Need a Hand?

In Narooma, Australia, 16-year-old Gregory Hammond, who was born with only one hand, finished second in a men's 100-meter swim race. That is until officials checked their international rules book. They then declared he had not won any place in the race because the rules firmly state participants must touch the ends of the pool with both hands.

Unlucky

In 1911 Bobby Leach was the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Falling the 168 feet, with a crowd of over 25,000 onlookers, he was knocked unconscious, but survived. Twenty-five years later, living in Sydney, Australia, Leach slipped on a fruit peel, broke his leg, and was taken to hospital. There (for reasons not explained) his leg was amputated, and a few days later he died.

Plan Backfired

Fearing his shop could be burglarized, Luis Barraco, a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, pawnbroker, bought a trained two-year-old lion to guard the inside of his store at night. And, the very next morning when Barraco opened his shop, he was instantly killed by the lion.

One Mans Trash is Another Mans Treasure

In April of 1995, a very nervous robber held a gun on a clerk in Mainz, Germany, demanding he fill a cloth bag with money. What the fearful thief did wrong was not look closely where the clerk was filling his bag. Instead of money from his open cash drawer, the sharp employee filled it with paper from his trash basket below the drawer, and the satisfied thief left.

Holy Water Gone Wrong

When Julius McNeil, 28, arrived early at a Jackson, Mississippi, church for his brother's baptism, he went inside to wait, fell into the baptismal tank and drowned.

The Reason For All The Redundant Warning Labels

In 1982 Lever Brothers Company began offering Sun Light dishwashing liquid with lemon juice added. This caused some consumers to think it safe to add to iced tea and other beverages. According to Maryland's Poison Center, this resulted in the poisonings of at least 80 people.

Plan Your Vacations!

British customs officials at London's Heathrow Airport became suspicious of Robert Ventham, 22, who had just returned on a flight from Gibraltar, causing them to search his belongings. Sure enough, inside his golf bag they found drugs and he was arrested. But why were authorities suspicious of a young man returning from a golfing vacation? Gibraltar has no golf courses.

Helping the Elderly

An organization in Great Britain, named Age Concern, formed to help the elderly, missed a great opportunity in June of 2000 to help an older man. When Hector McDonald, age 69, applied for one of their job openings, he was told he was too old.

Possibly The Most Useless Fact Ever

Last checked, the car driven the most number of miles, ever, is a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 180D. While being driven for a total of 21 years, it racked up a total of 1,184,880 miles. (They must've kept the oil changed.)

Dont Cheat!

Twenty-year-old Emilio Garcia's first mistake was to date a married woman. His second was to make love to her in her own home, in her upstairs bedroom. His third was to jump naked from that bedroom window as her husband entered the front door. His fourth, final and worst decision was where he had parked his bike upon arrival. Falling from that window, he impaled himself on his own handlebars.

Hypocrites

Literally hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens met for New York City's 'Park on Earth Day' in 1990 to 'exhibit their deep concerns' for Mother Earth's environmental needs. They were so concerned, they left behind 154.3 tons of litter.

She Beat Anorexia!

Marlene Corrigan was a good provider for her daughter. In fact, too good. She fed her all the food she could eat. On November 13, 1996, at age 13, the girl died naked under a sheet on their living room floor, weighing 680 lbs. Her brother said his sister had been unable to get up from the floor for several months; her urine and defecation remains easily verified that.