You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Russia has tested a new hypersonic anti-ship missile that can travel a blistering 6,138 miles an hour, or 1.7 miles a second. The missile, known as Zircon, will attack ships at sea and land-based targets. It is in all likelihood unstoppable by modern air defenses.

[Lee Stewart]

Pepsi versus Coca-Cola may be one of the most controversial drink debates of all time. A strong divide between diehard Coke drinkers and Pepsi enthusiasts has always existed. Yet, the two drinks are practically identical in every way from their caramel syrup color to their ingredients. Both sodas contain sodium, sugar, carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, caffeine, and natural flavors.

In fact, a 12 ounce can of Pepsi contains one thing Coke does not—citric acid. In addition, Pepsi also has two more grams of sugar than Coke. These two subtle differences give Pepsi its sweet, citrus-like flavor that people either love or loathe. Plus, the additional 15 mg of sodium in a can of Coke may explain why it tastes more like a club soda with a toned-down sweetness.

[Lee Stewart]

The stigma attached to Friday the 13th is widely believed to have biblical roots. The number 12 is seen in many cultures as a sort of “perfect” number and adding one more to that throws things off a bit. According to the bible, Judas was the 13th guest to arrive at the Last Supper and Friday was widely believed to be the day Jesus was crucified (but has since been brought into question.)

Similarly in Norse mythology, Loki was the 13th guest to arrive at a dinner for the gods in Valhalla and wreaked havoc on the whole event. The Friday superstition also has origins in the U.S. where (in the 19th century) all executions took place on Friday.

[Lee Stewart]

Groundhog Day

Animals predicting the weather was adapted from German culture when settlers arrived in the U.S. and chose Pennsylvania as their home. The old Candlemas Day tradition in Germany involved members of the clergy distributing blessed candles which were used to determine how long the winter weather would last. Animals were also observed to see how long their hibernation periods lasted. Germans closely tracked badgers and found groundhogs to be the next best thing.

[Lee Stewart]

Breaking a Mirror

Ancient Romans believed that mirrors held pieces of your soul. This, coupled with the myth that our body “renews” itself every seven years fueled the superstition that breaking a mirror means you are damning your soul to seven years of bad luck.

[Lee Stewart]

Many cultures throughout history actually regarded all cats as good luck omens, but black kitties got a bad wrap in the Middle Ages when they were associated with witchcraft and actually viewed as demons. That demon thing snowballed into an idea that if a black cat crossed your path, they were blocking your connection to God and path to heaven.

[Lee Stewart]

It’s become a reflex to bless someone after they sneeze. Little do you know, you could be saving them from damnation. This custom originated with an old superstition that a person’s soul separated from their body when they sneezed. Saying “Bless you” was a way to keep the devil from swooping in to steal their soul before they recovered.

[Lee Stewart]

This lucky superstition started back in the pre-Christian days when crosses were symbols of power and unity and people believed there was power in the middle area of the cross. They would cross their fingers and make a wish while focusing on the center area.

[Lee Stewart]

This one has a morbid beginning. Back in medieval times, ladders were associated with the gallows where people were hanged. A person who made the mistake of walking under a ladder was believed to be facing their own death by hanging in the near future. There was also the belief that because people were hanged from the top of the ladder, the area underneath was haunted.

[Lee Stewart]

Like many others on the list, wishing on candles dates back to the ancient Greeks when they would bake cakes and top them with candles to ask Artemis (the mood goddess) for a favor. The smoke from the extinguished candles was believed to carry the message up to the gods as it rises.