They Polish Their Dead Like Sofa Cushions
In Sulawesi the Toraja periodically exhume relatives, clean and redress the corpses in a ritual called Ma'nene that treats death like a very slow home visit.Read More 
They Almost Floated an Aircraft Carrier Made of Ice and I Love It
In WWII Britain briefly tried to build unsinkable floating airbases from 'pykrete'-a frozen mix of ice and wood pulp-because history enjoys a laugh.Read More 
Never Toast With Water Unless You Want To Be Morbidly Polite
In Japan, clinking a glass of water at a party is the social equivalent of applauding a eulogy.Read More 
Djenne's Mosque Gets Smothered In Mud
Once a year the whole town dresses down, mixes a ridiculous amount of adobe, and plaster-bakes the world's largest mudbrick building.Read More 
Lake Natron Turns Birds Into Stone And Nature Cheers
There is a lake in Tanzania that bakes and salts unlucky animals into eerie statues while flamingos act like it's a spa day.Read More 
Some People Are Missing A Wrist Tendon And Live To Tell The Tale
Roughly one in eight people lack the palmaris longus tendon - a tiny, vestigial wrist muscle surgeons nick like a spare tyre.Read More 
They Stole A Giant's Bones And Put Them On Display
He begged for a burial at sea and was instead bribed, dissected, and turned into a museum oddity - the ultimate indignity.Read More 
Step On Thai Money And The Crown Notices
In Thailand the king's face on a banknote is not just decorative; disrespecting it can be a criminal offence under strict monarchy laws.Read More
Handling A Salmon 'In Suspicious Circumstances' Is A Crime
Yes, the UK has a law that makes it an offence to 'handle a salmon in suspicious circumstances' and the phrase is gloriously vague.
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