After a power outage in LA, people called asking what the bright lights in the sky were. They didn't know what STARS were!

In 1994, when the Northridge earthquake knocked out the power in LA, people contacted authorities and observatories wondering what the strange bright lights (stars) in the sky were. 

Light pollution has become sort of a problem in very developed areas. Apparently two thirds of the world can’t see the Milky Way at night because of it. As you probably know, light pollution is caused by an excess of artificial light, resulting in an inability to see much of the starry sky. 

In Los Angeles, for example, stars are barely visible at night. In some areas they can’t be seen at all at night. But surely everyone knows that, right? Wrong. In 1994, following the Northridge earthquake at 4:31 a.m., the local observatory received many calls asking about “the strange sky” people were seeing after the earthquake. What happened? 

The earthquake had cause a blackout, and because so many people had never left the city and thus never seen stars, the sight was completely foreign to them. The sad truth of it is that this is only going to get worse. The more that places become urbanized, the more people will grow up not knowing just how many stars are in the sky. 

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The man who took the famous photo of the Wright Brothers' first flight had never seen a camera before that day.

It’s amazing to think what someone can achieve with such little preparation. His name was John Thomas Daniels, and starting on December 17, 1903, he was an amateur photographer. On that day, he took the famous photograph of the Wright brothers’ first flight. “Amateur” is really an overstatement though. Daniels was so excited by seeing the plane go in the air that almost forgot the instructions of how to take a picture. 

It was a Gundlach Korona view camera that he took the photo on, and of course it was the first he had ever seen. The camera had belonged to the Wright Brothers, actually. That day, the Wright brothers made four flights, three of which still have photographic proof to this day. They attempted to make a fifth flight, but a powerful gust of wind began pushing the plane and Daniels attempted to help hold down the aircraft by grabbing on to it. 

He was caught between the wings and the plane flipped over. Luckily, he wasn’t hurt. Allegedly, he told the story of how he “survived the first airplane crash” for the remainder of his life. 

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Arnold Schwarzenegger never accepted pay for being governor.

It’s something that every now and then is worth sitting down and taking a minute to think about: Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator, was the Governor of California. Though his term was generally considered to be unremarkable, what is remarkable is that he never took a cent in payment for playing the role of Governator. Why? Well it should be fairly obvious. 

He’s made such a fortune from acting that he didn’t need any of the money. In 2004 alone he made 17 million. Most of that income is from investments, real estate, and royalties from his movies. But that’s really only scratching the surface. Back when he first started as governor, his worth was estimated to be somewhere around $100 million. 

Now that he’s been out of office for two years, he’s had his share of controversies with the revelation of his secret son, and has seen a successful return to film most notably with The Expendables 2. 

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During WWII, General Eisenhower ordered every citizen of Gotha, Germany to tour a concentration camp. After seeing the camp, the mayor hanged himself.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961, had just a few years prior to his term been a general in World War Two. When in Germany, he learned of the extermination camp in Ohrdruf, Germany. 

Upon discovering it, he arranged to meet other generals there, as that area of Germany had been captured by the Allies already. Eisenhower led a tour through the extermination camp and was so appalled that he ordered every American soldier there not on the front lines to visit Ohrdruf. This was so they would know exactly what they’re fighting against. 

Eisenhower said that the atrocities there were “beyond the American mind to comprehend.” As a result, he ordered every citizen of the town of Gotha to tour the camp. 

After the mayor and his wife toured the camp, they were so disturbed and ashamed that they went home and hanged themselves. Commenting on the atrocities, Eisenhower later said “I never dreamed that such cruelty bestiality, and savagery could really exist in this world.”

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Alexander the Great said in his will he wanted Asians and Europeans to cross-breed!

Alexander the Great expressed in his last will and testament the desire to see "transplant of populations from Asia to Europe and in the opposite direction from Europe to Asia, in order to bring the largest continent to common unity and to friendship by means of intermarriage and family ties." 

Alexander the Great, or Alexander III of Macedon, was a king of Macedon in the fourth century BC. By thirty years old, he was responsible for one of the largest empires of the ancient world. To this day he is considered one of history’s most successful commanders. Before his death, he had given detailed written instructions as his last will. 

Though Craterus, his successor, started to carry them out, the following kings didn’t. Included were things like the construction of a tomb for his father large enough to match the pyramids of Egypt, the erection of massive temples in Delos, Delphi, Dium, and more, and the erection of a temple to Athena at Troy. Also detailed was the conquest of Arabia and the Mediterranean Basin, circumnavigation of Africa, and of course the development of cities and movement of populations across Asia and Europe to bring better unity to the landmass. 

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