1. Watching “Hugo” 3-D Movie Cured Man of Life-Long Disability
Bruce Bridgeman of California was stereoblind, meaning he had no true depth perception. In 2012, he went to see “Hugo” in 3-D and he was all of a sudden able to see the world in 3-D like everyone else thereafter.
He didn’t really expect to be able to see the movie in 3-D, but he gave the glasses a try anyway, he told the BBC, and it changed his life.
A file photo of a man watching a 3-D movie. (Shutterstock)
2. It’s Acceptable to Sleep on the Job in Japan
If you fall asleep at work in Japan, it’s taken as a sign that you’re working really hard and you’re exhausted. Some people even fake it so they look committed. It’s so common, there’s even a word for sleeping at work—Inemuri (居眠り).
Sleeping on the job. (Shutterstock)
3. 6-Foot Otters Exist, Hunt in Packs
Giant otters, about 6 feet in length, live in some remote river systems of South America. They sometimes hunt in packs, feeding mostly on fish, but sometimes nabbing other river creatures.
A giant river otter in the Amazon. (Shutterstock)
4. Darwin Tried to Ride Galapagos Turtles When He First Found Them
What would you do if you discovered gigantic turtles? Charles Darwin decided to try riding one like a horse, but found it hard to keep his balance, according to Robert McNamara, a long-time history buff and writer who has written for magazines such as Rolling Stone. McNamara wrote about Darwin in an article for About.com.
Galapagos tortoise. (Shutterstock)
5. Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson Killed Opponent in Premonitory Dream
In his autobiography, famed boxer Sugar Ray Robinson (1921–1989) told the heart-sinking story of a match that ended in death.
“It was there, the night before the fight, that I had a dream, a premonition,” Robinson wrote.
“In the dream, Jimmy Doyle was in the ring with me. I hit him a few good punches and he was on his back, his blank eyes staring up at me, and I was staring down at him, not knowing what to do, and the referee was moving in to count to ten and Doyle still wasn’t moving a muscle and in the crowd I could hear people yelling, ‘He’s dead, he’s dead,’ and I didn’t know what to do. Then I woke up.”
Robinson didn’t want to fight Doyle, but promoter Larry Atkins convinced him it was pointless to cancel the fight because of a dream.
When Robinson knocked Doyle out, “I stood over him, transfixed, seeing my dream come true, horribly true.”
“I had knocked out guys before, dozens of them. But in those fights, I always had a good feeling, a conquering feeling when I saw them being counted out, maybe because I could see that they weren’t really hurt. But now, with Doyle stretched out and his eyes blank, I had that empty feeling you get when something in your life is really wrong, and all I could think of was the dream.”
“You warned me, God,” Robinson thought. “You told me. Why did I let everybody talk me out of it.”
Sugar Ray Robinson (L) and Jimmy Doyle (R). (Wikimedia Commons)
