Proofreading your work is important at every stage of life, but never more than when you submit something that will be subject to public scrutiny. This lesson was learned the hard way […]
A Patent Need for Proofreading
The Submarine that Nearly Sank Because of an Open Hatch
When submarine captains go to school to learn how to command a multi-billion-dollar vessel, surely one of the first lessons is “Make Sure All the Hatches Are Closed Before You Dive.” For […]
The Kingdom the Mapmakers Forgot
1992 saw the birth of a new nation: the Kingdom of Torgu. If you happened to overlook this momentous occasion, don’t feel bad. The whole reason the new country sprang into existence […]
What Were These Headline Writers Thinking?
A headline is designed to capture the reader’s attention and draw him or her into the story. Sometimes that happens in entirely unexpected ways. Take a look at some of the most […]
Funniest Newspaper Correction is …. Drugroll, Please!
In 2012 the editors of Centralia, Illinois’ Morning Sentinel learned the value of one little letter. Red-faced, the editors ran the following correction: “Due to a typing error, Saturday’s story on local […]
To Battle… By Car?
In the movie Braveheart, Sir William Wallace gives a stirring speech at the beginning of the battle of Stirling Bridge that motivates the Scots to fight to victory. Perhaps they were so […]
How “Herbie Goes Bananas” Led to a Radioactive Disaster
Herbie Goes Bananas, the 1980 film about a Volkswagen Beetle that is seemingly alive, is widely regarded as the worst of the Herbie movies. Some might even call it a disaster. Few […]
"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.’ ~~Elbert Hubbard
Originally posted on Jesus Quotes and God Thoughts:
Fear Fear can and will cripple us. We will make mistakes. Will we learn from our mistakes? The challenge is to embrace the learning.…
It’s Not Easy Being Green Grey
Marvel Comics’ mega-strong, most-in-need-of-anger-management character the Hulk is best known for being green. Originally he appeared as grey, just as his creator Stan Lee intended. When a printer error turned him green, […]
Don’t Kill the Messenger — Especially if He Comes from Genghis Khan
Haven’t heard of the Khwarezmian Empire? You can thank the unbelievably bad decisions of its leader, Shad Ala Ad-Din Muhammad II (1169-1220). The Khwarezmian Empire stretched from the Sea of Oman to […]
Need a Cheap iPhone? This Guy Has a Few. Just Don’t Ask About His Love Life
A Chinese factory worker spent more than $63,000 (500,000 yuan) to purchase 99 iPhone 6 devices. This is 17 times the average annual salary in his southern province of Guagzhou. He arranged […]
If Only There Were A Backspace Button for Speech
When Crown Princess (later Queen) Louise of Sweden visited Uppsala Cathedral, the Archbishop conducted the tour in English. His use of the language was good, but he got tripped up at a […]
Getting Cut Off on the Phone Now Means Something Different
One Little Letter Makes All the Difference
Japanese speakers frequently have difficulty differentiating between the English letters “L” and “R”. This was particularly evident in 1950 when supporters of General Douglas MacArthur (then serving as military governor of Japan […]
Backing Into a Musical Hit
At the beginning of the song “Roxanne” by The Police, during the intro, you can hear a strange piano chord, then Sting laughing. In fact, during the voice recording, Sting accidently sat […]
