Margaret Atwood

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Takifugu in a tank

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Margaret Atwood co-invented the LongPen — a robotic signing device transmitting her pen strokes in real time from anywhere on earth — so she could "be" at book signings without flying. She filed the patent in 2004 and the company still operates.

Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem's Temple in 70 AD, wept on any evening he'd performed no act of generosity, reportedly saying, 'Friends, I have lost a day.' He reigned only two years before dying at 41.

Steve Schwarzman spent $3 million on his 60th birthday party — a Rod Stewart performance, a portrait of himself unveiled mid-room — then wrote a memoir advising readers to 'never do anything small.' The portrait still hangs at Blackstone.

Fred Lorz crossed the 1904 Olympic marathon finish line to cheers, waved at crowds, and posed for photos before admitting he'd hitched a car ride for 11 of the 26 miles.

At Chosin in November 1950, Task Force MacLean was surrounded within hours of deployment. Colonel Allan MacLean was shot, captured while delirious with wounds, and died in Chinese captivity. His men froze trying to reach him.

A US GBU-27 penetrator cooked 408 civilians alive inside a reinforced bunker on February 13, 1991. Charred handprints remain on the walls today. The US still insists it was a military target.

At Entebbe, hijackers sorted 248 passengers by passport — Jews to one side, non-Jews released. The remaining hostages were held in a terminal as ransom for 53 prisoners held across four countries. Israeli commandos flew 2,500 miles to answer.

A single fugu pufferfish carries tetrodotoxin enough to kill 30 adults; there is no antidote. Japanese chefs must train three years and pass a written and practical exam — the failure rate exceeds 35%.

'Put me back on my bike' — Simpson's last request on Mont Ventoux, 1967. Amphetamines and brandy were found in his jersey pocket. The Tour rode past his corpse to finish.