Don't Fall into the Rabbit Hole
Wikipedia is a massive digital warehouse of human knowledge, but tucked between the serious biographies and scientific formulas are some truly head-scratching entries that prove reality is often weirder than fiction. Whether it's a war fought over a bucket or a cat with a college degree, these entries are a testament to the quirky side of our world. With that in mind, here are 20 of the strangest Wikipedia articles.
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1. Emu War
In 1932, the Australian military literally organized a war against a flock of emus terrorizing farmland in Western Australia. Soldiers wielding artillery met with little success against the intelligent birds. Eventually, the emus simply outran their enemies and refused to surrender.
2. Potoooooooo
This unusual name belongs to an 18th-century Thoroughbred racehorse whose name sounds just like "Pot-8-O's." Rumor has it that his owner instructed a stable boy to paint "Potatoes" on his feed bin, but the boy took things one letter too far. The horse went on to become successful, but unfortunately, his name overshadows his achievements.
3. Dancing Plague of 1518
Back in the summer of 1518, hundreds of people in the French city of Strasbourg spontaneously started dancing… for weeks. This was no organized flash mob; thousands of adults danced themselves to exhaustion while authorities and doctors looked on, confused. Researchers today are still unsure whether it was mass stress or accidental poisoning.
Pieter Brueghel the Elder on Wikimedia
4. Tarrare
Tarrare was a Frenchman with an appetite so enormous that he could eat enough food to feed a small army at each meal. Allegedly capable of swallowing animals whole and consuming rocks for fun, he never grew overweight and was constantly hungry. Tarrare's life story is medically bizarre, but his Wikipedia page reads like fiction.
Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia
5. Cow with Antlers
Head over to this page to read about a cow that somehow came into possession of an entire deer's set of antlers. While it sounds like a mythical creature, the page explains the various biological anomalies and potential hoaxes behind such sightings. It's a great example of how the internet loves to document things.
6. List of Animals with Fraudulent Diplomas
Get ready to laugh as we discover that several people's pets have earned legitimate diplomas from "diploma mills." Exposing the hilarity of being able to pay for fake degrees, one cat named George was able to become accredited as a hypnotherapist by multiple agencies.
7. Great Molasses Flood
In Boston in 1919, a large molasses tank ruptured and exploded into a 25-foot tidal wave of syrup that rushed through city streets at 35 mph. While it sounds like a cartoon subplot, the Great Molasses Flood was a tragic event that devastated Boston's North End. Locals claim you can still smell sugar in the air on warm days.
8. Toynbee Tiles
For decades, mysterious linoleum tiles with cryptic messages about resurrecting those who passed away on Jupiter have been found embedded in the asphalt of major city streets. No one knows who has been placing them, although several conspiracy theories have emerged over the years.
9. War of the Bucket
Two rival Italian city-states decided to go to war over a wooden bucket stolen from a well in the 1300s. Thousands of troops marched onto enemy soil over something that is now displayed in a cathedral in Modena. It's a perfect reminder that human history is often driven by the most incredibly petty grievances.
10. Cosmic Latte
Astronomers once set out to find the average color of the universe, and they eventually landed on a light beige shade they named "Cosmic Latte." It's oddly comforting to know that if you could mix all the colors in the universe into one, it would probably resemble your morning coffee. This article walks you through the complex math used to determine that color.
11. Scunthorpe Problem
This is a famous computing issue in which innocent words are blocked by filters because they contain "naughty" strings of letters inside them. The town of Scunthorpe became the face of this glitch when residents found they couldn't register for websites because of their town's name. It's a funny look at how robots often fail to understand human language.
12. List of Fictional Ducks
Want to know just how deep the rabbit hole of famous cartoon ducks goes? Wikipedia has compiled a list for you, starting with beloved characters like Donald Duck and going far too in-depth with ducks you've never heard of from obscure comics. You'll probably be surprised by how many of these characters you actually recognize.
13. Infinite Monkey Theorem
Despite what this delightful thought experiment may imply, this actually refers to a mathematical theory suggesting that monkeys could write Shakespeare. Give a monkey a typewriter and let him pound on it infinitely, and he will eventually type out the complete works of Shakespeare. You might find it funny that people have actually tried to test this with real monkeys.
14. 1904 Olympic Marathon
This specific race is widely considered the most chaotic and bizarre athletic event in history. Dogs chased athletes, one runner took a nap under a fruit tree, and the "winner" took an illegal ride in a car with another competitor. You'll never look at long-distance runners the same way again.
Jessie Tarbox Beals on Wikimedia
15. The Game
You just lost "The Game" simply by reading this sentence, which is the entire point of this weirdly popular mental exercise. The goal is to avoid thinking about The Game for as long as possible, and once you do, you have to announce your loss to everyone around you. It's a fascinating look at how a simple idea can spread across the globe.
Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
16. Loneliest Tree in the World
For decades, this lone tree was the only tree you would see for 250 miles in the African Sahara Desert. Travelers would often use it as a landmark to guide their way through the barren wasteland. Tragically, it was eventually knocked down by a truck driver who managed to hit the only obstacle in an otherwise empty landscape.
17. Extreme Ironing
There exists a sport called extreme ironing, which involves taking an ironing board to extreme locations and… you guessed it, ironing things. It's a tongue-in-cheek activity that combines the thrill of an extreme sport with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt. You'll love the photos of people calmly ironing their laundry while hanging off the side of a cliff.
18. Mary Toft
In the early 1700s, an English woman managed to convince several prominent doctors that she was giving birth to rabbits. It was a massive medical hoax that captivated the entire country before she was eventually caught in her lie. The fact that professional physicians actually fell for it is hilarious.
19. Wikipedia: Unusual Articles
This is actually a meta-article on Wikipedia itself that serves as a curated list of all the weirdest pages on the site. If you finish this list and want more, you can head there to find categories ranging from strange history to the truly bizarre. It's basically the ultimate starting point for anyone who wants to lose an entire afternoon to the internet.
20. Phobophobia
The official fear of having a phobia almost sounds like a self-aware joke, but unfortunately, it's something that real doctors have to deal with. You have to admit there's a certain level of irony in being terrified that you might eventually become afraid of something.
