Like Fantasy Football, there was Fantasy Congress.

Fantasy Congress was an online fantasy simulation sport where players, or “citizens,” could draft members of the United States House and Senate, and keep track of their participation within the US Congress.

Actions the drafted congresspersons would make were recorded and rated as a total number of points the player had accumulated vs the amount of points other players had accumulated. Fantasy Congress only ran for three years, from 2006 to 2009, and was meant to appeal to a wide audience.

It was presented in a similar way to Fantasy Football, where people were encouraged to research the people they elected to Congress for the best possible results. Unfortunately, over time interested waned and the site was shut down. Still, it’s an interesting idea with the burgeoning popularity of fantasy sports.

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In 1973, a man purchased an old hearse, telling people at his favorite bar that he needed the vehicle to haul all the people he killed to his private cemetery. He was a serial killer telling the truth.

Donald Gaskins was one of the most deadly serial killers in American history, claiming to be responsible for over 100 murders. By far, he is the most prolific serial killer in South Carolina’s history. Once he started his murders, which grew gradually more severe and brutal, he would murder people in the worst ways, even torturing or cannibalizing them.

He had a very strange mentality and justification for his murders, saying “I have walked the same path as God, by taking lives and making others afraid, I became God's equal. Through killing others, I became my own master. Through my own power I come to my own redemption.”

He was executed back in 1991, but in 1973 he openly told people at his favorite bar that he had killed people. He had purchased a hearse and said that he needed it to haul all the people he killed to his private cemetery. People just thought he was mentally disturbed, but not a murderer.

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UPS was founded by two teenagers with one bicycle and $100 Borrowed from a friend.

It’s amazing what can be accomplished with such small beginnings. In 1907 there was a great need for private delivery services. While today FedEx and UPS are basically household names, back then no such thing was around. Jim Casey saw the potential for a business, and borrowed $100 from a friend to establish the American Messenger Company in Seattle, Washington. The results were positive. Messengers ran errands, delivered packages, and carried items. They delivered most things on foot, only using bicycles for longer trips.

Back then, horses and wagons were the main mode of transport still. The US Parcel Post system wasn’t around yet either, so there was plenty of opportunity. Jim and his partner, Claude, started from a small office under a sidewalk with the help of Jim’s brother and some other teenagers for delivery. From there, Jim’s company obviously only grew to where it is today.

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A woman who was born with a collapsed lung and diagnosed with asthma is now a double Olympic gold medalist in track cycling.

Her name is Laura Trott. Maybe you heard of her this past summer during the Olympics. At just over 5 feet tall and 19 years old, she is a two time gold medalist in track cycling. Trott, from London, suffers from a condition that makes her throw up after most races, making it even more impressive.

She has a condition that causes her to get too much acid in her stomach. During races, she tenses up which pushes up the acid until it gets stuck- making her vomit. Apparently even medication doesn’t help it much.

At birth, she also suffered a collapsed lung, which made it impossible for her to carry out her original dream of being a trampolinist. The collapsed lung also led to her getting asthma. Despite all of that, she’s still a hugely accomplished Olympian who it’s unlikely we’ve seen the last of.

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When the Emperor told his people that Japan was surrendering in WWII, almost no one understood his Classical Japanese dialect!

When Emperor Hirohito broadcast his surrender order to the Japanese people on August 14, 1945, almost no one could understand his dialect.

The “Jewel Voice Broadcast” was the radio broadcast during World War II in which Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced to the Japanese people that the government had decided to surrender. The announcement came following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the declaration of war against Japan by the Soviet Union.

The speech was notable for a few reasons, one being that it was the first time in history that an Emperor of Japan had spoken directly to the common people.

The problem was that almost none of them could understand it. The reason why is because he was speaking in a style of Classical Japanese that few ordinary people knew. In addition, he didn’t outright say “Japan has surrendered,” but that the government was accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.

This made many people unsure if Japan had surrendered or not. The poor audio quality also added to the confusion. In the end, someone had to translate for the emperor to make it clear.

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