewish refugees to safety. But in 1944, an informer sent the Nazis straight to their door.
Corrie ten Boom survived her time in concentration camps — barely — but her father and sister did not.
Once the war ended, she set up a rehabilitation clinic for Holocaust survivors, preached the power of forgiveness, and wrote books about her experience.
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370points
#4
Born into slavery, Bass Reeves eventually won his freedom and became the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi River, becoming one of the most legendary lawmen of the Old West.
Reeves excelled at capturing outlaws, using disguises and cunning tactics. He was responsible for arresting thousands of criminals over his remarkable career.
Despite rampant racism, he upheld his duty with unwavering principles
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312points
#5
The small French village of Chambon-sur-Lignon received a surprise $2.4 million gift in the will of a 90-year-old Austrian man named Eric Schwam.
Shocked officials soon learned that Schwam was paying the town back for saving him and his family from the Nazis 80 years earlier.
He asked that the town use the money to fund education initiatives and scholarships for the local children
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301points
#6
In 1999, Mustafa Xaja, a Kosovo-Albanian, shared heart-wrenching photographs of his children, whom he believed to have tragically perished during the war in Kosovo.
Recently released from captivity by the Serbs, he was compelled to flee across the border, seeking refuge in Albania. Only after the conflict had ended did he learn the joyous news that his family had survived unharmed
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295points
#7
In the 1880s, the Harvard Observatory director was frustrated with his staff, and would say "My Scottish maid could do better!" So, he hired his Scottish maid. Williamina Fleming, who discovered tens of thousands of stars and more
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280points
#8
Kim Ung-Yong started speaking at the age of 6 months. He could fluently speak four languages (Korean, Japanese, German, English) at the age of two.
At three, he understood and could solve Algebra.
At age eight, he was invited to America by NASA as a researcher, where he got his MSc at fifteen
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257points
#9
Four seasons in the same place taken by Jozef Morgos in Žabokreky, Slovakia
fasc1nate
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#10
Two little girls save their Teddy bear during the May blitz, Liverpool, 1941
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234points
#11
Nellie Bly was an American journalist, who undertook a journey around the world in 1889.
Inspired by Jules Verne's famous novel, "Around the World in Eighty Days," Bly aimed to complete her journey in less time. With only two days' notice, she packed a small bag and left New York on a steamer heading east.
Bly reported her experiences and observations through telegrams to her newspaper, the New York World. She arrived back in New York just 72 days after her departure, setting a new world record, and even had enough time to interview Jules Verne during her travels
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222points
#12
MIT will award you a Certificate in Piracy if you take archery, pistols, sailing, and fencing as your physical education classes
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201points
#13
Julia Butterfly Hill is an environmental activist who lived on a 1500-year-old California redwood tree she named Luna for 738 days between 1997 and 1999 to prevent it from being chopped down by a logging company. Her actions saved the tree from being chopped down.
In this photo by Yann Gamblin, you can see Julia in her treetop home
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198points
#14
Sleeping Squirrels in their nest on a window ledge. Photo by Ludwig C. Timm
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186points
#16
There's a resort in Finland where you can camp in a glass igloo and lay back and watch the aurora borealis
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181points
#18
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is a masterpiece of Persian architecture. It was built during the Safavid Empire, standing on the eastern side of Naqsh-i Jahan Square, Esfahan, Iran
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173points
#19
The "Blue Fugates" were a Kentucky family with a hereditary trait resulting in a blue tint to their skin that baffled people for generations
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170points
#20
In 1990, the windshield of British Airways Flight 5390 came off at an altitude of 17,000 feet. This triggered a sudden decompression in the cockpit, resulting in the captain being partially ejected out of the aircraft.
As luck would have it, Nigel Ogden, a flight attendant, was on his way into the cockpit at that moment. He managed to grab hold of the captain and maintain his grip for over 20 minutes while the copilot attempted an urgent landing.
Although the majority of the crew presumed that the pilot had already lost his life, Ogden did not let go.
There was a prevailing fear that if Ogden did release his hold, the pilot's body might strike the plane's engine, wing, or stabilizer, causing even more chaos.
All Ogden knew was that the pilot was gradually slipping more and more out of the window and his head was continuously being battered against the airplane's body.
Finally, after a distressing 20-minute flight with a gaping window, the aircraft was safely brought down at Southampton Airport. In the course of events, Ogden suffered from frostbite on his face, damage to one of his eyes, and a dislocated shoulder. In a miraculous turn of events, the pilot survived the ordeal, although he had frostbite and multiple fractures on his arms and hands.
The image is a recreation from the television series "Mayday!"
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168points