The subreddit Interesting to Read is all about mysterious, weird, and otherwise unconventional facts from around the world. Although this online community was created only in November 2023, it has already grown to 215,000 members—a testament to the need for an alternative to the recycled brain rot we see in reels on the apps that dominate our screen time. So, if you also want to learn random information that might save your pub trivia team one night, keep scrolling!
#21 This Midwife At Auschwitz Delivered 3,000 Babies In Unfathomable Conditions Stanislawa Leszczyńska Was Instructed To M**der Babies, But Refused
Most of the babies died or were k****d, but the ones with blue eyes were taken away. Only about 30 of the newborns delivered by her survived Auschwitz.
"In the Auschwitz camp, I also acted as a midwife, because many women in the arriving transports of prisoners were pregnant. I worked there day and night without a replacement, in the most terrible conditions. The maternity ward was generally infected, full of vermin, dirt, and infectious diseases.
There was a lack of water, which I had to fetch myself, and bringing one bucket of water to wash the mother and the newborn took about twenty minutes."
She is a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic church.
"In the Auschwitz camp, I also acted as a midwife, because many women in the arriving transports of prisoners were pregnant. I worked there day and night without a replacement, in the most terrible conditions. The maternity ward was generally infected, full of vermin, dirt, and infectious diseases.
There was a lack of water, which I had to fetch myself, and bringing one bucket of water to wash the mother and the newborn took about twenty minutes."
She is a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic church.
Report
82points
#22 Jonathan Goldsmith, Aka The Most Interesting Man In The World From The Dos Equis Commercials, Has Been An Advocate For Landmine Victim Support, Has Assisted The Effort To Prevent And Cure Cancer In Dogs, Save The Siberian Tiger, And End Child S*x Trafficking In Cambodia
Report
79points
#23 Grover Krantz Was An Anthropologist Who Donated His Body To The Smithsonian Museum To Show How Skeletons Can Be Educational Tools
His only condition was that he wanted his beloved dog next to him even after death. The museum honored his request.
Report
76points
#24 Carl Braden Was Arrested And Sentenced To 15 Years In Jail Because He Had The Audacity To Purchase A Home For A Black Veteran In The 1950s Who Wanted The Home But The Real Estate Agent Didn’t Sell To Negroes
He bought the home and then resold it to the Negro veteran.
The veteran and young family moved in and their house was attacked., shot at and bombed. The veteran had a young wife and a two year old child.
The veteran and young family moved in and their house was attacked., shot at and bombed. The veteran had a young wife and a two year old child.
Report
71points
#25 Qian Hongyan, Known As China's "Basketball Girl," Lost Her Legs In A Car Accident At Age 4. Due To Her Family's Financial Struggles, She Couldn't Get Prosthetics, So She Adapted And Thrived, Relying Solely On Her Own Strength To Navigate Life
Her life is an inspiring story that will give you the strength to carry on through all your difficult days. Qian Hongyan has no legs. She lost them when she was 4 years old in a tragic accident when a speeding truck hit her and both of her legs had to be amputated. Her poor family could not provide her with prosthetic legs and so Qian learned to live and get by relying only on her own strength and with virtually no means.
Qian was provided with a basketball cut in half to balance her weight. Her hands became her strength.
The locals knew her as a basketball girl. After her photos went viral on the Internet, China Rehabilitation in Beijing offered Qian free artificial limbs.
Qian joined a swimming club for the disabled. At first, everything was difficult for her, but she continued to train and learn and became a successful athlete.
Qian wishes to compete in the Paralympics one day. Her success has turned her into a celebrity and she is a great inspiration for everyone around the world.
Qian was provided with a basketball cut in half to balance her weight. Her hands became her strength.
The locals knew her as a basketball girl. After her photos went viral on the Internet, China Rehabilitation in Beijing offered Qian free artificial limbs.
Qian joined a swimming club for the disabled. At first, everything was difficult for her, but she continued to train and learn and became a successful athlete.
Qian wishes to compete in the Paralympics one day. Her success has turned her into a celebrity and she is a great inspiration for everyone around the world.
Report
70points
#26 Douglas Brent Was An American Navy Petty Officer Who Was Taken Captive During The Vietnam War, He Was Considered Dumb By His Captors And They Gave Him The Nickname "The Stupid". He Acted Like An I******e, Refusing To Speak, Instead He Continuously Hummed A Song
Throughout his imprisonment, he remained in a similar state, to the extent that the Vietnamese captors believed he had some form of cognitive impairment.
Upon his return to the United States after his release, Bent recited the names of about 256 fellow POWs who were being searched for by the US military.
Remarkably, Bent had memorized the names by associating them with the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," which he had used previously to hum during his captivity.
Upon his return to the United States after his release, Bent recited the names of about 256 fellow POWs who were being searched for by the US military.
Remarkably, Bent had memorized the names by associating them with the tune of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," which he had used previously to hum during his captivity.
Report
69points
#27 That's Interesting
In 1925, a deadly diphtheria outbreak affected the lives of 10,000 + in Nome, Alaska. With the weather to harsh to fly in the anti-toxin. Togo the Husky lead the sledge dog team that delivered the serum, traversing 674 Miles at 12 years old.
Report
66points
#28 In Columbia, During Slavery, African Women Would Observe Their Surroundings And Build Maps With Their Braids, Marking Roads And Escape Routes, Trails, Large Trees, Wooded Areas, Rivers And Mountains
These hairstyles became escape route codes that helped the enslaved to flee.
Cornrows were used during slavery to help slaves escape. Slaves used cornrows to transport and create maps to flee plantations. It is most documented in Colombia where Benkos Bioho, a king captured from Africa by the Portuguese who escaped slavery, built San Basillio de Palenque, a village in Northern Colombia around the 17th century.Bioho created his own language as well as an intelligence network and also came up with the idea to have women create maps and deliver messages through their cornrows.
Cornrows were used during slavery to help slaves escape. Slaves used cornrows to transport and create maps to flee plantations. It is most documented in Colombia where Benkos Bioho, a king captured from Africa by the Portuguese who escaped slavery, built San Basillio de Palenque, a village in Northern Colombia around the 17th century.Bioho created his own language as well as an intelligence network and also came up with the idea to have women create maps and deliver messages through their cornrows.
Report
66points
#29 As A Black Woman Growing Up In Nova Scotia In The 1910s And 1920s, Viola Desmond Faced Her Fair Share Of Discrimination. Denied Entry To Many Beauty Schools, Desmond Studied Instead In Montreal And New York City, And Later Opened Up Her Own School So That Black Women Could Become Beauticians
Report
65points
#30 Throughout Wwii The N**is Lived In Terror Of The Night Witches, An All-Female Flying Squad That Dropped A Whopping 23 Tons Of Bombs On The German Forces Invading Their Homeland
Consisting of young women aged just 17 to 26, they overcame extraordinary misogyny to fly some 30,000 deadly missions.
Report
64points
#31 In 2014, 3-Year-Old Karina Chikitova Survived 11 Days In The Siberian Wilderness With The Help Of Her Dog, Naida. She Foraged For Berries, Drank From A River, And Stayed Warm By Cuddling With Naida. The Dog Eventually Guided Rescuers To Her Location After She'd Gone Missing
The faithful dog had remained by her side for nine days, kept her warm, and ensured the hungry wildlife never got close to Karina.
Karina was reunited with her companion when she was released from the hospital.
Instead of warmly greeting Naida, Karina scolded the dog for leaving her alone, demanding to know why her companion would leave her in the wilderness all by herself.
However, as time went by, Karina was able to understand that the dog essentially saved her life.
Karina was reunited with her companion when she was released from the hospital.
Instead of warmly greeting Naida, Karina scolded the dog for leaving her alone, demanding to know why her companion would leave her in the wilderness all by herself.
However, as time went by, Karina was able to understand that the dog essentially saved her life.
Report
51points
#32 In 1973, An Elderly Janitor Died In A Hospice. His Name Was Henry Darger. A Kindly Old Man, He Mostly Kept To Himself. No One Knew Him As Anything Else Than Just, The Janitor. The Landlord Of Darger Had To Clean Out The Old Man’s Room, When He Passed
It was only then, upon cleaning the room out, that they discovered paintings. Drawings. Etchings. Writings, endless pages and papers… Darger literally created thousands of pieces of art.
A novel spanning nearly 15,000 pages. He had been incredibly productive, for well over sixty years. And most remarkable of all? He had never told a soul. He lived and died in Chicago, Illinois, and for his entire life, he kept his art a secret to the world.
Henry Darger lived for 81 years. Each day after he clocked out at work, he went home to create art at night. Hours upon hours of writing, revising, drawing, etching. He left no family and the landlord became a multi-millionaire selling the works. Darger is now one of the world’s most famous “outsider artists”. And died never knowing it.
A novel spanning nearly 15,000 pages. He had been incredibly productive, for well over sixty years. And most remarkable of all? He had never told a soul. He lived and died in Chicago, Illinois, and for his entire life, he kept his art a secret to the world.
Henry Darger lived for 81 years. Each day after he clocked out at work, he went home to create art at night. Hours upon hours of writing, revising, drawing, etching. He left no family and the landlord became a multi-millionaire selling the works. Darger is now one of the world’s most famous “outsider artists”. And died never knowing it.
Report
51points
#33 A 2,000-Year-Old Peruvian Showing Advanced Surgical Techniques, Featuring A Metal Implant Used To Repair Damage Likely Sustained In Battle. The Surrounding Bone Exhibits Tight Fusion Around The Repair Site, Indicating That The Procedure Was Successful And The Individual Lived
Report
49points
#34 Froze To Death And Lived
In 1999, Anna Bagelholm was skiing in Sweden when she accidentally fell into a frozen river. She was stuck in the ice for over 80 minutes as rescuers struggled to free her. When they finally pulled her from the freezing cold water she was given CPR, and she was defibrillated, but the rescue team were sure she was dead.
It took two hours to get her to the hospital, by which point her body temperature was 56 degrees Fahrenheit. At the hospital she was connected to an EKG, which showed no signs of life, so doctors declared her clinically dead.
The doctors didn’t want to give up on her, so more than 100 medical staff worked in 9-hour shifts to try and revive her. Miraculously, they were able to warm up her blood and achieve a heartbeat. They then put her on a ventilator for the next 35 days.
Anna eventually woke from the coma but was paralysed from the neck down. She was angry with her friends at first for saving her life, but somehow managed to make a full recovery and now works as a radiologist.
It took two hours to get her to the hospital, by which point her body temperature was 56 degrees Fahrenheit. At the hospital she was connected to an EKG, which showed no signs of life, so doctors declared her clinically dead.
The doctors didn’t want to give up on her, so more than 100 medical staff worked in 9-hour shifts to try and revive her. Miraculously, they were able to warm up her blood and achieve a heartbeat. They then put her on a ventilator for the next 35 days.
Anna eventually woke from the coma but was paralysed from the neck down. She was angry with her friends at first for saving her life, but somehow managed to make a full recovery and now works as a radiologist.
Report
48points
#35 A Violinist Played For 45 Minutes In The New York Subway. A Handful Of People Stopped, A Couple Clapped, And The Violinist Raised About $30 In Tips. No One Knew This, But The Violinist Was Joshua Bell, One Of The Best Musicians In The World
Report
48points
#36 In The Spring Of 1908, Three Women Entered The Longchamp Racecourse In Paris Leaving Everyone Speechless
The elite society event was known for showcasing the latest creations to the public, but no one had ever seen fashion like this before.
Dressed in blue, white and tan creations, according to the newspapers, spectators called the three women a "monstrosity", accused them of being half-naked and showing revolting cleavage. It was these three dresses, however, that forever changed fashion that day and launched the twentieth-century silhouette.
The creator was Jeanne Margaine-Lacroix, a young Parisian designer who had taken over her mother's historic fashion house and was starting to gain popularity in turn-of-the-century Paris for her corseted dresses featuring minimal boning and thicker material. elastic.
Long before Lycra or Spanx came along, she soon began making dresses made of stretch silk jersey, which outlined the hips and thighs and slimmed the figure. To present her creations to society, she hired three beautiful models and chose the Parisian runways of 1908 as her catwalk.
Dressed in blue, white and tan creations, according to the newspapers, spectators called the three women a "monstrosity", accused them of being half-naked and showing revolting cleavage. It was these three dresses, however, that forever changed fashion that day and launched the twentieth-century silhouette.
The creator was Jeanne Margaine-Lacroix, a young Parisian designer who had taken over her mother's historic fashion house and was starting to gain popularity in turn-of-the-century Paris for her corseted dresses featuring minimal boning and thicker material. elastic.
Long before Lycra or Spanx came along, she soon began making dresses made of stretch silk jersey, which outlined the hips and thighs and slimmed the figure. To present her creations to society, she hired three beautiful models and chose the Parisian runways of 1908 as her catwalk.
Report
48points
#37 In 1948, Tony Signorini Walked On Florida Beaches At Night Wearing 30 Lb. Three-Toed Lead Shoes. People Believed The Footprints Were From A 15 Feet Tall Penguin, Thought To Be Extinct. He Kept Up The Prank For Ten Years And Revealed The Hoax 40 Years Later
Report
45points
#38 This 600-Year-Old Painting Is One Of The Most Mysterious In History
This 600-year-old painting is one of the most mysterious in history. That mirror at the back is just 3 inches wide — yet it reflects the entire room in immense detail.
Look closer at it and you'll realize nothing is as it seems…
Jan van Eyck's masterpiece is an ordinary portrait: Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, Costanza.
Look closer at it and you'll realize nothing is as it seems…
Jan van Eyck's masterpiece is an ordinary portrait: Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, Costanza.
Report
43points
#39 With Just His Mouth, Prince Randian Could Roll Cigarettes, Light Them, And Even Shave His Face. He Went By Many Names, Including “The Snake Man,” “The Human Torso,” And “The Human Caterpillar”
Prince Randian was a Guyanese man who suffered from Tetra-Amelia Syndrome.
The syndrome is incredibly rare and is characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Because of this, Randian was "recruited" by American circus performer PT Barnum, and performed at many fairs across the country.
Despite his disability, Randian was able to shave, roll cigarettes, and use a pencil to write legible messages. Randian wore a one-piece woolen garment that fit snugly around his body, giving him the appearance of a caterpillar, and moved around the stage by moving his hips and shoulders.
He lived a long life in New Jersey and even fathered 3 children.
The syndrome is incredibly rare and is characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Because of this, Randian was "recruited" by American circus performer PT Barnum, and performed at many fairs across the country.
Despite his disability, Randian was able to shave, roll cigarettes, and use a pencil to write legible messages. Randian wore a one-piece woolen garment that fit snugly around his body, giving him the appearance of a caterpillar, and moved around the stage by moving his hips and shoulders.
He lived a long life in New Jersey and even fathered 3 children.
Report
39points
#40 The Last True Hermit: Christopher Thomas Knight, Known As The North Pond Hermit, Disappeared Into The Maine Woods In 1986 At Age 20, Seeking Total Isolation. For 27 Years, He Lived Without Human Contact
Christopher Thomas Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit, disappeared into the Maine woods in 1986 at age 20, seeking total isolation. He drove his car away from society until it ran out of gas on a dirt road, then hiked into the woods with no map or plan. For 27 years, he lived almost completely without human contact. Only once in the 1990's he encounted a hiker and simply said "hi". He survived by stealing food and supplies from nearby camps and cabins. His stealth and the sheer number of burglaries—over a thousand—turned him into a local legend, with many doubting his existence. Knight’s hidden life ended in 2013 when he was caught mid-burglary by a game warden that was determined to prove the hermit was real, revealing a story of solitude and survival that continues to captivate imaginations.
Report
21points
