Treasure Hunt Riots

Once again, BLDGBLOG comes up with the goods. In the opening years of the twentieth century, newspapers hid treasure troves across Britain, publishing clues in their pages in an attempt to drive up readership. What they also achieved was a wave of hysteria that Charles Mackay would have loved. People dug holes in each other's gardens, ruined the roads and generally made a massive, chaotic nuisance of themselves.

The catacombs beneath the Hagia Sophia

If you venture down into the lightless depths beneath the Hagia Sophia, you're sure of a big surprise.

The 800-year old submerged graves containing the remains of "canonized children."? You betcha.

Imagine being a canonized child's mum.

"Jimmy? You may be the patron saint of miners and bullfighters, but if you don't stop playing in that mud and come in straight away..."

(Unearthed on the mighty BLDG BLOG)

Catatumbo Lightning

This is a mental, mental phenomenon, and why we've never seen Nicholas Cage punching some guys at the top of a crane while this is going on in the background in some movie or other, I'll never know. Unless it actually does happen, in which case I will know.

Kryptos

This is totally the kind of thing that gives Dan Brown a half-lobster.

It's a big sculpture in the grounds of the CIA headquarters at Langley, and it contins a code that's never been fully broken. The bits that have been broken reveal mysterious fragments of conversations, some famous and others not-so-famous.

(Link to Wikipedia, although I probably originally learned about it from Darkroastedblend).

Turns out Dan Brown really does love it, so much so that he's put it (oh-so-inevitably) in his new book, "The Quest for more Movie Rights", or whatever.

Great Dog Detective

An Unusual Trial By Combat

In 1380, a trial by combat was said to have been fought in France between a man and a dog. The dog’s master, Montdidier, had been murdered by the Chevalier Maquer. Maquer buried the body and departed. The dog, masterless and hungry, journeyed to Paris and sought out the Chevalier Ardilliers, a friend of his master Montdidier, and led him back to his master’s grave. This loyal dog scratched the dirt covering the grave until Ardilliers dug up the corpse of Montdidier. Later the dog spied Maquer, his master’s killer, and attacked him viciously. The dog renewed his attacks at each encounter with Maquer, soon arousing suspicion since heretofore his nature had been gentle. Friends recalled that Maquer had shown hostility to Montdidier, and reported this situation to the king. The king ordered trial by combat between Maquer and the dog to uncover Maquer’s guilt or innocence.

At combat, Maquer was unable to contain the frenzied attack of the dog, who focused on Maquer’s throat. Maquer, undone by the dog’s fervor and tenacity, confessed to his crime and was duly hanged. [3]

This legend is a variant of the somewhat older legend of the Dog of Montargis.

(Article copied from the Statemaster Encyclopedia. I totally love that the king thought that trial by combat would be an appropriate judicial approach.)

Gerald Daniel Blanchard

Amazing Canadian master jewel thief and bank robber. Parachutes onto art gallery roofs and takes photos of his scantily-clad girlfriend rolling around in a pile of money.

Enough said.

Emperor Norton

Just in case there's anyone in the world who doesn't know about Emperor Norton, hear this:

Educate yourself immediately.

It's people like this - like him - that make the real world as cool as fiction.