This Did you know statistics (DYK STATS) page is an attempt to recognize the DYK entries that have distinguished themselves, either by receiving an unusually high number of page views while being featured on DYK, or by going on to become some of Wikipedia's best content after appearing at DYK. The page illustrates the types of hooks that have been particularly successful in attracting readers. The statistics can be manually or semi-automatically updated.
For page view counts, there are separate lists for the all-time top hooks and the most effective hooks on a monthly basis. If you have thoughts on the format of this page, or whether it is useful, please post your comments on the Discussion page.
See also:
- DYK Hall of Fame – for outstanding contributions to the DYK project as a whole;
- List of Wikipedians by number of DYKs – for lists of users who have created or nominated the greatest number of DYK articles.
Please do not see this list as a competition, but rather a celebration of some of the most effective DYK hooks.
Please note that hits from outside the DYK section of the main page are also included here. That might include random clicks or direct searches, but also views from other parts of the main page which feature the same article on the same day.
Good and Featured DYKs[edit]
| Status | Number of articles |
|---|---|
| Featured article | 2,094 |
| Featured list | 658 |
| Good article | 6,431 |
| These may be slight underestimates (learn more) refresh this table | |
Some articles that were featured on DYK have gone on to become some of Wikipedia's featured or good content, in the form of featured articles, featured lists, or good articles. This table records the number of former DYK articles that are currently listed as good or featured content.
Most-viewed DYKs[edit]
This section details all the most-viewed DYKs from the beginning of the available data - December 2007. Unfortunately the articles that appeared in the DYK section before that date do not have page view information and cannot be included.
Rules[edit]
- Use ErrantX's DYKStats tool which will calculate the statistics for you based upon the date and time it was featured on the Main Page. You can use Wikipedia:Recent additions to find out whether it was posted during AM or PM (UTC); remembering that recent additions lists the time it was removed from the Main Page.
- Historical (pre-2016) statistics are based on Henrik's page view tool at http://stats.grok.se/. For more information on this tool, see http://stats.grok.se/about and stats FAQ. Please note that at some point since December 2013 this tool began compiling days using a 23:00 to 22:59 (UTC) time range to match the range that wikiviewstats uses rather than the 00:00 to 23:59 (UTC) time range that it had previously used. Also, note that these statistics ignore mobile viewers. For queries, go to Henrik's talk page – missing stats are often the result of the tool being down or missing source files. Normally, you should count page views only for the day X when the article was featured. Because of the timing of the stats collection, nearly all hooks which exit the main page around 00:00 UTC get extra DYK views on the next day X+1; in this case views for two consecutive days (X and X+1) should be summed.
- The views are counted and summed for all articles which were bolded (not merely linked) in the hook. If one or more bolded articles were moved while on the main page, add views for the main article(s) and the redirect page(s).
- This page aims to list the views originating from the DYK section of the main page. Some articles draw additional views unrelated to DYK. Those views are removed by subtracting a half sum on the days before and after, that is VX − (VX−1 + VX+1) / 2. Example [1] VX=18,400; VX−1=4,400; VX+1=2,000; total=18,400−(4,400+2,000)/2=15,200. Other "special occasion" hooks may draw additional views because of the occasion, not because of the DYK; these cannot be accounted for with this method. For example, the hook for Tom Moore scheduled on his 100th birthday may have attracted extra views because of the celebration activities on that day which are not directly related to DYK, a factor this listing does not consider.
- Subject to rule 3, any article receiving at least 416 2⁄3 views per hour (after subtracting background views) is eligible for listing on the "STATS" page. If you know of an article that has received more than 416 2⁄3 views per hour while on DYK, feel free to add it to the list.
- Anyone is free to help by checking page views and listing hooks here that meet the requirements. Help is also welcome reviewing page views for earlier months where data is waiting to be mined (Jan–May 2008).
All-time DYK page view leaders[edit]
Lead hooks with at least 25,000 views[edit]
- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8, 12 or 24)
| Article (DYK date) | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infant swimming (Sep. 22, 2014) |
 |
295,306 | 24,609 | ... that babies will instinctively hold their breath underwater (pictured) until the age of six months? |
| Fall of the Berlin Wall (Nov. 9, 2019) |
 |
280,266 - (23,750 + 25,487)/2 = 255,647 | 10,651 | ... that the fall of the Berlin Wall (immediate aftermath pictured) was the result of a bureaucratic mistake? |
| Silver Cross Tavern (Jan. 29, 2014) |
 |
192,578 | 16,048 | ... that the Silver Cross Tavern (pictured) is the United Kingdom's only legal brothel? |
| United Airlines Flight 175 (Sep. 11, 2021) |
 |
152,176 | 6,341 | ... that after being hijacked, United Airlines Flight 175 almost had two mid-air collisions with other aircraft before crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center (pictured)? |
| Frank Sinatra (Dec. 12, 2015) 24-hour position in lead slot with 2 images and 2 hooks |
  |
123,052 | 5,127 | ... that after gaining a job as a singing waiter in 1938, Frank Sinatra (pictured) boasted that he would "become so big that no one could ever touch him"? ... that American music critic Robert Christgau called Frank Sinatra (pictured) "the greatest singer of the 20th century"? |
| War Doctor, Night of the Doctor (Nov. 23, 2013) |
 |
36,360 + 52,209 - (12599 + 23723 / 2) + 22,061 + 27,032 - (10,695 + 13070 / 2) = 107,618 | 13,886 | ... that the War Doctor (played by John Hurt, pictured), introduced in "The Night of the Doctor", will be a "dark doctor" who will "bring an ancient battle to its devastating conclusion"? |
| Paul the Octopus (Jul. 11, 2010) |
 |
152,200 – (145,772 / 2) = 79,320 + 18,448 - (9,632 / 2) = 13,632 = 92,952 | 15,492 | ... that Paul the Octopus (pictured) predicts Spain winning the World Cup today, while Mani the Parakeet tips a victory by the Netherlands? |
| Water bottle flipping (Nov. 7, 2016) |
 |
87,202 | 7,266 | ... that flipping water bottles (pictured) has been banned in some U.S. and British schools? |
| HMS Highlander (H44) (Dec. 21, 2011) |
 |
77,346 | 9,668 | ... that the British destroyer HMS Highlander (pictured) escorted Convoy SC 122 through the largest convoy battle of World War II in March 1943 and was unsuccessfully attacked by U-441 and U-608? |
| Anthony Davis (basketball) (Apr. 3, 2012) |
 |
94,410 – (19,472 + 15,379) / 2 = 76,984 |
9,623 | ... that 2012 National Player of the Year Anthony Davis (pictured) was unknown locally and nationally through his junior year of high school basketball? |
| Bestwood Country Park (Sep. 4, 2018) |
 |
74,731 | 3,113 | ... that one account has it that King Charles II offered his mistress Nell Gwyn (pictured) "all the land she could ride around before breakfast"—and the next morning she rode out early and encircled what would become Bestwood Park? |
| Clinton Romesha (Feb. 11, 2013) |
 |
35,581 + 47,595 - (10,312 - 1,140/2) = 73,434 | 8,955 | ... that Clinton Romesha (pictured), who today is being awarded the Medal of Honor, joined the United States Army after deciding not to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? |
| Race-reversed casting (Jul. 1, 2020) |
 |
73,086 | 3,045 | ... that Patrick Stewart (pictured) invented "photo negative" casting in order to play Othello when it had become no longer acceptable to perform the role in blackface? |
| 2016 FA Cup Final (May. 21, 2016) |
 |
55,574 + 17,008 =72,582 | 6,049 | ... that Manchester United seek to match Arsenal's FA Cup winners record with a win in the 2016 FA Cup Final (venue pictured) against Crystal Palace today? |
| Eternal Silence (sculpture) (Oct. 31, 2011) |
 |
71,800 | 5,983 | ... that according to folklore, people looking into the eyes of Eternal Silence (pictured) will see a vision of their own death? |
| Ivan Castro (soldier) (Dec. 8, 2008) |
 |
71,300 | 5,941 | ... that Captain Ivan Castro is the only blind officer serving in the United States Army Special Forces? |
| Poutine, peameal bacon, Made in Canada, Canadian Comedy Awards, 1st Canadian Comedy Awards (Jul. 1, 2019) |
|
29,514 + 18,463 + 10,639 + 7,082 + 1,777 − (1,971 + 4,528)/2 = 64,225 | 2,676 | ... that poutine (example pictured) and back bacon on a bun were served while the Beaver was awarded to Made in Canada at the inaugural Canadian Comedy Awards? |
| Leroy Petry (Jul. 12, 2011) |
 |
66,900 - (925 + 5,100) / 2 = 63,900 | 7,987 | ... that Leroy Petry (pictured) is receiving the U.S. Medal of Honor today, marking only the second time that the award has been bestowed upon a living soldier for actions after the end of the Vietnam War? |
| Operation Overlord (Jun. 6, 2014) |
 |
55627 + 13411 - (11519 + 6611) / 2 = 59,973 | 4,916 | ... that Operation Overlord (detail pictured), the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II, was the largest seaborne invasion in history? |
| Sophia (robot) (Nov. 13, 2017) |
 |
59,972 | 2,499 | ... that Sophia (pictured) is the first robot to become a recognised citizen of a country? |
| Statue of Tara (Dec. 11, 2013) |
 |
41,411 + 12,377 = 53,789 | 4,482 | ... that the Statue of Tara from Sri Lanka (partly pictured) was kept hidden for 30 years in the British Museum because it was considered too erotic? |
| Murder of Jane Britton (Jan. 7, 2019) |
 |
53,494 | 2,229 | ... that the red ochre sprinkled on the body of Jane Britton (pictured) 50 years ago today ultimately turned out to be a red herring in solving her murder? |
| Hallucinogenic fish (Nov. 15, 2011) |
 |
11,483 + 41,786 - (0 + 1,218) / 2 = 52,660 |
6,582 | ... that Sarpa salpa (pictured) is a hallucinogenic fish that was used as a recreational drug during the Roman Empire? |
| Fortress of Mimoyecques (Jun. 29, 2011) |
 |
51,700 | 8,616 | ... that the underground Fortress of Mimoyecques (pictured) was built by Nazi Germany to bombard London with 10 shells a minute using the V-3 supergun? |
| Soo Yeon Lee SPiN (Jun. 30, 2017) |
 |
43,922 + 5,619 = 49,541 | 2,154 | ... that table tennis player and model Soo Yeon Lee (pictured) has coached numerous celebrities and is a brand ambassador for a chain of table tennis bars? |
| Leonard Siffleet (May 8, 2009) |
 |
49,500 | 8,250 | ... that Sergeant Len Siffleet was the subject of a famous photograph (pictured) depicting an execution by the Japanese in World War II? |
| Chadwick Boseman (Apr. 25, 2021) |
 |
48,465 70,227 - (18,963 + 24,561)/2 = 48,465 |
4,038.8 | ... that Chadwick Boseman (pictured) was the seventh actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination? |
| 28th Virginia battle flag (Jan. 18, 2022) |
 |
47,387 | 3,948.9 | ... that the 28th Virginia battle flag (pictured) is stored at an undisclosed location in the Minnesota Historical Society, and has not been returned to Virginia despite multiple requests across three centuries? |
| Tommy Tucker (squirrel) (Nov. 12, 2016) |
 |
47,095 | 5,886 | ... that Tommy Tucker, a male pet squirrel wearing women's clothes (pictured), became famous during World War II, selling war bonds and entertaining children? |
| Śmigus-Dyngus (Apr. 1, 2013) |
 |
46,706 | 3,892 | ... that Polish girls (pictured) are getting wet and spanked today, but will have their revenge tomorrow? |
| Mercy dog (Jan. 8, 2021) |
 |
43,554 | 3,630 | ... that mercy dogs (example illustrated) were trained during World War I to comfort mortally wounded soldiers as they died in no man's land? |
| Giovanni de Ventura plague doctor beak doctor costume plague doctor contract (Oct. 31, 2010) |
 |
7,600 + 1,600 + 6,400 + 1, 700 + 17,800 + 5,000 + 3,700 + 865 = 44, 665 |
7,444 | ... that Giovanni de Ventura, a plague doctor who may have worn a beak doctor costume (pictured), was restricted by a covenant to treat only infectious patients? |
| Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick (Apr. 30, 2019) |
 |
44,648 | 1,860 | ... that the fashion designer Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick (pictured) is the closest relative of Queen Elizabeth II who cannot succeed to the British throne because of conversion to Catholicism? |
| Longest recorded sniper kills (May 8, 2010) |
 |
44,600 | 5,575 | ... that the longest recorded sniper kill is from 2,475 m (8,120 ft) using a L115A3 Long Range Rifle (pictured)? |
| Battle for Castle Itter (Jul. 26, 2013) |
 |
42,120 | 5,265 | ... that what has been called the strangest battle of World War II was fought at a medieval castle (pictured), and was the only battle of the war in which American and German soldiers fought as allies? |
| MagiCans (Apr, 22, 2013) |
 |
38,970 + 1,790 = 40,660 (article moved) |
5,083 | ... that defects in Coca-Cola's MagiCans (pictured) led a child to mistakenly drink foul-tasting liquid used to replace actual cola? |
| Bacon Explosion (Feb. 6, 2009) |
 |
40,500 | 6,750 | ... that the 5,000-calorie Bacon Explosion (pictured) was created in response to a Twitter challenge to develop "the ultimate bacon recipe"? |
| Ronald J. Shurer (Oct. 1, 2018) |
 |
40,011 | 1,667 | ... that US Army combat medic Ronald J. Shurer's (pictured) Silver Star commendation for service in Afghanistan is being upgraded to a Medal of Honor today? |
| Tammie Jo Shults, Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 (Jul. 6, 2018) |
 |
26,176 + 13,505 = 39,681 | 1,653 | ... that Tammie Jo Shults (pictured), captain of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, was one of the first female fighter pilots in the US Navy? |
| Saxbe fix (Nov. 29, 2008) |
 |
39,600 | 6,600 | ... that Hillary Rodham Clinton (pictured) may be ineligible for appointment as United States Secretary of State by Barack Obama unless a Saxbe fix can be worked out? |
| Slow loris (Mar. 30, 2011) |
 |
39,200 | 4,900 | ... that the slow lorises that are illegally caught and traded as exotic pets have their front teeth cut out (pictured) due to fear of their toxic bite? |
| Daulat (Mughal painter) (Apr. 16, 2020) |
 |
38,839 | 1,618 | ... that a Mughal painter described himself in his self-portrait (pictured) as "the lowly, needy, insignificant, Daulat"? |
| Jimmy Carter (Oct. 1, 2021) |
 |
61,238 - (15,344 + 28,811)/2 = 38,660.5 | 1610.9 |
... that Jimmy Carter reported that he had seen a UFO? |
| Kemna concentration camp (Jan. 20, 2012) |
 |
38,567 | 4,820 | ... that torture at Kemna concentration camp (memorial pictured), one of the first Nazi concentration camps, was so brutal that the Nazis held hearings on it? |
| KA2N Gorgon IIA CTV-N-2 Gorgon IIC (Jan. 8, 2018) |
 |
26,948 + 11,536 = 38,484 | 1,603 | ...that the United States Navy placed orders for the Gorgon IIA (pictured) and Gorgon IIC missiles with the Singer Manufacturing Company, better known for its sewing machines? |
| Soviet destroyer Sposobny (1970) (Jan. 14, 2019) |
 |
38,125 | 1,588 | ... that the Soviet destroyer Sposobny (pictured) was designed to survive a nuclear explosion? |
| Deutsches Reichsbräu (Jul. 15, 2020) |
 |
37,990 | 3,165 | ... that the German police were called to investigate Deutsches Reichsbräu beer because of the Nazi-style imagery on its logo (pictured)? |
| Big Long Slidin' Thing, Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl, It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion), Keep On Churnin' (Till the Butter Comes), Big Ten Inch Record (Jan. 1, 2020) |
 |
13,757 + 6,108 + 6,308 + 6,080 + 5,306 = 37,559 | 1,565 | ... that a ranking of the greatest double-entendre songs of all time included "Big Long Slidin' Thing" by Dinah Washington (pictured), "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl" by Bessie Smith, "It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion)" by the Swallows, "Keep On Churnin' (Till the Butter Comes)" by Wynonie Harris, and "Big Ten Inch Record" by Aerosmith? |
| This Is Her First Lynching, Lynching of Henry Lowry, Lynching of George Hughes, The Law Is Too Slow, 1935 New York anti-lynching exhibitions, Death (statue), Aaron Goodelman 9 June 2021 |
 |
8,253 + 4,255 + 6,269 + 5,616 + 6,291 + 5,880 + 913 = 37,477 | ... that the 1935 New York anti-lynching exhibitions included Death (modeled after the lynching of George Hughes), Necklace (by Aaron Goodelman), This Is Her First Lynching, and The Law Is Too Slow (pictured), and were intended to support anti-lynching legislation, while earlier similar proposed legislation was supported by the NAACP using the lynching of Henry Lowry? | |
| List of Mountain Bothies Association bothies (May 23, 2017) |
 |
37,379 | 1,557 | ... that visitors can stay overnight free of charge in any of over ninety bothies (Corrour Bothy pictured), but must bring their own fuel in order to watch "bothy TV"? |
| Jackie Summers (Sept. 16, 2020) |
 |
37,332 | 3,111 | ... that Jackie Summers (pictured) quit his corporate job to pursue a "lifelong dream of day-drinking professionally"? |
| Catherine Lynch (Mar. 11, 2018) |
 |
37,237 | 1,551 | ... that at the inquest into the death of Catherine Lynch (pictured), the presiding coroner described her as "one of a class who were a nuisance to themselves, their husbands and everybody else"? |
| Michael Collins (astronaut) (Jul. 21, 2019) |
 |
112,192 - (115,723 + 34,037)/2 = 37,312 | 1,554 | ... that Michael Collins (pictured), the command module pilot for Apollo 11, was the first person to perform two spacewalks in a single mission? |
| Franz Halder (Oct. 20, 2019) |
 |
37,135 | 1,547 | ... that Franz Halder (pictured), a former chief of staff of Nazi Germany's army, was the only German to be decorated by both Adolf Hitler and an American president? |
| 2b2t (Nov. 12, 2020) |
 |
39,781 - (1,978 + 3,354)/2 = 37,115 | 1,546 | ... that 2b2t, a no-rules Minecraft multiplayer server running since 2010, has seen more than 580,000 distinct Minecraft players join and explore its nine-terabyte map (pictured)? |
| Pleuni Touw De Stille Kracht (television series) (Sep. 18, 2012) |
 |
24,877 + 11,928 = 36,805 |
4,600 | ... that Pleuni Touw (pictured) had the first nude scene in Dutch television on 1974's The Hidden Force? |
| hit-to-kill (Feb. 10, 2020) |
 |
36,550 | ... that hit-to-kill weapons (example pictured) require no warhead as their high velocity gives them many times the energy of TNT? | |
| Lisa Nowak (Oct. 24, 2020) |
 |
36,330 | 1,514 | ... that the 2019 film Lucy in the Sky is loosely based on the life of astronaut Lisa Nowak (pictured)? |
| Laura Kamhuber (Apr. 9, 2018) |
 |
36,131 | 1,505 | ... that Laura Kamhuber's (pictured) rendition of "I Will Always Love You" at The Voice Kids Germany is the most-watched YouTube video by an Austrian artist? |
| Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan (Aug. 15, 2018) |
 |
36,118 | 1,504 | ... that the painting Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan has been attacked and damaged twice (damage pictured)? |
| State House (Zimbabwe) Statue of Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe House, Harare State House (Bulawayo) Blue Roof (Mar. 2, 2021) |
 |
5,034 + 20,224 + 2,366 + 2,585 + 5,694 = 35,903 | ... that the president of Zimbabwe has access to State House which has a "drunk" "Superman" statue of Robert Mugabe in the grounds, and to the former Rhodesian prime minister's house and Cecil Rhodes's Government House in Bulawayo (pictured), but not to Mugabe's Blue Roof mansion? | |
| James McDivitt (Sep. 28, 2021) |
 |
35,447 | 1,477 | ... that astronaut James McDivitt (pictured)saw a UFO during his first spaceflight? |
| Tett turret (Oct. 14, 2010) |
 |
35,100 | 5,850 | ... that the only exit from a Tett turret (pictured) could expose a soldier trying to leave the fortification to direct fire from the enemy? |
| Colossus of Ostermunzel (Mar. 25, 2016) |
 |
34,971 | 2,976 | ... that the Colossus of Ostermunzel (pictured) is significantly lighter than originally estimated? |
| Barn the Spoon (May 24, 2017) |
 |
34,824 | 1,451 | ... that it takes Barn the Spoon (pictured) between twenty minutes and two hours to carve a spoon out of green wood? |
| Elly Mayday (March 28, 2019) |
 |
34,666 | 1,562 | .... that when Elly Mayday (pictured) was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she not only continued to model, but appeared in pictorials with a bald head from chemotherapy and surgery scars? |
| Tina Strobos (Jul. 12, 2018) |
 |
30,903 + 3,213 = 34,116 | 1,421 | ... that Dutch psychiatrist Tina Strobos (pictured), who rescued over 100 Jewish refugees during World War II, said that her grandmother was the only person she knew who scared the Gestapo? |
| Andaman Sea Khao Phing Kan (Sep. 29, 2010) |
 |
6,100 + 27,900 = 34,000 | 5,667 | ... that there is a James Bond Island (pictured) in the Andaman Sea? |
| Baba Anujka (Sep. 19, 2019) |
 |
33,721 | 2,810 | ... that Serbian poisoner Baba Anujka (pictured), aged over 90 at the time of her trial, was sentenced to 15 years' hard labor? |
| General George Washington Resigning His Commission, George Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief (Feb. 22, 2018) |
 |
10,546 + 22,649 = 33,195 | 1,383 | ... that John Trumbull, the painter of General George Washington Resigning His Commission (pictured), considered Washington's resignation "one of the highest moral lessons ever given to the world"? |
| Hurricane (clipper) (May 18, 2020) |
 |
33,191 | 2,765 | ... that Hurricane (pictured), built in Hoboken by Isaac C. Smith in 1851, was reputedly the most extreme clipper ever constructed? |
| Urine deflector (July 14, 2021) |
 |
33,023 | ... that the Bank of England has a device to prevent unwanted deposits (pictured)? | |
| Charles R. Ellet (October 16, 2020) |
 |
32,990 | 1,374 | ... that 19-year-old Union Army colonel Charles R. Ellet (pictured) ran two separate steam-powered ram ships past the batteries at Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the American Civil War? |
| Rene Strange (Jul. 20, 2018) |
 |
32,967 | 1,373 | ... that the puppets of Rene Strange (pictured) included Annie Pride of the Rockies, Mr Bertram, and Samoa the Hula Hula Girl? |
| Wang Danfeng (May 16, 2018) |
 |
32,488 | 1,354 | ... that "legendary" Chinese actress Wang Danfeng (pictured) was invited to attend the inauguration of US President Ronald Reagan? |
| Flag of Weihaiwei (May 10, 2017) |
 |
28,002 + 4,418 = 32,420 | 1,351 | ... that the flag of Weihaiwei (pictured) was redesigned to include Mandarin ducks, as it was felt inappropriate to have a Chinese imperial dragon on a British flag? |
| Podoconiosis (Feb. 20, 2013) |
 |
28,976 + 3,352 = 32,328 | 4,041 | ... that an estimated four million people worldwide suffer from podoconiosis? |
| Goat Canyon Trestle (Mar. 15, 2018) |
 |
32,298 | 1,346 | ... that the Goat Canyon Trestle (pictured) is the world's largest curved wooden trestle? |
| Lena Sundström (Oct. 3, 2016) |
 |
32,283 | 1,346 | ... that Swedish journalist Lena Sundström (pictured) was a foundling? |
| Antonija Mišura (Aug. 23, 2012) |
 |
32,282 | 4,035 | ... that according to Bleacher Report, Antonija Mišura (pictured) was the most beautiful female competitor at the 2012 Olympics? |
| United States Zouave Cadets (Jan. 11, 2019) |
 |
32,243 | 1,343 | ... that The New York Times stated that, with one exception, the United States Zouave Cadets (pictured) were "all young men of extraordinary muscular power"? |
| 1907 Tiflis bank robbery (Dec. 20, 2010) |
 |
32,200 | 5,367 | ... that a 1907 stagecoach robbery organized by Vladimir Lenin (pictured) and Joseph Stalin killed an estimated 40 people and netted approximately 250,000 rubles (over $3 million in current USD)? |
| Spragg Bag (Dec. 21, 2010) |
 |
32,200 | 5,367 | ... that a large waterbag (pictured) can bring water to California and, according to its inventor, peace to the Middle East? |
| Candy desk (Apr. 1, 2011 - April Fools Day) |
 |
32,100 | 4,012 | ... that there is a desk full of candy (pictured) on the floor of the US Senate? |
| Paper car wheel (Sep. 6, 2018) |
 |
31,839 | 1,326 | ... that paper wheels (pictured) provided a quiet and smooth ride in Pullman dining and sleeping cars? |
| Operation Strength (Mar. 18, 2016) |
 |
31,726 | 2,644 | ... that during Operation Strength, a 15,000 lb (6.8 T) bomb (example of detonation pictured) served as a diversion to a diversion? |
| Women's Barracks (Nov. 23, 2020) |
 |
31,693 | 1,320 | ... that Women's Barracks (cover pictured), regarded as a classic of lesbian pulp fiction, was banned in Canada and became the first paperback-original bestseller in the United States? |
| Daniel Lambert (Jul. 6, 2010) |
 |
31,400 | 5,233 | ... that English gaol keeper and animal breeder Daniel Lambert (pictured) weighed 52 stone 11 lb (739 lb; 335 kg)? |
| Brittany CoxXx (Jan. 21, 2011) |
 |
31,400 | 5,233 | ... that Borat Sagdiyev's son, who appeared in photos in the movie Borat, was actually trans woman and porn star Brittany CoxXx (pictured)? |
| Walter Koch (Fallschirmjäger) (Mar. 2, 2011) |
 |
31,200 | 3,900 | ... that German paratrooper Walter Koch (pictured) acted against the Commando Order and saved John Dutton Frost's British paratroopers from execution? |
| Fannie Lou Hamer (February 27, 2018) |
 |
31,109 | 1,296 | ... that African-American civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer (pictured) was brutally beaten on the orders of police in Mississippi for standing up against racial segregation? |
| Stannard Rock Light (Jun. 16, 2009) |
 |
31,000 | 5,167 | ... that the Stannard Rock Light (pictured), known as the "Loneliest Place in the World", is the furthest lighthouse from land and described as one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States? |
| Catherine Zeta-Jones (Apr. 21, 2016) |
 |
35,555-(4318+4805)/2 = 30,994 | 2,582 | ... that Catherine Zeta-Jones' (pictured) wedding ceremony cost an estimated £1.5 million? |
| Nazi-Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk (Sep. 17, 2009) |
 |
30,900 | 5,150 | ... that a joint Nazi-Soviet military parade in Brest-Litovsk (pictured) was held on September 22, 1939, to display the power of the newly formed Soviet-Nazi pact to the whole world? |
| Thirst trap (Jul. 18, 2020) |
 |
30,853 | 1,285 | ... that a thirst trap (selfie pictured) can lead to harassment and bullying? |
| Brad Stevens (Apr. 5, 2010) |
 |
30,800 | 5,133 | ... that Butler men's basketball head coach Brad Stevens (pictured) has won 89 games in his first three years, exceeding the previous NCAA record by 8 games? |
| Airplane Coaster (Aug. 4, 2017) |
 |
30,752 | 1,281 | ... that numerous writers have called the Airplane Coaster (pictured) the greatest roller coaster ever built? |
| Sea of Japan Kamome Island (Oct. 18, 2010) |
 |
5,000 + 25,700 = 30,700 | 5,117 | ... that according to a legend, the Heishi rock (pictured) represents the God of the Sea of Japan? |
| Love dart (Oct. 9, 2008) |
 |
30,700 | 4,385 | ... that some hermaphrodite snails and slugs pierce each other with love darts (pictured) during mating? |
| Disappearance of Rebecca Coriam (Mar. 22, 2012) |
 |
30,657 | 3,832 | ... that the disappearance of Rebecca Coriam from the Disney Wonder (pictured) one year ago today was the first such incident in the history of Disney Cruise Line? |
| Normandy landings (Jul. 21, 2014) |
 |
30,477 | 2,540 | ... that a key target for the Normandy landings, Caen (pictured), was not captured by the Allies until 21 July 1944? |
| Gleno Dam (Mar. 23, 2011) |
 |
30,400 | 3,800 | ... that, in 1923, the Gleno Dam (pictured) in Italy failed shortly after it was completed and its flooding killed at least 356 people? |
| Etruscan shrew (Oct. 25, 2010) |
 |
30,400 | 5,067 | ... that the Etruscan shrew (pictured on a human thumb) is the smallest known mammal by weight? |
| Ernest R. Kouma (Aug. 10, 2011) |
 |
30,200 | 3,775 | ... that US Army Master Sergeant Ernest R. Kouma was awarded the Medal of Honor (pictured) in the Korean War for singlehandedly killing approximately 250 North Korean troops? |
| Hungry Tree (Oct. 3, 2018) |
 |
30,126 | 1,255 | ... that the Hungry Tree in Dublin is "eating" a park bench (pictured)? |
| Swimming Reindeer (Aug. 18, 2010) |
 |
30,000 | 5,000 | ... that the Swimming Reindeer (pictured), a 13,000-year-old Ice Age sculpture, was originally thought to be two separate reindeer sculptures until Henri Breuil realised they fitted together? |
| David B. Bleak (Mar. 23, 2012) |
 |
29,847 | 3,730 | ... that combat medic David B. Bleak (pictured) was awarded the Medal of Honor in the Korean War after killing five Chinese soldiers, four using only his hands? |
| Marching fire (Dec. 18, 2011) |
 |
29,800 | 3,725 | ... that General George S. Patton (pictured) praised the tactic of marching fire during World War II? |
| Burnley Embankment (Dec. 3, 2019) |
 |
29,761 | 1,240 | ... that the Straight Mile (pictured) is not a mile, and includes the Culvert, which is not a culvert? |
| Jim Delligatti (Dec. 30, 2016) |
 |
29,661 | 1,236 | ... that Jim Delligatti created the Big Mac (pictured)? |
| West Loch Disaster (Apr. 23, 2010) |
 |
29,500 | 3,688 | ... that the hulk of LST-480 (pictured) is the only remaining evidence of the West Loch Disaster, the second tragedy to befall Pearl Harbor during World War II? |
| Janice Rand (May 20, 2015) |
 |
29,491 | 2,458 | ... that Star Trek producer Bob Justman said you could hit Janice Rand's (pictured) hair with a sledgehammer and not leave a dent? |
| Giant huntsman spider (Dec. 19, 2008) |
 |
29,300 | 4,883 | ... that with a leg-span of 30 centimetres (12 inches), the giant huntsman (pictured) is one of the world's largest spiders? |
| Shu Xiuwen (Jan. 3, 2018) |
 |
29,252 | 1,218 | ... that Shu Xiuwen (pictured) became an escort dancing girl after her father tried to sell her to repay debts, but later supported him when she became a movie star? |
| Bodega cat (Dec. 9, 2019) |
 |
29,242 | 1,218 | ... that bodega cats (example pictured) are used as a form of pest control in New York City? |
| Insular crozier (13 October 2021) |
 |
29,224 | 4,871 | ... that of the many Insular croziers (pictured) made between c. 800–1200 AD, fewer than 20 fully intact examples survive? |
| Neel Kashkari (Oct. 13, 2008) |
 |
29,200 | 4,867 | ... that Neel Kashkari (pictured), six years after completing his MBA, was put in charge of the $700 billion U.S. Government bailout of financial institutions? |
| Valonia ventricosa (Sep. 7, 2010) |
 |
29,100 | 4,850 | ... that "sailors' eyeballs" (pictured) is one of the largest single-celled organisms? |
| Filibus (Dec. 28, 2016) |
 |
28,982 | 1,208 | ... that Filibus (pictured), a fictional sky pirate, has been called one of the first lesbian characters in cinema? |
| Sundial cannon |  |
14938+11456+2377 = 28,771 | 2,131 | ... that sundial cannons (example pictured) were triggered by the sun to fire at noon? |
| Wreck of the RMS Titanic (Mar. 15, 2012) |
 |
28,526 | 3,565 | ... that proposals to raise the wreck of the RMS Titanic (pictured) have included filling it with ping-pong balls, injecting it with 180,000 tons of Vaseline or turning it into an iceberg? |
| Bradley Cooper (Sep. 7, 2016) |
 |
28,516 | 1,188 | ... that Bradley Cooper (pictured) is the tenth man to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in three consecutive years? |
| Fighting Irish (Family Guy) (May 29, 2015) |
 |
8,704 + 19,779 = 28,483 | 2,373 | ... that Liam Neeson (pictured) agreed to say any line that the writers of the Family Guy episode "Fighting Irish" wrote – except one? |
| Waw an Namus (Oct. 29, 2018) |
 |
28,313 | 1,178 | ... that the volcanic Oasis of Mosquitoes in the Sahara has multicoloured lakes (example pictured) and can be seen from space? |
| Hussein of Jordan (Apr. 16, 2018) |
 |
28,275 | 1,178 | ... that Hussein (pictured) started his 46-year reign as King of Jordan in 1952 when he was a 17-year-old schoolboy? |
| Raindrop cake (Sep. 5, 2018) |
 |
28,185 | 1,178 | ... that raindrop cake (pictured) is a dessert made of water and agar, and has practically no calories? |
| Sofia Richie (Jul. 13, 2017) |
 |
28,100 | 2,342 | ... that model Sofia Richie (pictured) played soccer until she broke her hip in a Segway accident? |
| Rollstone Boulder (Jan. 4, 2013) |
 |
28,004 | 2,334 | ... that in order to save the Rollstone Boulder (pictured) from being demolished, it was blown up? |
| Nevertheless, she persisted (May 2, 2017) |
 |
27,948 | 1,165 | ... that after Mitch McConnell said, "Nevertheless, she persisted" in reference to Elizabeth Warren's silencing during a U.S. Senate debate, more than 100 women in Minneapolis got tattoos (example pictured) of that meme? |
| Clive Mantle (Apr. 1, 2013) |
 |
24,963 + 2,905 = 27,868 | 3,484 | ... that English actor Clive Mantle (portrait pictured) beat up Clint Eastwood? |
| Lazarus syndrome (Nov. 5, 2008) |
 |
27,800 | 6,780 | ... that the Lazarus syndrome is named after Lazarus of Bethany (pictured), who the Bible says was raised from the dead by Jesus? |
| Elizabeth L. Gardner (Jul. 12, 2019) |
 |
27,656 | 1152 | ... that Elizabeth L. Gardner served as a WASP during World War II and was the subject of a well-known photo (pictured)? |
| Jane Withers (Nov. 29, 2020) |
 |
27,540 | 1,148 | ... that Jane Withers (pictured) rose to child stardom in the 1930s playing mischievous little girls, "tomboy rascals", and "America's favorite problem child"? |
| Omid Tahvili (May 6, 2008) |
 |
27,500 | 3,438 | ... that in April 2008, Forbes listed Omid Tahvili (pictured) as one of the world's ten most wanted fugitives? |
| TiME (spacecraft) (Nov. 10, 2009) |
 |
27,400 | 4,567 | ... that TiME (artist's rendering pictured) is a boat that is not designed to sail on any water on this planet? |
| Aircraft camouflage (Nov. 4, 2009) |
 |
27,400 | 4,567 | ... that experiments with modern aircraft camouflage (pictured) have used panels that emit light? |
| William Goldman (photographer) (Jan. 14, 2020) |
 |
27,255 | 2,271 | ... that William Goldman secretly assembled a collection of photographs (example shown) of prostitutes in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the 1890s? |
| Imperial German plans for the invasion of the United States (Dec. 31, 2012) |
 |
27,118 | 2,260 | ... that Kaiser Wilhelm II (pictured) ordered plans drawn up for Germany to invade two US cities: Boston and New York? |
| Bedding ceremony (Jul. 25, 2017) |
 |
27,095 | 2,258 | ... that the bedding ceremony (pictured) symbolised the involvement of family, friends, and neighbours in the newlyweds' sexual intimacy, but also had legal importance in parts of Western Europe? |
| Inexhaustible bottle (Feb. 18, 2014) |
 |
27,049 | 3,381 | … that the trick to the inexhaustible bottle (illustrated) was so widely known that it became part of a common hydrostatics demonstration for physics students? |
| Chrysler Turbine Car (Feb. 8, 2018) |
 |
27,991 – (248 + 1,728) / 2 = 27,003 |
1,125 | ... that the Chrysler Turbine Car (pictured) could burn a variety of unusual fuels, ranging from furnace, peanut, and soybean oils to tequila? |
| Gömböc (Oct. 9, 2009) |
 |
27,000 | 4,500 | ... that the discovery of geometrical body Gömböc (pictured) in 2006 helped understanding the body shape of turtles? |
| Wait for me, Daddy (Oct. 1, 2010) |
 |
26,900 | 4,483 | ... that 70 years ago on October 1, 1940, little "Whitey" Bernard was photographed running after his father (pictured) who was marching to war? |
| Fabiana Rosales (Apr. 22, 2019) |
 |
26,823 | 1,117 | ... that Venezuelan journalist Fabiana Rosales (pictured) has assumed the role of international ambassador, soliciting support for her husband's opposition party, towards resolving the crisis in Venezuela? |
| Japanese aircraft carrier Amagi (Nov. 6, 2011) |
 |
26,708 | 2,258 | ... that the Japanese aircraft carrier Amagi (wreck pictured) capsized on 29 July 1945 as a result of cumulative damage inflicted by American airstrikes on 24 and 28 July? |
| Termitaradus mitnicki (Apr. 1, 2010 – April Fool's Day) |
 |
26,600 | 4,433 | ... that researchers have identified the pictured life form which no longer lives on this planet? |
| Akutan Zero (Dec. 7, 2008) |
 |
26,600 | 2,216 | ... that the U.S. devised tactics to defeat Japan's Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter plane from the 1942 capture of an intact example dubbed the Akutan Zero (pictured)? |
| Chicken fried bacon (Feb. 17, 2009) |
 |
26,500 | 3,533 | ... that the recipe for chicken fried bacon (pictured) was developed in the small town of Snook, Texas, at Sodolak's Original Country Inn? |
| Warsaw Ghetto boy (Nov. 1, 2018) |
 |
26,455 | 1,102 | ... that this photograph (pictured) was taken to glorify the SS men who suppressed the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, but helped convict them of murder? |
| Chang and Eng Bunker (Aug. 6, 2018) |
 |
27,567 - (1,074 + 1,169)/2 = 26,446 | 1,101 | ... that the conjoined liver of the Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker (pictured) is on display at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia? |
| Air well (condenser) (May 1, 2009) |
 |
26,301 | 4,962 | ... that an air well (pictured) collects water by promoting the condensation of moisture from air? |
| Door to Hell (Nov. 1, 2012) |
 |
26,298 | 3,287 | ... that the Door to Hell (pictured) has been blazing since 1971? |
| Earth's shadow (Oct. 26, 2010) |
 |
26,200 | 4,367 | ... that the Earth's shadow (pictured) can be observed during twilight hours? |
| Elephant of the Bastille (Aug. 29, 2011) |
 |
26,256 | 3,282 | ... that a giant elephant (engraving pictured) in Paris was protected by a man living in one of its legs? |
| Girl with Peaches (Feb. 1, 2017) |
 |
24,550 + 1,661 = 26,211 | 2,184 | ... that the girl with peaches (pictured) married the future chief prosecutor of the Most Holy Synod? |
| Gallagh Man (June 14, 2021) |
 |
26,032 | 2,169 | ... that the Irish bog body Gallagh Man (pictured) preserves the remains of an Iron Age man who was around 25 years old, dark haired, and was either strangled during a ritual killing or executed as a criminal?? |
| Female urinal (Mar. 18, 2018) |
 |
25,899 | 1,126 | ... that female urinals available today (example pictured) are typically used in a "skiing" position? |
| Economy coffin (Aug. 3, 2021) |
 |
25,871 | ... that Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, caused outrage in 1784 when he ordered that people be buried naked in reusable coffins (example pictured) from which the body fell into the grave via a trapdoor? | |
| Zofia Posmysz (Mar. 17, 2018) |
 |
25,808 | 1,075 | ... that Zofia Posmysz (pictured), Auschwitz inmate No. 7566, wrote an audio play on her memories, which became the basis for her 1962 novel Passenger, a 1963 film, and a 1968 opera? |
| Patricia Kenworthy Nuckols, Chickie Geraci Poisson, Betty Shellenberger, Alice Putnam Willetts, Joan Moser, Anne McConaghie Volp, F. Elizabeth Richey, Adele Boyd, Ruth Heller Aucott, Phyllis Stadler Lyon (Feb. 6, 2021) |
 |
3,826 + 2,504 + 3,421 + 979 + 924 + 707 + 806 + 743 + 847 + 11,140 = 25,807 | 2,158 | ... that the first women inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame included a WASP pilot, a World War II Marine, a "Chickie", a Hall of Fame lacrosse player, a world-champion softball player, an All-College basketball player, the founder of the first collegiate squash program in the United States, a professor and a valedictorian of Ursinus College, and a resident of Atlantis (pictured) |
| Goat tower (May 4, 2020) |
 |
25,703 | 2,142 | ... that many goat towers (example pictured) have become tourist attractions? |
| PL-01 (Jan. 3, 2014) |
 |
25,748 | 3,223 | ... that the PL-01 (pictured) is a tank designed in Poland? |
| Cat Daddy (May 29, 2012) |
 |
25,686 | 3,211 | ... that a bikini-clad rendition of the "Cat Daddy" dance by the reigning Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Kate Upton (pictured) was temporarily banned from YouTube? |
| Scowle (Oct. 6, 2008) |
 |
25,620 | 3,203 | ... that the ancient opencast iron ore workings known as scowles (pictured) in the Forest of Dean, England, are believed to have been an inspiration for settings in J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings? |
| Gerp's mouse lemur (Jan. 18, 2012) |
 |
25,495 | 3,186 | ... that Gerp's mouse lemur is a newly discovered mouse lemur species from Madagascar, and is only known from an area smaller than the size of Puerto Rico? |
| Hotpants (May 9, 2017) |
 |
25,491 | 1,062 | ... that hotpants (example pictured) were originally short shorts made from materials such as velvet, silk, and fur? |
| Oscar C. Pfaus (Feb. 26, 2020) |
 |
25,451 | 1,060 | ... that Abwehr agent and Nazi propagandist Oscar Pfaus (pictured) once served in the U.S. Army? |
| Roger B. Chaffee (Jul. 17, 2019) |
 |
28,471 - (2,896 + 3,156)/2 = 25,445 | 1,060 | ... that when Roger B. Chaffee (pictured) was selected for Apollo 1, he was the youngest American astronaut to earn a NASA mission assignment? |
| Westinghouse Time Capsules (Jan. 8, 2008) |
 |
25,252 | 3,166 | ... that the Westinghouse Time Capsules (pictured) of the 1939 New York World's Fair and the 1964 New York World's Fair were made of special metal alloys to resist corrosion for 5000 years, the time span of all previous recorded human history? |
| Unexpected John Cena (Apr. 1, 2016 - April Fools Day) |
 |
25,226 | 3,153 | ... that somebody stole the show in Ghostbusters, Breaking Bad, and SpongeBob SquarePants, and his name is—JOHN CENAAA!!! (pictured) |
| Taylor Swift (Aug 23, 2016) |
 |
25,145 | 2,095 | ... that Taylor Swift (pictured) is the first act to have three albums with opening week sales of one million copies in the US? |
| Yogo sapphire (Nov. 23, 2011) |
 |
25,141 | 2,095 | ...that Yogo sapphires (pictured) are rarer than diamonds and are found only in Yogo Gulch, Montana? |
| Camilla Nylund (Mar. 15, 2018) |
 |
25,129 | 1,047 | ... that Camilla Nylund (pictured) appeared as the Countess in Capriccio by Richard Strauss at the Frankfurt Opera, staged by Brigitte Fassbaender, who set the opera in Occupied France? |
| Carmenelectra (Feb. 3, 2013) |
Picture deleted | 25,090 | 3,136 | ... that Carmenelectra was named after the model (pictured) because both have "splendid" bodies? |
| Lord's honours boards (Jan. 16, 2013) |
 |
25,034 | 3,129 | ... that Australia's Warren Bardsley and Charles Kellaway were only listed on the Lord's Honours Boards (pictured) 98 years after they had fulfilled the requirements, due to the lack of a neutral board? |
Non-lead hooks with at least 15,000 views[edit]
Articles in the lead slot on DYK tend to get the most page views. In order to recognize outstanding hooks which do not appear in the lead slot, this chart displays non-lead article hooks that have received at least 15,000 page views.
- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main Page (6, 8, 12 or 24)
| Article (DYK date) | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death of Nicole van den Hurk (Aug. 9, 2017) |
577,636 + 55,793 = 633,429 | 26,393 | ... that following the death of Nicole van den Hurk, her stepbrother falsely confessed to killing her to get her body exhumed for DNA testing? |
| Disappearance of Gary Mathias (Feb. 25, 2018) |
268,739 + 45,177 = 313,916 | 13,079 | ... that 40 years ago, Gary Mathias disappeared after leaving a working automobile, to walk into California's Plumas National Forest without winter clothing or food, along with four men later found dead? |
| Bill Brown (rancher) (Jun. 19, 2018) |
121,886 + 62,806 = 184,692 | 7,695 | ... that Oregon rancher Bill Brown, known as the "Horse King of the West", often wrote checks on newspaper margins and soup can labels—which bankers would cash without question? |
| Tom Moore (fundraiser) (Apr. 30, 2020) |
215,033 - (21,618 + 49,936)/2 = 179,256 | 14,938 | ... that Captain Tom, who turns 100 today, has raised more than £31 million for NHS Charities Together by walking laps of his garden? |
| Blood Moon Prophecy + April 2014 lunar eclipse (Apr. 15, 2014) |
32,393 + 115,399 = 147,792 | 24,632 | ... that, according to the Blood Moon Prophecy, tonight's eclipse could be a sign that the end time is near? |
| Comparative illusion (Dec. 17, 2018) |
127,304 | 10,609 | ... that Escher sentences like "More people have been to Russia than I have" may initially be perceived as meaningful despite being ungrammatical nonsense? |
| Tiffany Trump (Jul. 22, 2016) |
229,227 – (168,559 + 55,795)/2 = 117,050 | 9,754 | ...... that Tiffany Trump has been called part of the "Snap Pack" for her voluminous postings to Instagram? |
| United States v. Article Consisting of 50,000 Cardboard Boxes More or Less, Each Containing One Pair of Clacker Balls (Apr. 1, 2014) |
112,300 | ... that the United States once sued 50,000 cardboard boxes and clacker balls? | |
| USS Herald (1798) (Jun. 8, 2020) |
101,709 | 8,475 | ... that the American merchant ship Herald served in the U.S. Navy against France before becoming a French privateer, was sold to Britain as a slaver, and ended her days as a West Indiaman? |
| Euthanasia Coaster (May 3, 2011) |
86,300 | 14,383 | ... that the concept for the Euthanasia Coaster, a roller coaster designed to kill its riders, caused concern among anti-euthanasia groups when it went on display? |
| Philip Hindes (Aug. 2, 2012) |
59,004 + 20,518 = 79,522 | 7,376 | ... that track cyclist Philip Hindes was born in Germany and did not take up cycling until 2008, but has been selected to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics? |
| The Negro Motorist Green Book (Aug. 10, 2013) |
36,617 + 29,882 = 66,439 | 3,051 | ... that The Negro Motorist Green Book provided advice on how African-American drivers could avoid dangers and discrimination on the road in Jim Crow-era America? |
| Compton–Belkovich Thorium Anomaly (May 13, 2012) |
59,267 | 7,409 | ...that the Compton–Belkovich Thorium Anomaly is a thorium-rich hotspot on the back of the moon? |
| Mining in North Korea (May 16, 2013) |
2,969 + 49,136 - 379 = 51,726 | 6,347 | ... that while North Korea is abundant in natural resources worth trillions of dollars, most of these often cannot be mined due to the acute shortage of electricity in the country? |
| David González (skateboarder) (Jan. 5, 2013) |
51,032 | 4,253 | ... that skateboarder David González was named Thrasher magazine's 2012 "Skater of the Year"? |
| Bodybuilding in China (Apr. 12, 2016) |
27,554 + 23,332 = 50,886 | ... that bodybuilding in China was once banned? | |
| New Jersey Forest Fire Service (Sep. 4, 2015) |
46,406 | 3,867 | ... that a New Jersey Forest Fire Service firewarden can summon any person aged 18 to 50 to assist in putting out wildfires—and it's against the law to refuse? |
| Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (Jan. 28, 2016) |
65,267 - (2,726 + 38,712)/2 = 44,548 | 3,712 | ... that armed groups have occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge since January 2, 2016? |
| Moritz Wagner (basketball) (Jun. 22, 2018) |
43,692 | 1,820 | ... that Moritz Wagner was the first player to post 20 points and 15 rebounds in a NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament semifinal in over 30 years? |
| R v Registrar General ex parte Segerdal (Jan. 15, 2013) |
20,800 + 21,832 = 42,632 | 5,329 | ... that in 1970, the English Court of Appeal found that Scientology does not engage in religious worship? |
| 2021 FA Cup Final (May 15, 2021) |
38,631 | ... that the 2021 FA Cup Final between Leicester City and Chelsea today will be the first football match in England with more than 8,000 supporters since March 2020? | |
| Batman Province (Apr. 1, 2011) |
38,300 | 4,787 | ... that Batman is half female? |
| Todd Palin (Sep. 4, 2008) |
37,900 | 6,316 | ... that Alaska's First Gentleman Todd Palin won the world's longest snowmobile race four times? |
| Super Hornio Brothers (Apr. 2, 2012) |
37,093 | 4,636 | ... that Nintendo owns the rights to a pornographic film? |
| Disappearance of Joan Risch (Oct. 24, 2016) |
37,080 | 1,545 | ... that after Joan Risch's apparent abduction from her home 55 years ago today, it was discovered she had borrowed books on missing-person cases from the local library? |
| Baron Kilkeel (May 21, 2018) |
35,693 | ... that the title Baron Kilkeel was given to Prince Harry as a gift from Queen Elizabeth II on his wedding day? | |
| Sairat (Apr. 29, 2016) |
33,393 | 4,174 | ... that Sairat, which is set to be released today, is the first Indian film to include a symphonic score recorded in Hollywood? |
| No Bra Day (Oct. 13, 2018) |
33,200 | 1,383 | ... that today is No Bra Day, on which women are encouraged to go braless to promote breast cancer awareness and gender equality? |
| Hello (Adele song) (Oct. 27, 2015) |
32,613 | 2,717 | ... that the music video for Adele's song "Hello" was the first to be filmed using IMAX cameras? |
| Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (pilot) (Mar. 21, 2019) |
31,511 | 2,626 | ... that a gay former British prince died fighting on the side of Nazi Germany despite loathing Hitler and the Nazi Party? |
| Sex for Breakfast (Apr. 1, 2013) |
27,802 + 3,448 = 31,250 | 3,906 | ... that Christina Aguilera had sex for breakfast with slow jam and honey drip? |
| Suara (newspaper) (May 10, 2020) |
30,973 | 2,581 | ... that a Suara journalist was partially blinded while covering the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests? |
| Shooting Star (Glee) (Apr. 14, 2013) |
46,208 - (20,646 + 10,162)/2 = 30,804 | 3,851 | ... that "Shooting Star", the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of Glee, has been characterized as "unsettling" and "harrowing" by pre-broadcast reviewers? |
| 2020 FA Cup Final (Aug. 1, 2020) |
44,900 – (11,515 + 17,012)/2 = 30,637 | ... that Arsenal extended their FA Cup winners record in the 2020 FA Cup Final against Chelsea at Wembley today? | |
| Until Dawn (Sep. 11, 2015) |
29,958 | 2,497 | ... that Until Dawn, a survival horror video game, has a game mechanic called "butterfly effect"? |
| Tayseer Sboul (Mar. 2, 2020) |
28,188 | 1,174 | ... that Tayseer Sboul, one of Jordan's most celebrated writers, wrote some erotic poems? |
| Labia minor (Apr. 1, 2011) |
27,700 | 3,462 | ... that a typical Labia minor is chocolate brown, up to 7 mm long, and is equipped with pincers? |
| 2019 Rugby World Cup Final (Nov. 2, 2019) |
26,690 | ... that today's 2019 Rugby World Cup Final between England and South Africa is a repeat of the 2007 final? | |
| Disappearance of Michele Anne Harris (Sept. 11, 2021) |
26,539 | 1,106 | ... that after Michele Anne Harris disappeared 20 years ago today, her husband was tried four times for her murder before being acquitted? |
| Malus baccata (Apr. 1, 2011) |
26,100 | 3,262 | ... that 14-metre (46 ft) tall Siberian crabs are being used in experimental breeding programs? |
| The Great Train Robbery (TV series) (Dec. 18, 2011) |
12,346 + 13,581 = 25,927 | 2,160 | ... that the BBC filmed The Great Train Robbery in Yorkshire, as it was the "most cost-effective and realistic alternative" to filming in 1960s England? |
| 2019 FA Cup Final (May 18, 2019) |
25,906 | ... that Watford's appearance in today's FA Cup Final is their first since 1984? | |
| Emil Gross (Jul 23-24, 2014) |
25,861 | 2,155 | ... that Emil Gross set a Major League Baseball record by appearing in 87 games as catcher? |
| John's Phone (Sep. 27, 2011) |
25,500 | 2,125 | ... that John's Phone has been dubbed "the world's simplest phone"? |
| Harry Powers (Oct. 31, 2011) |
25,500 | 2,125 | ... that Harry Powers said that watching his victims die was more fun than a brothel? |
| Natalia Poklonskaya (Jun. 6, 2014) |
25,586 - (1,220+945)/2 = 24,501 | 2,042 | ... that the Prosecutor General of Crimea, Natalia Poklonskaya, is barred from entering European Union countries? |
| Holden's Lightning flight (Apr. 23, 2019) |
24,741 | 1,030 | ... that an engineer inadvertently took off in an English Electric Lightning fighter jet after engaging the afterburner by mistake? |
| La Pelegrina pearl (Aug. 27, 2020) |
24,500 | 3,062 | ... that a wanderer survived both the French Revolution of 1789–99 and the Russian Revolution 127 years later? |
| Loring Air Force Base Alert crew Mole hole Christmas tree (aviation) Loring Air Force Base Alert Area Elephant walk (aviation) Minimum Interval Takeoff (Nov. 11, 2012) |
4,153 + 1,571 + 5,169 + 3,942 + 750 + 5,779 + 3,133 = 24,497 | 2,661 | ... that Loring AFB alert crews would scramble from a mole hole, run to awaiting jets on a christmas tree (both within the alert area), and perform an elephant walk and a MITO, all within fifteen minutes? |
| Farrah Fawcett red swimsuit poster (Apr. 1, 2011) |
24,495 | ... that Farrah Fawcett's iconic 1976 red swimsuit poster, regarded as the best-selling poster, is exhibited in the Smithsonian together with the swimsuit? | |
| Eleanor Butler (Jul. 1, 2015) |
16,355 + 8,050 = 24,405 | 2,033 | ... that in 1681, a white woman married an African slave in colonial Maryland, even though she knew that doing so would condemn her to a life of slavery? |
| Disappearance of Tiffany Whitton (Sep. 13, 2018) |
24,167 | 1,009 | ... that five years ago today, Tiffany Whitton left her handbag and flip-flops behind when she ran out of a Walmart at 2 a.m., and has not been seen since? |
| Nazis and Nazi Collaborators (Punishment) Law (Nov. 23, 2020) |
24,000 | 1,000 | ... that the Israeli Nazis and Nazi Collaborators (Punishment) Law was intended to punish Holocaust survivors rather than Holocaust perpetrators? |
| Elvis' Greatest Shit (Apr. 1, 2013) |
23,993 | 2,999 | ... that Elvis' greatest shit was dropped in 1982? |
| 2017 FA Cup Final (27 May 2017) |
35,415 - (9825 + 13,350)/2 = 23,828] | 993 | ... that Arsenal are looking to win a record 13th FA Cup at the FA Cup Final against Chelsea today? |
| Red or Black? (Jul. 11, 2011) |
23,300 | 2,912 | ... that Simon Cowell conceived the idea for Red or Black?, the most expensive game show ever made? |
| Battle of Palmdale (Mar. 25, 2015) |
23,246 | 1,937 | ... that missiles from USAF fighter planes started dozens of fires in the Battle of Palmdale? |
| Cardboard bicycle (Feb. 4, 2013) |
23,245 | 2,906 | ... that a cardboard bicycle has been made that weighs just 20 pounds (9.1 kg) and can support up to 220 kilograms (490 lb)? |
| Vincent Mroz (Dec. 3, 2012) |
20,846 + 2,264 = 23,110 | 2,889 | ... that United States Secret Service agent Vincent Mroz shot an attempted presidential assassin in the "biggest gunfight in Secret Service history"? |
| Battle of the Saw (Nov 19, 2020) |
23,083 | 962 | ... that a Carthaginian army trapped 40,000 rebels and starved them into cannibalism before attacking and killing every man at the Battle of the Saw? |
| Devil's Cigarette Lighter (May 2, 2013) |
20,923 + 2,126 = 23,049 | 2,881 | ... that John Glenn saw the Devil's Cigarette Lighter from orbit? |
| Operation London Bridge (Mar. 29, 2017) |
22,837 | 952 | ... that use of the code phrase "London Bridge is down" will signal the death of Queen Elizabeth II? |
| Lyle Stevik (Mar. 5, 2015) |
17,285 + 5,210 = 22,495 | 1,874 | ... that Lyle Stevik's true identity has never been discovered? |
| Disappearance of Brian Shaffer (Mar. 31, 2016) |
22,412 | 1,868 | ... that ten years ago today, Brian Shaffer walked into a bar in Columbus, Ohio, and hasn't been seen since? |
| Angel Island mouse (Oct. 18, 2011) |
22,400 | 1,866 | ... that the entire population of Angel Island mice on the island of Estanque in the Gulf of California may have been killed by a single domestic cat in a period of just two years? |
| Fowler's Ghost (Oct. 31, 2011) |
22,400 | 1,866 | ... that Fowler's Ghost was first seen on the London Metropolitan Railway in 1861, nearly exploded and was never seen again after 1895? |
| People sniffer (Oct. 30, 2008) |
22,000 | ... that during the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong hung buckets of mud with urine in trees to thwart American people sniffers? | |
| 2020 London Marathon (Oct. 4 2020) |
21,991 | 917 | ... that today's London Marathon is not being run on its usual course, but instead as 19.6 laps around St James's Park, to prevent spectators from attending? |
| Andrew Báthory (Apr. 5, 2017) |
21,949 | 915 | ... that the severed head of Andrew Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, was sewn back on? |
| Razing of Friesoythe (Apr. 4, 2018) |
21,843 | 910 | ... that on 14 April 1945, the German town of Friesoythe was deliberately burnt down by the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division and the ruins bulldozed on the orders of its commander? |
| Segregated prom (Apr. 3, 2010) |
21,800 | ... that despite criticism, some high schools in the United States still hold separate segregated proms for black and white students? | |
| Bunkers in Albania (Jan. 29, 2012) |
21,784 | 2,723 | ... that over 700,000 bunkers were built in Communist-era Albania, most of which now have little use other than as a place to lose one's virginity? |
| Brilliant Pebbles (Jan. 5, 2018) |
21,772 | 907 | ... that after dismissing the basic concept as "outlandish", Edward Teller later supported Brilliant Pebbles as a way to shoot down Soviet ICBMs? |
| Fugging (Apr. 1, 2014) |
21,722 | ... that Fucking was renamed Fugging for an unknown reason? | |
| Peter Fleischmann, The Hamburg Syndrome (Sep. 14, 2021) |
2,384 + 19,252 = 21,636 |
... that Peter Fleischmann directed the cult film The Hamburg Syndrome, which foresaw a scenario similar to the COVID-19 pandemic as early as 1979? | |
| Russian Bank (Oct. 13, 2020) |
21,573 | ... that Russian Bank, also known as Crapette or Tunj, has been called "probably the best game for two players ever invented"? | |
| Muria people premarital sex (Aug. 27, 2011) |
18,700+ 2,800= 21,500 |
... that although the Muria generally encourage premarital sex, some communities punish young people who take the same sexual partner for more than three nights? | |
| Armenian Genocide denial (April 24, 2021) |
21,452 | 1788 | ... that Turkish schoolchildren are taught that the Armenian Genocide never happened and instead, Armenians committed genocide against Turks? |
| Dewi Sandra Quickie Express (Oct. 27, 2011) |
12,200 + 9,200 = 21,400 | 1,783 | ... that Sandra Dewi gave an "arousing" performance in Quickie Express, but has refused to do "vulgar" photo shoots? |
| Naked (Glee) (Feb. 1, 2013) |
24,040 + 12,821 - 8,234 -7,319 = 21,308 | 1,775 | ... that in the Glee episode "Naked", when Lea Michele's character Rachel was "Torn" over having to do a topless scene, Michele had to film the song twice so she could duet with herself? |
| Disappearance of Leah Roberts (March 18, 2015) |
19,692 + 1,587 = 21,279 | 1,773 | ... that though police investigating the disappearance of Leah Roberts found her wrecked Jeep 15 years ago today, they only looked under the hood in 2006 and saw the starter relay wire had been cut? |
| Big Tips Texas, Redneck Heaven (Sep. 19, 2018) |
9,614 + 11,561 = 21,175 | 882 | ... that Big Tips Texas features scantily-clad waitresses from Redneck Heaven, a breastaurant whose body-paint events led to nudity law changes in at least three Texas municipalities? |
| List of Billboard Social 50 number-one acts (Jan. 21, 2013) |
21,166 | 2,731 | ... that Canadian singer Justin Bieber holds the record for the most consecutive weeks at number-one on the Billboard Social 50 with 24? |
| Escape of Viktor Pestek and Siegfried Lederer from Auschwitz (Sep. 13, 2018) |
21,134 | 880 | ... that a Jewish prisoner at the Auschwitz concentration camp escaped disguised as an SS guard along with an SS-Rottenführer? |
| German submarine U-710 (Jan. 2, 2021) |
21,073 | 878 | ... that U-710 was sunk only ten days after beginning her first patrol? |
| John C. Colt (Oct. 31, 2011) |
21,000 | 1,750 | ... that the unusual way that John C. Colt disposed of his murder victim's corpse may have influenced Edgar Allen Poe's story "The Oblong Box"? |
| Falcon Nest (May 1, 2017) |
20,954 | 873 | ... that Falcon Nest is the tallest single-family home in North America? |
| In the Presence of Mine Enemies (Playhouse 90) (Sep. 30, 2020) |
20,907 | 871 | ... that Leon Uris called Rod Serling's In the Presence of Mine Enemies "the most disgusting presentation in the history of American television" and demanded that the negative be burned? |
| Rio de Flag (Apr. 1, 2021) – April Fool's Day |
20,815 | 1,735 | ... that there has been a bottomless pit in East Flagstaff, Arizona, for more than 100 years? |
| List of fastest production motorcycles (Jun. 29, 2011) |
20,800 | 3,466 | ... that the competition to build the fastest production motorcycle raged for over a century, and then ended in a truce? |
| Cathy Wayne (Feb. 26, 2009) |
20,700 | ... that pop entertainer Cathy Wayne was the first Australian woman killed in the Vietnam War, when a US Marine shot her on stage while she was performing? | |
| 2017 EFL Cup Final (Feb. 26 2017) |
20,694 | 1,725 | ... that Southampton reached the 2017 EFL Cup Final against Manchester United today without conceding a goal? |
| Salty and Roselle (Apr. 19, 2012) |
20,611 | ... that two guide dogs, Salty and Roselle, were awarded the Dickin Medal for gallantry after leading their blind owners out of the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks? | |
| Thunderbolt (Savin Rock) (Jun. 27, 2017) |
20,604 | 859 | ... that the Thunderbolt was damaged by lightning and then destroyed by a hurricane? |
| Gabi (dog) (Apr. 18, 2012) |
20,545 | 1,700 | ... that a dog named Gabi fought a jaguar, preventing the big cat's escape from the Belgrade Zoo onto the streets of Belgrade? |
| Airborne Cigar | 20,538 | ... that Airborne Cigar confused German night fighters by broadcasting sound over the voices of their ground controllers? | |
| Citizens! During shelling this side of the street is the most dangerous (May 9, 2019) |
20,508 | 854 | ... that during the siege of Leningrad, citizens were warned that "this side of the street is the most dangerous"? |
| Android lawn statues (Nov. 10, 2011) |
20,400 | 1,700 | ... that Google keeps giant dessert items on its lawn? |
| City of London swords (Feb. 5, 2018) |
20,246 (=18,902+1,344) | 844 | ... that Queen Elizabeth II planned to hit Idi Amin with the Pearl Sword if he came to her Silver Jubilee, according to Lord Mountbatten? |
| Men's parking space (Jul. 11, 2011) |
20,077 | 2,509 | ... that the two men's parking spaces in Triberg, Germany, have drawn accusations of sexism? |
| The River (1997 film) (Dec. 16, 2010) |
20,000 | ... that The River was called a "porn movie" by the lead actor's father? | |
| The Lincoln Project (Jun. 1, 2020) |
22,955 - (1,000 + 4,933)/2 = 19,988 | 1,665 | ... that four prominent Republicans have endorsed a Democrat for president in 2020? |
| Language Integrator | 19,919 | 830 | ... that the Language Integrator is a peep show intended only for inhabitants of the 82nd century to use? |
| Fit in or fuck off (Nov. 17, 2017) |
19,895 | ... that the phrase "fit in or fuck off" – an organizational paradigm – has conceptually been appropriated to other contexts? | |
| Ding Dang (Sep. 8, 2021) |
19,885 | ... that the Beach Boys' song "Rollin' Up to Heaven" had a chorus that consisted of the lines "alley-oop", "fuck her", and "big tits"? | |
| United States free speech exceptions (Jan. 11, 2012) |
19,800 | 2,475 | ... that there are eight exceptions to the freedom of speech in the United States? |
| Dark Hedges (May 11, 2017) |
19,766 | 824 | ... that the Dark Hedges tree tunnel, a popular tourist destination since it was used as the King's Road in Game of Thrones, might not last twenty years? |
| George Spencer (New Haven) (Nov. 13, 2011) |
19,700 | 1,641 | ... that a stillborn, deformed piglet's resemblance to George Spencer led to him becoming the first white man executed in Connecticut? |
| Han solo (trilobite) (Apr 1, 2009 – April Fool's Day) |
19,700 | ... that a team of archaeologists discovered a fossilized Han Solo in the rocks of China? | |
| Henri Salmide March 19, 2010 |
19,654 | 3,276 | ... that Heinz Stahlschmidt was credited with saving 3,500 French lives when he refused to blow up the port of Bordeaux and instead blew up the munitions bunker, killing approximately 50 Germans? |
| Cow by Bear (June 30 2021) |
19,616 | ... that in San Diego, you can get a steak dinner made by a bear? | |
| Black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley (May 11, 2011) |
19,600 | ... that "That Dress", worn by Elizabeth Hurley at the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994, has been voted the greatest red carpet dress of all time and is perhaps Gianni Versace's best-known creation? | |
| Prada Marfa (Apr. 1, 2010 – April Fool's Day) |
19,600 | ... that the Prada Store in Marfa, Texas, is never open? | |
| Guy Fort (Apr. 17, 2017) |
19,533 | 814 | ... that Brigadier General Guy Fort is the only American-born general officer to be executed by enemy forces? |
| Green Versace "jungle" dress of Jennifer Lopez (May 25, 2011) |
19,500 | ... that David Duchovny said, "I'm sure that nobody is looking at me", when standing beside Jennifer Lopez who was wearing her "jungle" Versace dress? | |
| SS Clifton (Oct. 31, 2017) |
19,499 | 812 | ... that the whaleback SS Clifton disappeared for over 90 years? |
| Murder of Joey Fischer (Mar. 3, 2017) |
19,477 | 2,434 | ... that Joey Fischer was murdered after he refused to take US$500 to date his ex-girlfriend? |
| Unwritten rules of baseball (May 16, 2019) |
19,457 | 1,621 | ... that Michael Jordan broke one of the unwritten rules of baseball? |
| Forest ring (Sep. 1, 2017) |
19,451 | 1,621 | ... that forest rings had gone unnoticed by geologists until aerial photography became a common surveying tool in the 1950s? |
| Blood rain (Apr. 1, 2010 – April Fool's Day) |
19,400 | ... that a rain of blood in Germany foreshadowed the coming of the Black Death? | |
| Murder of Julia Martha Thomas (Jul. 20, 2011) |
19,400 | 2,425 | ... that the severed head of Julia Martha Thomas, murdered, boiled and dismembered by her maid in 1879, was found next door to Sir David Attenborough's house in 2010? |
| Ratón (Aug. 19, 2011) |
19,300 | ... that a terrible Mouse weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb) has killed three people in Spain in the last five years? | |
| Military tiara (Aug. 3, 2017) |
19,086 | 795 | ... that the United States Marine Corps tiara was designed by the New York fashion house Mainbocher? |
| John le Fucker (Apr. 1, 2013) |
16,673 + 2,291 = 18,964 | 2,371 | ... that John le Fucker's name probably did not mean what you might think it means? |
| Napoleon's penis (Jan. 25, 2021) |
18,960 | 1,580 | ... that Napoleon's penis, which was cut off after his death, has been described as comparable to a "piece of leather or a shriveled eel"? |
| Pepsi Cool Cans (Apr. 1. 2020) |
18,945 | 789 | ... that you can have sex with two cans of Pepsi, though one might need to be twisted? |
| Whose Boat Is This Boat? (Nov. 4, 2018) |
19,682 - (758 + 867)/2 = 18,870 | 786 | ... that Donald Trump "accidentally" contributed to a children's book? |
| Death of Mustafa Tamimi (Jul. 11, 2018) |
18,832 | 784 | ... that the Israel Defense Forces exonerated the soldier who killed Mustafa Tamimi with a tear-gas canister (incident pictured), saying the soldier had not seen "any people in the line of fire"? |
| Radioplane OQ-17 (Jan. 3, 2018) |
18,832 | 784 | ... that the Radioplane OQ-17 target drone was claimed to be able to match the maneuverability of any fighter aircraft of the mid-1940s? |
| The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) (Jun. 17, 2011) |
23,900 - (5,400 + 4,800)/2 = 18,800 | 3,133 | ... that The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) has been banned by the British Board of Film Classification? |
| Eriksen M/25 (Jan 4, 2017) |
18,789 | 783 | ... that although only a single example of the Eriksen M/25 machine gun was built, it saw service in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign? |
| Rosemary's Baby (miniseries) (May 12, 2014) |
4,212 + 19,080-(2655+6353)/2 = 18,788 | 1,534 | ... that the 2014 adaptation of Rosemary's Baby starring Zoe Saldana is set in Paris rather than New York City like the original novel? |
| Jack Sumner (July 27, 2018) |
18,731 | 780 | ... that Grand Canyon explorer Jack Sumner intentionally castrated himself? |
| XYYY syndrome (April 12, 2021) |
18,678 | 1,557 | ... that XYYY syndrome, a chromosome abnormality in which a man has two extra Y chromosomes, has only been recorded twelve times? |
| Diethyl azodicarboxylate (Apr. 1, 2011 – April Fool's Day) |
18,600 | 2,325 | ... that even small amounts of dead cat can explode when heated? |
| 2018 FA Cup Final (May 19, 2018) |
26,426 – (6,075 + 9,647)/2 = 18,565 | 773 | ... that Manchester United are looking to match Arsenal's FA Cup winner's record in today's 2018 FA Cup Final against Chelsea? |
| Rico Harris (Oct. 10, 2016) |
18,556 | 1,546 | ... that after the 6-foot-9-inch (206 cm), 300-pound (140 kg) former Harlem Globetrotter Rico Harris disappeared two years ago today, searchers wondered why they could find no trace of such a large man? |
| Disease X (Apr. 7, 2020) |
18,531 = 20,127 - (1,482 + 1,710)/2 | 772 | ... that the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is rapidly becoming the first true pandemic challenge that fits the World Health Organization's Disease X category"? |
| National Masturbation Day (Mar. 21, 2012) |
18,466 | 2,308 | ... that National Masturbation Day, an annual event celebrated in the US in May, was first observed in 1995? |
| The Cock (Jun. 24, 2020) |
18,461 | 2,307 | ... that you can't take pictures of The Cock? |
| Lost Nigger Gold Mine (Mar. 7, 2012) |
18,452 | 2,306 | ... that the legendary Lost Nigger Gold Mine, first discovered in 1887, was still being searched for in 1930? |
| Flanderization (Mar. 19, 2021) |
18,440 | 1,537 | ... that oversimplifying a fictional character over the course of a show's run is called Flanderization, after Ned Flanders of The Simpsons? |
| Law Ting Holm (Apr. 1, 2011 – April Fool's Day) |
18,400 | 2,300 | ... that nesting is not used by breeding Mute Swans but they do use this thing? |
| Hexagonal water (Nov. 1, 2011) |
18,400 | 1,533 | ... that hexagonal water, a configuration of water that supposedly stops aging, is a marketing scam? |
| Star Trek: The God Thing (Jan. 29, 2015) |
18,346 | 1,528 | ... that Gene Roddenberry blamed religious executives of Paramount Studios for its rejection of Star Trek: The God Thing? |
| United Airlines Flight 976 (Oct. 20, 2020) |
28,405 | 1,184 | ... that an investment banker was arrested after getting drunk and defecating on a food cart in the first-class section of an international flight 25 years ago today? |
| Disappearing Model (May 1, 2009) |
18,300 | ... that Disappearing Model, a body painting in which a model is painted so that she is indistinguishable from her background, is Joanne Gair's most famous work and was displayed on Ripley's Believe It or Not!? | |
| Toilet plume (Jun. 9, 2017) |
18,287 | 762 | ... that there is indirect, but unconfirmed, evidence of certain diseases being spread by toilet plume? |
| Wrangell Bombardment (Nov. 16, 2017) |
18,232 | 760 | ... that the U.S. Army bombarded the village of Wrangell, Alaska, in 1869 to force the handover of the first man to be given the death penalty under U.S. rule? |
| Battle of Caen (1346) (Jan. 22, 2019) |
18,190 | 758 | ... that after capturing the French town of Caen in 1346, an English army massacred the population and engaged in an orgy of rape? |
| Sigma war games (Dec. 17, 2014) |
18,164 | ... that as early as 1962 the Sigma war games predicted that American intervention in the Vietnam War would be unsuccessful? | |
| James Ferguson (Scottish politician) (Jan. 28, 2013) |
14,264 + 3,813 = 18,077 | 2,260 | ... that James Ferguson was so ugly that his own mother warned him against being mistaken for a rapist? |
| Nasone (Aug. 23, 2017) |
18,049 | 752 | ... that Romans like to drink out of large noses? |
| Ines Rau (Nov. 2, 2017) |
18,001 | 750 | ... that Ines Rau is the first transgender woman to be a Playboy Playmate? |
| Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr. (Mar. 23, 2012) |
17,992 | 2,249 | ... that in spite of being shot eight times, Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr. ordered his men to tie him to a tree so he could keep fighting, action for which he received the Medal of Honor? |
| James Muri (Feb.11, 2013) |
17,974 | 2,237 | ... that World War II pilot James Muri's only means of escape, after attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi, was to fly down along the line of her flight deck? |
| World Naked Gardening Day (Apr. 5, 2012) |
17,935 | 1,195 | ... that World Naked Gardening Day, celebrated in May to promote nude gardening, was first observed in 2005? |
| 2008 Kerry bogslide (Sep. 9, 2008) |
17,900 | ... that the 2008 Kerry bogslide was described as "one of the most frightening and overwhelming events ever witnessed"? | |
| Battle of Grunwald (painting) (Feb. 24, 2012) |
17,856 | 2,232 | ... that the masterpiece painting Battle of Grunwald by Jan Matejko was among the most wanted artifacts that Nazi Germany planned to destroy? |
| ASV Mark III radar (May 12, 2019) |
17,754 | 740 | ... that the ASV Mark III radar was able to hunt down German U-boats with deadly efficiency in part because of a little white lie? |
| Henryk Siwiak homicide (Sept. 11, 2016) |
17,707 | 738 | ... that the unsolved shooting death of Henryk Siwiak 15 years ago today is officially the only homicide that occurred in New York City on 9/11? |
| Boeing RC-1 (Sep. 8, 2014) |
17,700 | ... that the Boeing RC-1, designed to haul ore and oil out of the Arctic, would have been twice the size and weight of the largest aircraft ever built? | |
| Rainbow Canyon (California) (Apr. 25, 2017) |
17,641 | 735 | ... that the US military refers to Death Valley's Rainbow Canyon as Star Wars Canyon? |
| Pichi (Jul. 23, 2014) |
17,604 | 1,466 | ... that male pichis have a penis that is 60% of their body length, even though the females have no vagina? |
| Commodore Nutt (Jan. 30, 2008) |
17,600 | … that Commodore Nutt grew only 37 inches (94 cm) tall? | |
| A Free Ride (Feb. 14, 2012) |
17,510 | 2,188 | ... that A Free Ride is considered to be the earliest surviving American hardcore pornographic film? |
| Fredy Hirsch (Sep. 11, 2018) |
17,493 | 728 | ... that Fredy Hirsch saved the lives of children at Auschwitz by impressing SS guards, even though he was Jewish and openly gay? |
| Trumpington bed burial Bed burial (Mar. 28, 2012) |
12,792 + 4,690 = 17,482 | 2,185 | ... that a 7th-century grave in Cambridge discovered in 2011 held the remains of an Anglo-Saxon teenage girl who was lying on a bed, with a gold and garnet cross on her breast? |
| Meat dress of Lady Gaga (May 20, 2011) |
9260 + 10584 - (784 + 3979) / 2 = 17,463 | ... that the meat dress of Lady Gaga was to be preserved by being made into a type of jerky? | |
| Charlie Aust (Sep. 16, 2021) |
17,461 | ... that the last commanding officer of the Rhodesian Light Infantry, Charlie Aust, described himself as "seedy moustache, glasses and intensely ugly" so soldiers knew how to identify him? | |
| 1900 English beer poisoning (March 21 and 23, 2018) |
13017+4425=17,452 | 364 | ... that the 1900 English beer poisoning, in which more than 6,000 drinkers were poisoned by arsenic, was misdiagnosed for months as alcoholic neuritis? |
| Emery ball, Russ Ford, Ray Keating, Ed Sweeney, Cy Falkenberg, Earle Gardner (May 15, 2021) |
12,531 + 1,406 + 1,317 + 814 + 737 + 594 = 17,399 | 725 | ... that Russ Ford developed the emery ball pitch and taught it to Ed Sweeney and Earle Gardner, who taught it to Cy Falkenberg, before it was outlawed by Major League Baseball when Ray Keating was caught using it? |
| Spendius (October 26, 2020) |
17,336 | 722 | .. that when the army of Spendius was surrounded, his men ate their horses, their prisoners, and then their slaves before forcing him to negotiate? |
| 1111 Lincoln Road (Jan. 6, 2012) |
17,300 | 2,165 | ... that a parking garage in Miami Beach was described as having a "stunning" design and has hosted weddings, wine tastings, and dinner parties? |
| Canadian Idiot (Jul. 1, 2021) |
17,272 | 720 | ... that the song "Canadian Idiot" satirizes American xenophobia? |
| Hooks Island (Oct. 2, 2020) |
17,246 | 718 | ... that unauthorized persons are not allowed to go to Hooks Island? |
| Buxbaumia (Apr. 1, 2010 – April Fool's Day) |
17,200 | ... that humpbacked elves are rarely seen because their bodies are microscopic? | |
| Lighthouse and naval vessel urban legend (Sep. 24, 2011) |
17,200 | 1,433 | ... that the Military Officers Association of America reports that the "I'm a lighthouse. Your call" urban legend is forwarded to the organization an average of three times a day? |
| Hypoalgesic effect of swearing (Aug. 21, 2013) |
15,818 + 1,368 = 17,186 | ... that you should swear when you hurt yourself? | |
| D. J. Wilson 2017–18 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team (June 23, 2017) |
15,699 + 1,364=17,063 | 718.4 | ... that D. J. Wilson entered the 2017 NBA draft rather than staying in college and playing for the 2017–18 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team? |
| Stefanie Rabatsch (May 2012) |
15,181 + 1,849 = 17,030 | 2,129 | ... that Adolf Hitler was so hopelessly in love with Stefanie Isak when he was a teenager that he planned to kill both her and himself in the Danube? |
| Béatrice Saubin (Nov. 6, 2017) |
17,024 | 709 | ... that the Malaysian High Court sentenced 22-year-old Frenchwoman Béatrice Saubin to death by hanging for smuggling 534 grams (1.177 lb) of pure grade heroin? |
| The Black Swan, Oldstead (Oct. 26, 2017) |
17,021 | 709 | ... that The Black Swan at Oldstead is rated the best restaurant in the world by TripAdvisor? |
| The Story of Menstruation (Apr. 1, 2009 – April Fool's Day) |
17,000 | ... that in Disney's animated film The Story of Menstruation, the flow is snow white? | |
| Hanging Sword Alley (Mar. 9, 2018) |
16,955 | 706 | ... that Hanging Sword Alley was also known as "Blood Bowl Alley" after its infamous night life? |
| Satanic nightjar (Nov. 20, 2019) |
16,933 | 705 | ... that the Satanic nightjar can make a growling noise when disturbed? |
| Jacqueline Voltaire (May 12, 2008) |
16,900 | ... that British actress Jacqueline Voltaire won a "most bizarre sex scene" award in 2005 for her performance in the Mexican film Matando Cabos? | |
| Clubfoot George (Apr. 1, 2011) |
16,900 | 2,112 | ... that Clubfoot George was executed by vigilantes because they believed that he was innocent? |
| Black Destroyer (Nov 15, 2016) |
16,715 | ... that the short story "Black Destroyer" was the basis for A. E. van Vogt's lawsuit against 20th Century Fox, as the plot of the movie Alien matched it so closely? | |
| This (fly) (Dec 12, 2017) |
16,704 | 696 | ... that This is found in southern Australia, is attracted to decomposing seaweed, and has an unusual mating position? |
| Cheese slaw (Oct. 6, 2016) |
16,686 | 695 | ... that cheese slaw is sometimes used as a topping for hot dogs? |
| Disappearance of Nicole Morin (Nov. 16, 2020) |
16,626 | 692 | ... that despite the biggest missing-person investigation in the history of the Toronto Police Service, no physical evidence regarding the 1985 disappearance of Nicole Morin was ever found? |
| Revolt of the Admirals (September 30, 2020) |
16,365 | 682 | ... that in 1949 the admirals were revolting? |
| Marvel Swimsuit Special (June 19, 2019) |
16,256 | 677 | ... that Marvel Comics published a parody of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue featuring artwork of superheroes in bathing suits? |
| Alien Spidy (Apr. 1, 2015 – April Fool's Day) |
15,039 + 1,553 = 16,592 | ... that extraterrestrial spiders have only six legs? | |
| Project Camelot (Mar. 19, 2015) |
15,260 + 1,311 = 16,571 | ... that the U.S. Army cancelled Project Camelot on the day Congress began investigating it? | |
| Tsutomu Yamaguchi (Mar. 31, 2009) |
16,500 | ... that Tsutomu Yamaguchi is the only known survivor of the atomic bombings of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II? | |
| Ate my balls (Apr. 1, 2021) |
16,416 | ... that Mr. Spock ate my balls? | |
| Huey Long (Oct. 2, 2020) |
18,984 - (2,255 + 2,998)/2 = 16,358 | 681 | ... that President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarded Senator Huey Long of Louisiana as "one of the two most dangerous men in America"? |
| John 3:7 (sign) (Aug. 18, 2009) |
16,300 | ...that John 3:7, once flung from a train window, made the news again in 2009 after going missing on a train? | |
| The Big Bend (Jul. 25, 2017)</small |
16,299 | 1,358 | ... that The Big Bend, which would be the world's longest building if built, was designed to circumvent zoning regulations? |
| Disappearance of Asha Kreimer (September 2, 2016) |
16,293 | 679 | ... that Asha Kreimer disappeared on her way to the restroom of the Rollerville Cafe in Flumeville? |
| Triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's (Aug. 18, 2016) |
17553 - (1834+749) /2 = 16,262 | ... that Jonathan Brownlee collapsed almost immediately after crossing the finish line at the men's triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics? | |
| Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – An 80th Birthday Portrait (Sep. 7, 2016) |
16,141 | 673 | ... that following the arrest of Rolf Harris, no one knows the location of his painting, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – An 80th Birthday Portrait? |
| Cray-3 (Jan 3, 2017) |
16,119 | 672 | ... that when Seymour Cray designed the Cray-3 supercomputer, he insisted that the processor fit into a 1-cubic-foot (0.028 m3) block? |
| Polynesian Dog (Mar. 24, 2017) |
16,104 | 671 | ... that the extinct Polynesian Dog never became feral because of the scarcity of food in the forests of Polynesia? |
| State v. Linkhaw (Apr. 7, 2021) |
16,081 | 1,341 | ... that in State v. Linkhaw, the North Carolina Supreme Court reversed the conviction of a man who sang so badly in church that a jury had found him guilty of "disturbing a religious congregation"? |
| Montecristo (Mar. 6, 2012) |
16,035 | 2,004 | ... that the Italian island of Montecristo, although 10.39 km2 (4.01 sq mi) in area, is almost deserted, having only two stable inhabitants? |
| Ain't (Aug. 4, 2014) |
12,641 + 3,386 = 16,027 | 1,334 | ... that there ain't no more? |
| Roy Wiggins (Jun. 21, 2017) |
16,014 | 667 | ... that Roy Wiggins claimed to have ruined 80 million records? |
| John Hervey, 7th Marquess of Bristol (Nov. 17, 2016) |
15,980 | 665 | ... that the 7th Marquess of Bristol once reportedly opened a fridge door by blasting it with a shotgun? |
| Ilse Hess (Apr. 21, 2017) |
15,944 | 664 | ... that Ilse Hess, who was one of the first women to study at the University of Munich, remained a committed Nazi after World War II? |
| Ntrepid (Apr. 1, 2011 – April Fool's Day) |
15,900 | 1,987 | ... that Ntrepid was paid $2.76 million by the U.S. military to create sock puppets? |
| Death of Margaret Martin (Oct. 6-7, 2015) | 15,865 | 755 | ... that after the death of Margaret Martin in 1938, plainclothes police officers attended her funeral in the hopes of spotting possible suspects? |
| Maurice (emperor) (Aug. 14, 2018) |
15,838 | 660 | ... that the deposed Byzantine emperor Maurice was forced to watch his six sons executed before he was beheaded himself? |
| Samson Isberg Murder of Knut Grøte (Apr. 4, 2012) |
9,620+ 6,196= 15,816 |
1,977 | ... that Samson Isberg's last beheadings were attended by about 5,000 spectators? |
| Hermann Hogeback (Dec. 20, 2012) |
14,668 + 1,145 = 15,813 | 1,318 | ... that Hermann Hogeback's entire bomber crew was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II, a unique distinction in the Luftwaffe? |
| Lepiota brunneoincarnata (Nov. 7, 2017) |
15,806 | 659 | ... that people have been poisoned after mistaking the deadly dapperling for the grey knight? |
| Megapenthes lugens (Jun. 27, 2010) |
15,800 | ... that the Queen's executioner lives in Windsor Great Park and feeds on weevils and nectar? | |
| List of United States Presidents by net worth (Aug. 29, 2012) |
10,613 + 5,176 = 15,789 | 1,973 | ... that Harry Truman was the poorest U.S. President since 1929? |
| Abraham Lincoln's hearse (Mar. 22, 2017) |
15,759 | 1,313 | ... that Abraham Lincoln's "immense" hearse was escorted by 160,000 people as it was drawn through New York City? |
| MTB 345 (Nov. 15, 2012) |
14,168 + 1,576 = 15,744 | 1,989 | ... that the Norwegian-British crew of MTB 345 were tortured and executed as a result of Adolf Hitler's Commando Order? |
| 25 Luglio (Jul. 25, 2013) |
14,851 + 873 = 15,724 | 1,966 | ... that on 25 July 1943, the Gran Consiglio del Fascismo asked the king to reassume power, provoking the fall of Italian Fascism and the arrest of Mussolini? |
| List of British colours lost in battle (Sep. 14, 2020) |
15,707 | ... that the last British colour lost in battle was in 1880? | |
| Boise homosexuality scandal (Jun. 9, 2009) |
15,700 | ... that a sex scandal in Boise, Idaho, in 1955 resulted in almost 1,500 people being interviewed and a list of 500 suspected homosexuals? | |
| White Tights (Dec. 9, 2008) |
15,700 | 1,962 | ... that White Tights are mysterious blonde female snipers from the Baltic states who have supposedly fought against the Russian Army in various conflicts? |
| The Rolling Stones (Oct. 9, 2017) |
15,637 | 652 | ... that The Rolling Stones are a British rock band? Okay, you probably did... |
| Searchlight Control radar (Feb. 19, 2018) |
15,626 | 686 | ... that British Army researchers developed SLC radar in their spare time after they grew tired of watching how "searchlight beams swung wildly about the sky but rarely found and held a target"? |
| Tyrannasorus rex (Feb. 1, 2013) |
15,612 | 1,952 | ... that Tyrannasorus rex had wings and six legs? |
| Death of Alloura Wells, Murder of Tess Richey, 2010–2017 Toronto serial homicides (Jun. 19, 2018) |
4,140 + 3,824 + 7,646 = 15,610 | 650 | ... that the deaths of Alloura Wells and Tess Richey, reported one day apart, renewed fears of a serial killer in Toronto's gay village? |
| Jerry Hardin (Jan. 11, 2012) |
15,600 | 1,950 | ... that Deep Throat's daughter is Monk's wife? |
| Dismaland (Aug. 27, 2015) |
15,598 | ... that Banksy described his Dismaland as a "family theme park unsuitable for children"? | |
| The Delectable Negro (Aug. 22, 2020) |
15,581 | ... that The Delectable Negro describes how Nat Turner's body was turned into "medicinal" grease? | |
| Cake and Cunnilingus Day (Apr. 1, 2021) |
15,555 | 1,296 | ... that 14 April is Cake and Cunnilingus Day? |
| Batman and Harley Quinn (June 26, 2017) |
15,542 | 648 | ... that in Batman and Harley Quinn, Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Batman? |
| Salar del Hombre Muerto (June. 11, 2019) |
15,529 | ... that the Salt Pan of the Dead Man is one of the most important sources of lithium in the world? | |
| Faces of Meth (Feb. 1, 2011) |
15,505 | ... that the Faces of Meth project shows before-and-after images documenting physical deterioration caused by meth use? | |
| TSS The Queen (Apr. 1, 2010 – April Fool's Day) |
15,500 | ... that The Queen was captured by the Germans in 1916? | |
| Kalantaka (May 25, 2011) |
15,500 | ... that the icon of "the Death of Death" is popular in South India? | |
| Disney bomb (Jun. 22, 2011) |
15,500 | 2,583 | ... that the Disney bomb of the Second World War is thought to have been inspired by the Walt Disney cartoon Victory Through Air Power? |
| Escape from Tomorrow (Jan. 29, 2013) |
13,665 + 2,462 - (869 + 403)/2 = 15,491 | 1,936 | ... that Escape from Tomorrow was covertly filmed on location at Disneyland and Walt Disney World without Disney's permission or knowledge, using iPhones to store scripts and schedules and record sound? |
| Viking raid on Seville (844)(May 2, 2017) | 15,471 | 645 | ... that when the Vikings occupied Seville in 844, they tried unsuccessfully to burn the city's great mosque? |
| The Boat Race 2008 (Jul. 21, 2014) |
1,176 + 14,294 = 15,470 | 1,263 | ... that the 2008 Boat Race featured the oldest ever competitor, a 36-year-old? |
| Abortion in Latvia (Jun. 22, 2013) |
15,446 | 1,931 | ... that in 1991 there were 34,633 births and 44,886 abortions in Latvia? |
| How Am I Supposed to Kill You If You Have All the Guns? (Jun. 26, 2009) |
15,441 | ... that How Am I Supposed to Kill You If You Have All the Guns? was described as "disgusting" by the parents of one of its creators? | |
| Frontier Series (Apr. 1, 2014) |
13,354 + 2,058 = 15,402 | ... that Canada's new money features too much pornography and not enough women? | |
| USCGC Chincoteague (WPB-1320), MY Titanic (Apr. 1, 2011) |
8,592 + 6,800 = 15,392 |
1,924 | ... that in 2010, three survivors of the Titanic were rescued by the USCGC Chincoteague? |
| Dylan Penn treats! (Sep. 9, 2014) |
12,213 + 3,149 = 15,362 | 1,340 | ... that Dylan Penn—daughter of Sean Penn and Robin Wright—declined a US$150,000 offer to pose for a Playboy cover, but later appeared nude behind a $6000 Fendi bag on a treats! cover? |
| Cheating in baseball (Jul. 1, 2021) |
15,337 | 1,278 | ... that pitchers are cheating in baseball with a glue invented for strongmen to hold Atlas balls? |
| Neurocracy (Oct. 12, 2021) |
15,316 | 638 | ... that in the browser game Neurocracy, players explore a fictional successor to Wikipedia launched in 2049? |
| Murder of Leigh Leigh (Aug. 21, 2014) |
12,398 + 2906 = 15,304 | 1,275 | ... that the murder of 14-year-old schoolgirl Leigh Leigh inspired a theatrical play that was later adapted into a feature film?' |
| Sharknado (Jul. 22, 2013) |
28,590 - 13,332 = 15,258 | 1,272 | ... that, in case of a Sharknado, a National Weather Service representative recommended staying indoors "whether sharks are raining down or not"? |
| Charlotte McKinney (Mar. 11, 2015) |
12,382 + 4,663 - (1,292 + 2,415) / 2 = 15,192 | 1,266 | ... that model Charlotte McKinney became "insta-famous" by posting pictures to Instagram? |
| IM 67118 (Jul. 11, 2019) |
15,165 | 632 | ... that a clay tablet at the National Museum of Iraq, dated to c. 1770 BCE, shows a calculation that uses the Pythagorean theorem—twelve centuries prior to the birth of Pythagoras? |
| Cut Sleeve (Apr. 1, 2016) |
15,159 | 1,895 | ... that He was gay? |
| Yuri Gagarin (Jul. 21, 2019) |
35,088 - (29,117 + 10,771)/2 = 15,144 | 631 | ... that pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space and first to orbit the Earth, ejected from his descending spacecraft at an altitude of about 7,000 metres (23,000 ft)? |
| 2019 Saudi Arabia mass execution (Jun. 26, 2019) |
15,115 | 629 | ... that the 37 civilians beheaded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in April 2019 included at least three who were minors at the time of their arrest? |
| Harry Bush (artist) (Dec. 19, 2017) |
14,853 + 182 = 15,035 | ... that Harry Bush obsessed that if anyone found out he was a gay erotic artist he would lose his American military pension? | |
| Free Republic of Nias (Jun. 18, 2020) |
15,011 | ... that a group of escaped German prisoners established a short-lived Nazi state in the Dutch East Indies? |
DYK page view leaders by month (over 416.7 views per hour)[edit]
NOTE: Per the discussion at Wikipedia talk:Did you know/Statistics, we have adjusted the threshold for inclusion on this page. As of 2020 December 1, hooks qualify if they received a minimum of 5,000 page views while appearing in a 12-hour queue or 10,000 page views during a 24-hour queue. This equates to 416.7 page views per hour, and for hooks displayed for any other length of time, the governing threshold is thus 416.7 views per hour.
February 2022[edit]
| Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apennine Colossus |  |
33,232 | 2,769.3 | ... that Francesco de' Medici enjoyed sitting inside the head of the Apennine Colossus (pictured) and fishing through its eyes? |
| Pie house |  |
43,343 | 1,806.0 | ... that the pie house (pictured) gained media attention from a viral TikTok that received more than one million views? |
| Mothica |  |
20,032 | 1,669.3 | ... that Mothica (pictured) credits TikTok for the success of her career as a musician? |
| Marsden Rock |  |
15,714 | 1,309.5 | ... that the naturally formed arch of Marsden Rock (pictured) collapsed in 1996 following a winter of storms? |
| President's House (Ninth Street) |  |
28,783 | 1,199.3 | ... that the President's House (pictured) never housed a president? |
| Eight-ball jacket | 27,492 | 1,145.5 | ... that at the height of their popularity, eight-ball jackets were such a status symbol in the East Coast hip hop scene that they were frequently stolen at gunpoint? | |
| Harrat Khaybar |  |
13,208 | 1,100.7 | ... that researchers used Google Earth to study mysterious Neolithic structures in the volcanic fields of Harrat Khaybar (pictured)? |
| Osteogenesis imperfecta |  |
12,707.5[a] | 1,059.0 | ... that osteogenesis imperfecta causes brittle bones and blue eyes (pictured)? |
| Nicole Kidman |  |
24,799[b] | 1,033.3 | ... that Nicole Kidman (pictured) is the first Australian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress? |
| Godzilla Megamullion | 12,165 | 1,013.8 | ... that the Godzilla Megamullion is at least ten times larger than all other known megamullions? | |
| Golden Retriever |  |
23,425.5[c] | 976.1 | ... that all Golden Retrievers (example pictured) descend from a golden-coloured Flat-coated Retriever named Nous and a Tweed Water Spaniel named Belle? |
| John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut | 11,647 | 970.6 | ... that John Wayne Bobbitt Uncut was the bestselling pornographic film of 1994 and had the most rentals that year in the United States? | |
| Palestinian enclaves |  |
11,573 | 964.4 | ... that the proposed Palestinian enclaves in the West Bank (map pictured) constitute an "archipelago" of 165 territories? |
| Zombie pornography | 22,752 | 948.0 | ... that zombie pornography emerged in the 1980s during a rise in the Italian sexploitation film industry? | |
| Princess of Xiaohe | 11,131 | 927.6 | ... that the Princess of Xiaohe, a 3,800-year-old mummy, was so well preserved that her eyelashes are still intact? | |
| JFK Reloaded | 10,994 | 916.2 | ... that the video game JFK Reloaded recreates the assassination of John F. Kennedy from the perspective of the killer? | |
| Hoosier Slide | 10,684 | 890.3 | ... that the Hoosier Slide was a popular tourist attraction until it was turned into glass? | |
| Magawa |  |
10,642 | 886.8 | ... that Magawa, an African giant pouched rat (example pictured), sniffed out more than 70 land mines in Cambodia? |
| Illusion of explanatory depth | 10,207 | 850.6 | ... that the illusion of explanatory depth leads people to overestimate how knowledgeable they are, but can be counteracted by asking them to explain how things work? | |
| Slutty Vegan | 10,053 | 837.8 | ... that the act of trying a burger at Slutty Vegan for the first time is known as being "sluttified"? | |
| Egyptian Queen | 20,048 | 835.3 | ... that Frank Frazetta's Egyptian Queen is the most expensive work of comic art ever sold at auction? | |
| Utah & Ether | 19,802 | 825.1 | ... that Utah & Ether's five-year, 30-country graffiti-tagging tour ended when a single dad got Ether in a headlock? | |
| Royal Navy cutlasses | 18,914 | 788.1 | ... that the Royal Navy only withdrew cutlasses from combat service in 1936? | |
| Killing of Halim Dener |  |
9,071 | 755.9 | ... that after a legal tussle, a mural (pictured) commemorating Halim Dener was declared to be an artwork? |
| Isabel Leighton |  |
8,833 | 736.1 | ... that Isabel Leighton (pictured), an actress and writer, created a chair in hematology at Yale University in honor of her husband? |
| Pilate cycle | 8,714 | 726.2 | ... that letters and reports continued to appear under Pontius Pilate's name for centuries after his death? | |
| Maud Holland | 8,668 | 722.3 | ... that when she was around eight years old, Maud Holland was married to Hugh Courtenay, with the approval of Pope Urban V? | |
| Lowe Kong Meng |  |
8,199 | 683.3 | ... that Lowe Kong Meng (pictured) imported goods for Chinese miners during the Victorian gold rush and became one of the wealthiest men in Victoria? |
| Banzai Bug | 8,052 | 671.0 | ... that the Windows 95 game Banzai Bug, in which a player controls a bug that must escape from an exterminator's house and is told as a war story, was created as "The Flight-Sim with an Attitude"? | |
| Zigzag House | 7,861 | 655.1 | ... that the Zigzag House was designed for two people who supported the circus arts? | |
| The Cutie Map | 7,339 | 611.6 | ... that two My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes are said to discuss Marxism and Stalinism? | |
| Twin Parks | 7,242 | 603.5 | ... that the Twin Parks housing project in New York City, the site of a January 2022 fire that killed seventeen people, won architectural awards after it was constructed in the early 1970s? | |
| Siren kings | 14,354 | 598.1 | ... that siren kings use music by Celine Dion in loudspeaker battles? | |
| Midnight Sun Mosque |  |
7,177 | 598.1 | ... that the northernmost mosque in the Western Hemisphere (pictured) was built in Winnipeg and shipped to Inuvik by barge and truck? |
| Siege of Bukhara | 14,353 | 598.0 | ... that Genghis Khan declared himself to be "the punishment of God" after capturing the city of Bukhara in 1220? | |
| Sea rewilding |  |
13,382 | 557.6 | ... that seas are being rewilded with seagrass (example pictured)? |
| Habitation and Logistics Outpost | 13,332 | 555.5 | ... that HALO will orbit the Moon? | |
| Brandon Tanev | 6,415 | 534.6 | ... that Brandon Tanev said he saw a ghost while his head shot was being taken for the Pittsburgh Penguins? | |
| Otto Jäger | 6,408 | 534.0 | ... that in 1917, flying ace Otto Jäger was wounded by a propeller? | |
| Dalai Lama's escape from China | 6,312 | 526.0 | ... that Mao Zedong initially approved the Dalai Lama's escape into Indian exile, but later ordered that it be prevented? | |
| Wallace's fruit dove | 6,276 | 523.0 | ... that Wallace's fruit dove has been described as being one of the most beautiful fruit doves? | |
| Antiparallelogram |  |
12,499 | 520.8 | ... that an antiparallelogram (example pictured) is a crossed quadrilateral with two pairs of equal-length edges? |
| Potamophylax coronavirus | 12,456 | 519.0 | ... that Potamophylax coronavirus's range has been described as a battlefield between scientists and hydropower plant management? | |
| Round house (Thames and Severn Canal) | 6,219 | 518.3 | ... that after viewing the Coates round house, the prospective occupant's fiancée refused to marry him unless the canal company made the property more habitable? | |
| Mount Yasumandake | 5,940 | 495.0 | ... that Mount Yasumandake was considered sacred to Buddhists, Shintoists, and Christians? | |
| History of the Jews in Hong Kong | 11,636 | 484.8 | ... that in the late 1800s, Hong Kong's small Jewish community was divided into two groups that would not even pray together? | |
| Yaanga | 5,809 | 484.1 | ... that Los Angeles was built with the labor of Indigenous Yaangavit people whose village was destroyed to make space for it? | |
| Jubilee coinage | 5,761 | 480.1 | ... that on the Jubilee coinage, Queen Victoria wore a crown so small that critics said it might fall off her head? | |
| Les Dés Sont Jetés | 3,662 | 305.2 | ... that when he saw the tapestry Les Dés Sont Jetés, Jørn Utzon exclaimed: "See that? Ours will be better!"? | |
| Homage to Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach | 2,087.5 | 174.0 | ||
| Total | 5,749.5 | 479.1 | ||
| McLaren MCL36 | 5,719 | 476.6 | ... that the McLaren MCL36, McLaren's 2022 Formula One car, has been in development since 2019 because of the pandemic's interruptions to the sport? | |
| Gentle on My Mind | 5,649 | 470.8 | ... that John Hartford wrote "Gentle on My Mind" in about half an hour after seeing Doctor Zhivago? | |
| Book of Common Prayer (1979) | 5,639 | 469.9 | ... that the 1979 Book of Common Prayer contains a Star Wars prayer? | |
| Asian Garden Mall | 5,565 | 463.8 | ... that a proposed footbridge connecting the Asian Garden Mall to another Vietnamese-American shopping center met opposition because it was deemed "too Chinese"? | |
| 1994 Dronka lightning strike | 11,105 | 462.7 | ... that a 1994 lightning strike in Egypt led to 469 deaths after oil tanks were ignited and flooded the village of Dronka with burning fuel? | |
| Measles: A Dangerous Illness | 11,075 | 461.5 | ... that according to Roald Dahl, the measles vaccine is probably far safer than eating chocolate? | |
| 87th African Infantry Division | 11,051 | 460.5 | ... that although it was only formed in late 1939, the French 87th African Infantry Division inflicted 6,600 casualties upon the German forces and fought until the very end of the Battle of France? | |
| Equestrian statue of George Washington (Newark) |  |
10,745 | 447.7 | ... that George Washington (pictured) was dedicated on the anniversary of his saying farewell to the troops? |
| Jonathan Cooper (lawyer) | 5,352 | 446.0 | ... that British barrister Jonathan Cooper was "at the forefront of efforts to decriminalise homosexuality around the world"? | |
| Maria Keller | 5,345 | 445.4 | ... that when Maria Keller was eight years old, she founded a nonprofit that would later go on to collect and distribute more than three million books to underprivileged children? | |
| The Time Meddler | 10,619 | 442.5 | ... that after being wiped by the BBC, all four episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Time Meddler were discovered in Nigeria in 1984? | |
| Juliana Olshanskaya |  |
10,530 | 438.8 | ... that Saint Juliana Olshanskaya (pictured) is said to have appeared to Archimandrite Peter Mogila to reproach him for the lack of respect paid to her relics? |
Notes
January 2022[edit]
| Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28th Virginia battle flag | |
47,387 | 3,948.9 | ... that the 28th Virginia battle flag (pictured) is stored at an undisclosed location in the Minnesota Historical Society, and has not been returned to Virginia despite multiple requests across three centuries? |
| Veronica Volkersz |  |
22,859 | 1,904.9 | ... that beauty queen Veronica Volkersz (pictured) was the first woman to pilot an operational jet fighter? |
| Prawo Jazdy (alleged criminal) | 21,986 | 1,832.2 | ... that "Prawo Jazdy", once considered the worst traffic violator in Ireland, is actually the Polish term for 'driving licence'? | |
| Red Ghost (folklore) | 19,403 | 1,616.9 | ... that according to legend, the Red Ghost trampled a woman to death, and killed and ate a grizzly bear? | |
| Wordle |  |
18,800.5[a] | 1,566.7 | ... that the viral online word game Wordle (instance pictured) was originally created just for the developer and his partner to play? |
| Marquois scales |  |
18,047 | 1,503.9 | ... that entry to the British Royal Military Academy required the use of a drawing triangle (examples pictured) with a completely different purpose from those used today? |
| Angela Cullen |  |
16,943 | 1,411.9 | ... that Lewis Hamilton's physiotherapist, Angela Cullen (pictured), once cycled from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to northern Colombia? |
| Lesbians in Nazi Germany | 15,123 | 1,260.3 | ... that lesbians in Nazi Germany, unlike gay men, did not face systematic persecution? | |
| Donn Piatt |  |
14,153 | 1,179.4 | ... that Donn Piatt (pictured) threw his mathematics teacher out of the window? |
| Arnold Comes of Age | 13,516 | 1,126.3 | ... that two nude bathers in Arnold Comes of Age were "nearly obliterated"? | |
| Röhm scandal | 13,221 | 1,101.8 | ... that as a result of the Röhm scandal, a Nazi became the world's first openly gay politician in 1932? | |
| The Betty White Show (1952 TV series) | 12,822.5[b] | 1,068.5 | ... that The Betty White Show was the subject of significant controversy after Betty White refused to fire a black cast member? | |
| Bobbi Kristina Brown | 12,385.5[c] | 1,032.1 | ... that Bobbi Kristina Brown died less than four years after her mother Whitney Houston died in similar circumstances? | |
| Kumeko Urabe |  |
12,275 | 1,022.9 | ... that as well as having a film career spanning 60 years, Kumeko Urabe (pictured) became the oldest debut singer in 1984 with her single Octopus Song? |
| Yasmin Miller |  |
12,150 | 1,012.5 | ... that children copied British champion 60 m hurdler Yasmin Miller (pictured) while she was training in her local park during the COVID-19 lockdown? |
| Oligodon churahensis |  |
12,132 | 1,011.0 | ... that the Churah Valley kukri snake (example pictured) was discovered because of an Instagram post? |
| Leo Osnas |  |
12,123 | 1,010.3 | ... that Russian-Jewish medical student Leo Osnas won the first Cross of St. George of the First World War by saving his regiment's colours from capture (pictured)? |
| Preet Chandi |  |
11,953 | 996.1 | ... that Preet Chandi, the first known woman of colour to walk solo to the South Pole, contacted friends to be bridesmaids during her expedition? |
| Johanna Quaas |  |
11,839 | 986.6 | ... that Johanna Quaas (pictured), the world's oldest competitive gymnast, did a tandem skydive from about 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) in 2016, dedicating it to Queen Elizabeth II? |
| Death of Michael Koomen | 11,823 | 985.3 | ... that Michael Koomen was shot and killed while trying to calm the situation? | |
| Deli Mike | 11,816 | 984.7 | ... that from 1996 to 2019, Turkish Airlines operated an aircraft that would not move a meter on the ground when "she didn't feel like it"? | |
| The Long Goodbye (The West Wing) | 11,463 | 955.3 | ... that while Wired recommended that readers binge The West Wing, it also advised readers to skip the fourth season episode "The Long Goodbye"? | |
| Stay of exit | 11,242 | 936.8 | ... that the stay of exit has trapped possibly hundreds of British people? | |
| Battle of the Blacks | 11,199 | 933.3 | ... that during the Battle of the Blacks in August 1169, Saladin ordered his forces to attack and torch his opponents' quarters, where their wives and children had been left? | |
| Mike Gapes |  |
11,067 | 922.3 | ... that a pro-EU explanation of how Baileys is made, given by British MP Mike Gapes (pictured), was described as being "infinitely memeable" and giving him a "bizarre online infamy"? |
| Death of Christy Schwundeck | 11,001 | 916.8 | ... that when Christy Schwundeck was shot in a job centre in Germany, she had nine cents in her wallet? | |
| George H. W. Bush broccoli comments | 10,882 | 906.8 | ... that George H. W. Bush hated broccoli so much that he banned it from Air Force One? | |
| 1963 Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum gas explosion | 10,862 | 905.2 | ... that a 1963 gas explosion in Indianapolis during a Holiday on Ice show was one of the worst disasters in Indiana history? | |
| Moylough Belt-Shrine |  |
10,599 | 883.3 | ... that the 8th-century Irish reliquary known as the Moylough Belt-Shrine (pictured) was found in 1945 by a workman while cutting turf? |
| Goo Hara | 10,576.5[d] | 881.4 | ... that after Goo Hara's mother abandoned her and Goo died young, South Korean law was changed to prevent such parents from claiming inheritance? | |
| Jessen's icosahedron |  |
10,364 | 863.7 | ... that Jessen's icosahedron (pictured) has been used for both the "Skwish" children's toy and a NASA proposal for a "super ball bot" to cushion space landers on other planets? |
| 2019 Lakewood semi-truck crash | 10,279 | 856.6 | ... that the driver in a 2019 truck crash received a sentence of 110 years in prison due to mandatory sentencing laws in Colorado? | |
| Square pyramidal number |  |
10,279 | 856.6 | ... that the number of cannonballs in a square pyramid (pictured) with cannonballs along each edge is ? |
| Johannes Wilhelm Colenbrander | 5,055 | 421.3 | ... that Lieutenant-Colonel Johannes Wilhelm Colenbrander and two others died on camera during the filming of the 1918 war film Symbol of Sacrifice? | |
| Symbol of Sacrifice | 5,119 | 426.6 | ||
| Total | 10,174 | 847.8 | ||
| Julius Busa | 10,106 | 842.2 | ... that when flying ace Julius Busa's aircraft was hit at 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), his observer leapt overboard without a parachute? | |
| Lation Scott | 10,098 | 841.5 | ... that the lynching of Lation Scott took more than three hours while thousands watched? | |
| Black Prince's chevauchée of 1356 | 10,090 | 840.8 | ... that the Black Prince's chevauchée of 1356 was the most important campaign of the Hundred Years' War? | |
| Zungeni Mountain skirmish | 9,583 | 798.6 | ... that immediately after Colonel Drury-Lowe reassured his men that "[the bullets] are all passing over your heads", the officer next to him was shot and killed? | |
| Umar Zahir (politician) |  |
9,418 | 784.8 | ... that Umar Zahir (pictured) built both an island of trash and an island of hope? |
| Wellbee |  |
9,186 | 765.5 | ... that in the 1960s, the Centers for Disease Control's Wellbee (pictured) encouraged Americans to get vaccinated against polio and diphtheria? |
| Interstate 90 | 8,940 | 745.0 | ... that Interstate 90 is the longest freeway in the United States, at 3,020 miles (4,860 km)? | |
| BP Building (Antwerp) |  |
8,839 | 736.6 | ... that the BP Building (pictured) features Europe's first example of "suspended construction"? |
| Play-by-mail game | 8,831 | 735.9 | ... that an observer once described a play-by-mail game as "the most complex game system on Earth"? | |
| Tiger Flowers (book) | 8,753 | 729.4 | ... that a woman in Texas attempted to have Tiger Flowers removed from the library collection at her daughter's school? | |
| Rosa (cow) | 8,670 | 722.5 | ... that Rosa the cow would attack French game show contestants and knock down sets but would not attack people on the ground? | |
| Crackhead Barney | 8,644 | 720.3 | ... that Crackhead Barney picked a dead rat up off the street before confronting the National Guard at the inauguration of Joe Biden? | |
| RentAHitman.com | 8,421 | 701.8 | ... that you could be arrested for trying to arrange a contract killing through RentAHitman.com? | |
| Eumillipes |  |
8,410 | 700.8 | ... that with more than 1,000 legs, Eumillipes persephone (example pictured) is the first known "true" millipede? |
| Loess Plateau |  |
8,405 | 700.4 | ... that one of the largest and thickest loess plateaus in the world is the Loess Plateau (pictured) in China? |
| KiHa 80 series |  |
8,194 | 682.8 | ... that to promote the KiHa 80 series train (example pictured), a film was made of a nine-car set on the Kawagoe, Jōban and Tōhoku Main Lines? |
| Shirley Chisholm |  |
8,191 | 682.6 | ... that the first black female candidate for a major party's U.S. presidential nomination, Shirley Chisholm (campaign poster pictured), is largely credited for paving the way for future candidates Barack Obama and Kamala Harris? |
| St. James Theatre |  |
8,093 | 674.4 | ... that a 40-foot-tall (12 m) mural outside Broadway's St. James Theatre (pictured) was painted over due to a broken foot? |
| Impact events on Jupiter |  |
8,022 | 668.5 | ... that Jupiter is sometimes called a "cosmic vacuum cleaner" because of frequent impacts from asteroids and comets (example pictured)? |
| Tristan and Isolde (Egusquiza) |  |
7,939 | 661.6 | ... that Rogelio de Egusquiza's paintings of Tristan and Isolde (one pictured) arose from his decades-long fascination with the works of Richard Wagner? |
| Luther Holbert | 7,805 | 650.4 | ... that the brutal torture and lynching of Luther Holbert in 1904 was not recognized in the National Memorial for Peace and Justice until 2018? | |
| WTNT-FM | 7,753 | 646.1 | ... that one radio station owner's decision to bring a "country cousin" to Tallahassee, Florida, turned out to be a miscalculation? | |
| Dick Graves | 7,668 | 639.0 | ... that Dick Graves sold his casino to an employee on a handshake, telling him "pay me when you can"? | |
| KHOL |  |
7,459 | 621.6 | ... that the name of the KHOL podcast "Yonder Lies" comes from a common misconception about the words on a sign (pictured)? |
| Chronicon Wormatiense | 2,430 | 202.5 | ... that according to the Chronicon Wormatiense, Emperor Frederick II would have conquered the entire Holy Land if the pope had not invaded his kingdom while he was away on crusade? | |
| War of the Keys | 5,021 | 418.4 | ||
| Total | 7,451 | 620.9 | ||
| Wiley Rutledge | 7,447 | 620.6 | ... that future U.S. Supreme Court justice Wiley Rutledge married his college Greek instructor—in a tuberculosis sanatorium? | |
| Little Danes experiment | 7,411 | 617.6 | ... that in 1951, 22 Greenlandic children were sent to foster families in Denmark to be re-educated as "little Danes"? | |
| Paul R. Howe | 7,409 | 617.4 | ... that Paul R. Howe was first on the scene in the real-life "Black Hawk Down"? | |
| Magic minute | 7,403 | 616.9 | ... that the magic minute exposed a "secret" about baby carrots and criticized Jimmy Carter's sweaters? | |
| Ode to Billie Joe | 7,343 | 611.9 | ... that Bobbie Gentry defined her composition "Ode to Billie Joe" as a "study in unconscious cruelty"? | |
| Beate Ulbricht | 7,310 | 609.2 | ... that Beate Ulbricht was subjected to harassment by the East German government because her adoptive parents, Walter and Lotte Ulbricht, did not approve of her marriage? | |
| Fuente de las Tarascas |  |
7,284 | 607.0 | ... that although the sculptor of Las Tarascas (work pictured) based their faces on that of a real woman, their bodies were invented? |
| First homosexual movement | 7,269 | 605.8 | ... that many Germans' belief that homosexuality was a communicable disease limited the success of the first homosexual movement? | |
| Amanda Asay | 7,218 | 601.5 | ... that Amanda Asay was the longest-serving member of the Canadian women's baseball team when she died at 33, having played on the team for sixteen years? | |
| Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim |  |
7,188 | 599.0 | ... that South African anti-apartheid activist Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim (pictured) confused warders at the Robben Island maximum security prison by playing Bollywood music? |
| Corozal (dredger) |  |
7,139 | 594.9 | ... that the Corozal (pictured) was the most powerful dredger ever built when she was launched in 1911 to work on the Panama Canal? |
| Randell Cottage Writers' Residency |  |
7,136 | 594.7 | ... that Randell Cottage (pictured), home to a residency for French and New Zealand writers, is a listed heritage building? |
| Pyongyang Racer | 7,098 | 591.5 | ... that the video game Pyongyang Racer was developed in North Korea for Koryo Tours, which organises tours to the country? | |
| Freedom (Frudakis) |  |
7,083 | 590.3 | ... that the 7,000-pound (3,200 kg) sculpture Freedom (detail pictured) offers visitors a photograph opportunity? |
| Ravish Malhotra |  |
6,964 | 580.3 | ... that after training for the Soyuz T-11 mission, Indian Air Force pilot Ravish Malhotra (pictured) stayed on the ground as a backup astronaut for Rakesh Sharma, who became the first Indian in space? |
| 1912 Army Cadets football team | 6,944 | 578.7 | ... that a future president of the United States played halfback for the 1912 Army Cadets football team? | |
| Francis Bourgeois (trainspotter) | 6,859 | 571.6 | ... that Francis Bourgeois is pursuing full-time trainspotting? | |
| Late Visitors to Pompeii | 6,820 | 568.3 | ... that Oswald Spengler and the artist can be seen in the painting Late Visitors to Pompeii? | |
| Jack Lemley | 6,810 | 567.5 | ... that American engineering manager Jack Lemley, credited with rescuing the Channel Tunnel project, flew over 7 million miles (11 million kilometres) or about 300 times around the globe? | |
| Broken toe | 4,745 | 395.4 | ... that 88.1.2.1 is a broken toe, while 78.1.1.1 is a broken finger? | |
| Broken finger | 2,039.5 | 170.0 | ||
| Total | 6,784.5 | 565.4 | ||
| Victory! The Battle for Europe | 6,712 | 559.3 | ... that the play-by-mail game Victory! The Battle for Europe takes about three years to play? | |
| Ed Sullivan Theater |  |
6,685 | 557.1 | ... that Stephen Colbert initially balked at hosting The Late Show at the Ed Sullivan Theater (pictured), but called for the theater's restoration after learning about its neo-Gothic dome? |
| Wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus van Amsberg | 6,682 | 556.8 | ... that the wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus van Amsberg was marred by protests over Amsberg's German heritage and past membership in the Hitler Youth and the Wehrmacht? | |
| Coldbath Fields riot | 6,674 | 556.2 | ... that a jury ruled that the killing of a policeman during the Coldbath Fields riot was justifiable homicide? | |
| Lettuce club | 6,589 | 549.1 | ... that at various secondary schools and universities, students eat entire heads of lettuce as quickly as possible? | |
| Play (concert residency) | 6,564 | 547.0 | ... that Play features Katy Perry interacting with a giant toilet and a giant face mask? | |
| Elspeth Green | 6,552 | 546.0 | ... that WAAF Corporal Elspeth Henderson remained at her post despite a direct hit by a Luftwaffe bomb? | |
| Christmas (surname) | 6,480 | 540.0 | ... that the origin of Christmas is uncertain? | |
| Amnesty bin | 6,406 | 533.8 | ... that in 2002, a python was left in an amnesty bin at a Hawaii airport? | |
| Byron Root Pierce | 6,308 | 525.7 | ... that Byron Root Pierce was Michigan's last living Civil War general? | |
| Louisa Bernie Gallaher |  |
6,307 | 525.6 | ... that Smithsonian archivists are rediscovering the works of photography pioneer Louisa Bernie Gallaher (pictured) after they were misattributed to her boss? |
| Prince of Wales riots | 6,296 | 524.7 | ... that one-sixth of all liquor establishments in Bombay were attacked in the 1921 Prince of Wales riots? | |
| Mirabel Madrigal | 6,287.5[e] | 524.0 | ... that Encanto's Mirabel is the first Disney heroine to wear glasses? | |
| Abel Tasman Monument | 
|
5,380 | 448.3 | ... that more than 20 of Ernst Plischke's designs for the Abel Tasman Monument (pictured) in New Zealand's Tarakohe were rejected before he designed a tall, tapering column referencing the Greek funerary stele? |
| Tarakohe | 848.5 | 70.7 | ||
| Total | 6,228.5 | 519.0 | ||
| Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing | 6,225 | 518.8 | ... that the taxi driver in the Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing was later commended for "incredible presence of mind and bravery"? | |
| 2022 Ukraine cyberattack | 6,192 | 516.0 | ... that a recent cyberattack on Ukrainian websites was disguised as ransomware? | |
| The Romans (Doctor Who) | 6,144 | 512.0 | ... that The Romans was the first Doctor Who serial with a humorous tone? | |
| China Chalet | 6,134 | 511.2 | ... that The New York Times described China Chalet "as if New York's art world had been transported to a Holiday Inn in the Midwest"? | |
| Phil Silvers Archival Museum | 6,102 | 508.5 | ... that the world's only museum devoted to American actor Phil Silvers is located in Coventry, England? | |
| C. N. Barclay | 6,091 | 507.6 | ... that British Army brigadier Cyril Barclay certified that he was neither a polygamist nor an anarchist who wished to overthrow the United States government? | |
| Andi Sudirman Sulaiman | 6,049 | 504.1 | ... that Andi Sudirman Sulaiman made it mandatory for Muslim civil servants to read the Quran before work? | |
| Marie Herndl | 6,027 | 502.3 | ... that artist Marie Herndl was arrested after trying to meet with President Theodore Roosevelt about her art? | |
| Comedian (artwork) | 6,017 | 501.4 | ... that the artwork Comedian, a fresh banana taped to a wall with duct tape, sold for $120,000 in 2019? | |
| Mary Zicafoose |  |
6,013 | 501.1 | ... that dyeing the threads for a weaving by Mary Zicafoose (pictured) may involve wrapping, tying, and untying as many as 80,000 ikat ties? |
| Lambeau Leap | 5,995 | 499.6 | ... that Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby performed a Lambeau Leap after a game-winning field goal, even though it is usually only done as a touchdown celebration? | |
| Declan Costello | 5,896 | 491.3 | ... that Jackie Kennedy teased former love interest Declan Costello that a 1955 double date involving them and their spouses had almost broken up the Kennedys' marriage? | |
| Great North Bog | 5,886 | 490.5 | ... that coir is saving the Great North Bog? | |
| Florence Church Bullard |  |
5,846 | 487.2 | ... that American nurse Florence Church Bullard (pictured) gave her French Croix de Guerre medal with a bronze star to the Sisters of Saint Marys, believing that her heroic deeds were a reflection of their teachings? |
| Cartographers (board game) | 5,840 | 486.7 | ... that the 100-player board game Cartographers has a crowdfunded expansion set? | |
| Louis Doedel | 5,824 | 485.3 | ... that Surinamese trade unionist Louis Doedel was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital by the governor-general for 43 years? | |
| War of Padua | 5,793 | 482.8 | ... that after the War of Padua, the victorious Republic of Venice executed the lord of Padua and two of his sons? | |
| Cornwall Electric | 5,783 | 481.9 | ... that during the January 1998 North American ice storm, an employee at Cornwall Electric used a bow and arrow to provide power to a city? | |
| Julius Morgan | 5,773 | 481.1 | ... that before being electrocuted for his crime, Julius Morgan said that the whisky made him do it? | |
| Hồ Xá | 5,686 | 473.8 | ... that the township of Hồ Xá in Vietnam was once known as the "B-52 bomb pocket"? | |
| Dr. Halo | 5,675 | 472.9 | ... that about three million people employed Dr. Halo between 1984 and 1993? | |
| Corynaea crassa | 5,669 | 472.4 | ... that Peruvian Viagra grows on the roots of plants? | |
| John William Kiser |  |
5,657 | 471.4 | ... that John William Kiser (pictured), who arrived in Chicago "practically penniless", took advantage of a boom in bicycle usage when he formed the Monarch Bicycle company? |
| Gamaliel's principle | 5,621 | 468.4 | ... that Gamaliel's principle has been used to support religious pluralism and reforms within religious groups? | |
| Motoo Ōtaguro |  |
5,611 | 467.6 | ... that music critic Motoo Ōtaguro (pictured) held private piano concerts in his own residence despite not being a professional musician? |
| Chronicle of the 20th Century | 5,587 | 465.6 | ... that the Chronicle of the 20th Century was so heavy that it was said to be "the first coffee table book seriously to threaten the well-being of coffee-tables"? | |
| Wilderness (garden history) |  |
5,575 | 464.6 | ... that in garden history, a wilderness is a highly artificial and formalized type of woodland, forming a section of a large garden? |
| Flint Magama | 3,699.5 | 308.3 | ... that Zimbabwean colonel Flint Magama, who was responsible for the killing of opposition politician Njini Ntuta, later received the country's highest award for military bravery? | |
| Njini Ntuta | 1,816.5 | 151.4 | ||
| Total | 5,516 | 459.7 | ||
| Dash for Cash | 5,482 | 456.8 | ... that Dash for Cash, an event in which teachers competed to grab one-dollar bills to pay for school supplies, was criticized for being dehumanizing? | |
| Degenerate Art auction | 5,455 | 454.6 | ... that the Degenerate Art auction in 1939, which included paintings by Van Gogh and Picasso, raised only $115,000? | |
| Prince Imperial Memorial | 5,424 | 452.0 | ... that Queen Victoria ordered the erection of the Prince Imperial Memorial on the spot where Prince Napoléon was killed in battle with Zulus? | |
| Jerma985 | 5,391.5[f] | 449.3 | ... that Twitch streamer Jerma985 hosted a stream in which viewers could control him in a real-life version of The Sims? | |
| Thomas Davey (florist) | 5,369 | 447.4 | ... that Thomas Davey was part of a florists' cult? | |
| Cry Macho (film) | 5,360[g] | 446.7 | ... that the lead role in the 2021 film Cry Macho was first offered to Clint Eastwood in 1988? | |
| Little Cleo | 5,348 | 445.7 | ... that the Little Cleo fishing spoon lure previously featured a scantily dressed exotic dancer? | |
| Berggarten |  |
5,335 | 444.6 | ... that the Berggarten, a historic botanical garden since 1750 in Herrenhausen, features a mausoleum (pictured), where members of the royal family were interred? |
| Zoe Progl | 5,330 | 444.2 | ... that in 1960, Zoe Progl became the first woman to escape over the wall of HM Prison Holloway? | |
| Finnestorp |  |
5,315 | 442.9 | ... that archaeologist Bengt Nordqvist interprets a Migration Period belt buckle (pictured) found at Finnestorp as a depiction of a mythological scene known from the Old Norse poem Völuspá? |
| Rudolf Szepessy-Sokoll | 5,309 | 442.4 | ... that Rudolf Szepessy-Sokoll shot down a pair of Macchi L.3 seaplanes to become a flying ace? | |
| Christian Street Historic District |  |
5,293 | 441.1 | ... that the proposed Christian Street Historic District (building pictured), originally settled by Irish immigrants, is also known as "Black Doctors' Row"? |
| Looe Bridge | 5,290 | 440.8 | ... that the medieval Looe Bridge had 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 18 arches? | |
| Condor (options) | 5,218 | 434.8 | ... that a condor is a stretched butterfly? | |
| Colby cheese | 5,194 | 432.8 | ... that there have been several attempts to make Colby cheese the official state cheese of Wisconsin? | |
| Joseph Luker | 5,173 | 431.1 | ... that constable Joseph Luker, the first police officer killed on duty in Australia, was a former convict? | |
| Double florin |  |
5,170 | 430.8 | ... that the double florin (example pictured), a British coin, was criticised both for being too close in size to the crown and because the crown on it was too small? |
| Essential Commodities Reserves Act 1938 | 5,158 | 429.8 | ... that in the lead-up to the Second World War, the British government stockpiled more than 100,000 tons of whale oil? | |
| The Sporting Spirit | 5,143 | 428.6 | ... that according to George Orwell, "serious sport has nothing to do with fair play ... it is war minus the shooting"? | |
| Lille langebro | 5,134 | 427.8 | ... that Lille langebro looks like a twisted ribbon when it is lit up after dark? | |
| Nothgottes |  |
5,073 | 422.8 | ... that Nothgottes (interior pictured), a pilgrimage destination in the Rheingau since the 14th century, is a monastery of Cistercians from Vietnam? |
| Vivienne Rohner | 5,061 | 421.8 | ... that fashion model Vivienne Rohner, named after fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, opened one of Westwood's shows during her first season as a model? |
Notes
Archive of monthly DYKSTATS leaders[edit]
2021, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct · Best of 2021
2020, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec · Best of 2020
2019, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec · Best of 2019
2018, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2017, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2016, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2015, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2013, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2012, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2011, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2010, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2009, by month[edit]
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2008, by month[edit]
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Best of 2008