On Christmas Eve in 2008, SpaceX and Tesla were literally hours from bankruptcy until Elon Musk was able to secure $20M from investors in those final hours. Two days later, SpaceX won a contract with NASA worth $1.6B. (article)
The weeks leading up to Christmas were extremely difficult for the two companies and spelled impending failure. However, on Christmas Eve, in the last hour of the last day for the final investing round regarding Tesla … funding came through at about $20 Million. Without this funding Tesla would have soon gone bankrupt. Even with this good fortune, Musk’s SpaceX was still in question. It had recently suffered 3 failed launches that nearly crippled the company. With all his chips bet on the fourth and final attempt, the company finally had a successful launch. Consequently, and with no time to spare, NASA called SpaceX on the day after Christmas with a $1.6 Billion contract.
An $80 worth of coca leaves, from a Colombian peasant, can sell for $800 as coca paste, $2,147 as pure cocaine in Colombian ports, $34,000 just over the US border, and $120,000 on the streets of New York (article)
In 1994 the CEOs of the seven biggest tobacco firms testified before Congress that “nicotine was not addictive” despite overwhelming scientific evidence
Russia is opening a “Military Disneyland” that will allow guests to shoot military grade weapons and try out various military simulators. (article)
The Russian Walt Disney…
A full-time cashier at Costco makes about $49,000 annually. The average wage at Costco is nearly 20 dollars an hour and 89% of Costco employees are eligible for benefits. (article)
A man independently carved a 360 ft long pathway through a mountain to help shorten a route to/from his impoverished town. After 22 years and much abuse, it was completed and cut 35km off of a commonly traveled route. (article)
Jon Huntsman instituted a 4 day work week in Utah: 2/3 of employees said it made them more productive, it reduced conflict at home and work, led to higher staff morale, lower absenteeism, and cut carbon emissions by 14% (article)
Inmates of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. can get free laser tattoo removal, e.g., gang sign tattoos they want to break from. Over 2,200 inmates have had tattoos removed; the removal incurs no cost to the public, paid for in part by the charity Homeboy Industries
In 1919, a serial killer in New Orleans stated he would kill again, but would spare the occupants of any place where a jazz band was playing. On that night, all dance halls reached capacity and amateur bands played jazz at hundreds of house parties. There were no murders (article)
L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, falsely claimed to have been a nuclear physicist. In reality, he flunked both high school and college, leaving after his sophomore year at George Washington University during which he failed a course of “Molecular and Atomic Physics.” (article)
In 1977, Aerosmith’s flight crew inspected a Convair CV-240 for possible use and rejected it because they felt the plane and crew were not up to their standards. That plane crashed on October 20, 1977 from fuel exhaustion due to poor maintenance, killing three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
A man has hidden $2 million worth of gold in an unknown location. The only clue to the location is a poem. So far, people have came as close to 200 feet of the treasure, but has not yet been discovered. (article)
“As I have gone alone in there
And with my treasures bold,
I can keep my secret where,
And hint of riches new and old.
Begin it where warm waters halt
And take it in the canyon down,
Not far, but too far to walk.
Put in below the home of Brown.
From there it’s no place for the meek,
The end is ever drawing nigh;
There’ll be no paddle up your creek,
Just heavy loads and water high.
If you’ve been wise and found the blaze,
Look quickly down, your quest to cease,
But tarry scant with marvel gaze,
Just take the chest and go in peace.
So why is it that I must go
And leave my trove for all to seek?
The answers I already know,
I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak.
So hear me all and listen good,
Your effort will be worth the cold.
If you are brave and in the wood
I give you title to the gold.”
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