17 Outrageous Events You Won’t Believe Actually Happened

Absurd events abound in history. You will shake your head in shock after hearing these tales. These are 17 real-life occurrences that have left people perplexed and continue to do so.

1. 1. The Great Emu War of 1932

In one of history’s strangest military events, Australia actually declared war on a flock of emus and lost. Farmers in Western Australia were desperate to protect their crops from thousands of hungry birds, so the government sent soldiers armed with machine guns.

2. 2. The Dancing Plague of 1518

It began when a woman in Strasbourg suddenly started dancing in the street and couldn’t stop. Within days, dozens joined her, moving uncontrollably for hours and even collapsing from exhaustion. Some died from heart attacks and strokes brought on by nonstop movement.

3. 3. A Man Survives Two Atomic Bombs

Tsutomu Yamaguchi’s story is almost unbelievable. He was in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb detonated, suffering burns and injuries but surviving. Days later, he returned home to Nagasaki, just in time for the second bomb to fall.

4. 4. The Guinness Beer Flood

In 1814, Londoners witnessed a disaster that sounded more like a tall tale than reality: a tidal wave of beer sweeping through the streets. A massive vat at the Meux Brewery burst, releasing over 300,000 gallons of porter beer that crashed through nearby buildings.

5. 5. The 30-Year-Long Soldier

When World War II ended, most soldiers laid down their weapons, but not Hiroo Onoda. Stationed in the Philippine jungle, he refused to believe Japan had surrendered and spent nearly 30 years continuing his mission. Living off the land, he hid from locals and carried out small “operations,” convinced the war still raged.

6. 6. The Great Molasses Flood

It sounds absurd, but Boston’s 1919 molasses flood was a deadly reality. A massive storage tank suddenly burst, sending a 25-foot wave of sticky syrup roaring through city streets at 35 miles per hour. Buildings were crushed, horses were trapped, and 21 people lost their lives in the bizarre disaster.

7. 7. The Man Who Fell Out of a Plane and Lived

Vesna Vulović’s survival defied every law of physics. The Yugoslav flight attendant fell more than 33,000 feet after her plane exploded midair in 1972, without a parachute. She was found among the wreckage, badly injured but miraculously alive, thanks to a piece of the fuselage that cushioned her fall in snowy terrain.

8. 8. The Exploding Whale Incident

When a giant whale washed ashore in Florence, Oregon, in 1970, local officials decided dynamite was the best way to dispose of it. What followed was pure chaos: the explosion sent massive chunks of whale blubber flying through the air, smashing car roofs and horrifying spectators.

9. 9. Napoleon Attacked by Bunnies

Even the mighty Napoleon Bonaparte couldn’t win this battle. During a planned rabbit hunt, his men released hundreds of rabbits, expecting them to scatter. Instead, the fluffy creatures charged straight toward the emperor and his troops, swarming them in search of food.

10. 10. The Shark That Bit a Plane

In 1957, fishermen in Florida caught a large shark and decided to transport it by small plane for display. Mid-flight, the “dead” shark suddenly came to life, thrashing violently inside the aircraft. It bit into the upholstery, damaged controls, and caused the terrified pilots to make an emergency landing.

11. 11. The Man Who Lived With a Bullet in His Head

During World War I, a soldier named William Lawrie was shot in the head, and doctors were unable to remove the bullet without killing him. Amazingly, he survived and lived for decades with it lodged in his skull. He adapted to the pain and even joked about his “souvenir” from the war.

12. 12. The Tunguska Explosion

In 1908, a massive explosion ripped through Siberia, flattening nearly 800 square miles of forest. Scientists believe a meteor or comet detonated in the atmosphere, but no impact crater was ever found. The blast was so powerful that windows shattered hundreds of miles away, and the night sky glowed across Europe.

13. 13. The Baby Tossed From a Fire—and Caught

When flames engulfed a Harlem apartment in 2005, one desperate mother made an unthinkable choice: she dropped her baby from a fourth-floor window, hoping someone below could save her child. Miraculously, a bystander caught the infant safely in his arms as the crowd gasped.

14. 14. A Town That Rained Fish

For generations, residents of Yoro, Honduras, have witnessed an unbelievable phenomenon: fish raining from the sky during heavy storms. Known as “Lluvia de Peces,” or Rain of Fish, it happens several times a year and leaves the streets covered in flopping creatures.

15. 15. The Prison Escape by Helicopter

In a daring act straight out of an action movie, French gangster Michel Vaujour’s friends hijacked a helicopter in 1986 and flew it straight into a prison courtyard. He climbed aboard and escaped in minutes, leaving guards in disbelief.

16. 16. The Miracle of the Andes

In 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed high in the Andes Mountains, stranding survivors in freezing conditions. With no food or rescue in sight, they made the horrifying decision to eat the bodies of those who had died to stay alive.

17. 17. The Man Who Won the Lottery Twice

Talk about lightning striking twice; Virginia man Jerry Whittaker managed to win the lottery two times in a single day. He had purchased two identical tickets with the same numbers at different stores, and both hit the jackpot. His incredible double win stunned lottery officials and captured national attention.

• Tags:
• outrageous events
• unbelievable history
• bizarre stories
• historical events