Author: Vivid_Temporary_1155

On Yap Island, large donut shaped coins called Rai Stones are used as currency. As they are difficult to move, transactions are memorized through oral history – much like contemporary distributive ledgers. Rai Stone transactions are used for weddings, land acquisitions and ransoms.

The Spanish basketball team won gold at the 2000 intellectual disability Paralympics had members without any disability. They were exposed by an undercover reporter and their coach told the team to ease off scoring lest they reveal themselves.

1504, stranded in Jamaica with a famished crew, Columbus faced a mutiny and a blockade of food supplies from the indigenous Arawak people. Using an almanac by astronomer Regiomontanus, Columbus predicted a total lunar eclipse. When turned moon turned red, the terrified Arawak stopped the blockade.

The world’s smallest football league on the Isles of Scilly in the UK comprises two teams: Garrison Gunners and Woolpack Wanderers. The teams play roughly 18 times a season. A re-draft occurs at the end of the season to keep the league competitive and exciting.

Ancient Lie Detector: Trial by Rice was a judicial system where an alleged thief was forced to chew grains of rice – which if not wet following interrogation would lead to a guilty verdict. This was based on the assumption that the guilty feeling would cause a dry mouth.