‘That Time When’ explores the weirdest and most surprising moments in the history of science and innovation. From radioactive ‘miracle water’ to when the U.S. government censored the weather, these stories reveal the curious, delightful, and often ridiculous side of scientific discovery.
In 1841, flesh and blood rained down in Tennessee
From ancient Greece to modern India, flesh falls and blood rain aren’t one-off events.
World War II’s baby gas masks are as unnerving as you’d imagine
After the horrors of the First World War, parents were understandably nervous.
In 1828, serial killers sold their victims’ bodies to science
Edinburgh’s medical schools needed bodies. William Burke and William Hare had a horrifying solution.
In 1934, a doctor brought a dog back to life. He tried to do the same with humans.
Dr. Robert Cornish was a real-life Victor Frankenstein.
At Scotland’s ancient Cladh Hallan, homes were full of human bones
These Bronze Age farmers pieced together mummies from multiple skeletons. Then lived with them.
The mysterious dancing plague that killed people in 1518
An uncontrollable urge to dance overcame hundreds of people in medieval Strasbourg.
In 1976, a college paper blamed the Salem witch trials on moldy bread. It wasn’t true.
Debunked within a year, the ergot theory still spreads like fungus on rye.
The criminal behind Los Angeles’ Griffith Observatory
In 1903, real-estate magnate Griffith J. Griffith shot his wife. She survived: His reputation didn’t.
Ancient Romans thought drinking gladiator blood could cure epilepsy
But ‘noble’ blood from the decapitated could work in a pinch.
At the 1904 Olympics, a marathoner took rat poison to win gold
Strychnine produces a ‘jittery, revved-up sensation’—until the body starts shutting down.
The ‘Father of Modern Taxidermy’ wrestled leopards and worked for P.T. Barnum
Carl Akeley evaded charging elephants, started stuffing animals at age 12, and transformed natural history museums forever.
In 1924, the Montreal Canadiens left the Stanley Cup on the side of the road
The roadside mishap isn’t even the craziest thing to happen to hockey’s ultimate prize.
Lewis and Clark’s mercury-laced poop helped archaeologists trace their expedition
Welcome to a poisonous trail of number two.
The British author who harvested mutant, jumbo peanuts from her atomic garden
Muriel Howorth founded the Atomic Gardening Association in 1959, recruiting hundreds of members.
In 1967, 2 million Swedes started driving on the other side of the road
A propaganda song to get drivers on board even topped Sweden’s hit music chart.
For ancient Romans, pooping was a group activity
Imagine shared sponges, open seating, rats, and the occasional burst of fire.
In 1973, Icelanders fought a volcano—and won
Firefighters, physicists, and volunteers sprayed seawater at the flows, creating 100-foot-tall lava walls.
In 1926, a Russian biologist tried to create a human-chimpanzee hybrid
Luckily, the cruel experiment never happened.
In the 1890s, the U.S. hired a team of globe-trotting plant hunters
Thank these plant explorers for your avocado toast, mango smoothies, and pistachios.
19th century real estate agents used ‘peepshow’ technology to sell glitzy mansions
Cosmoramas were an 1840s version of Zillow—but with paintings.
During WWII, Great Britain poisoned sheep with anthrax on an idyllic Scottish island
Gruinard Island remained toxic for nearly 50 years—until activists started delivering buckets of dirt.
In 1960, movie theaters tried Smell-O-Vision. It stunk.
The short-lived experiment pumped scene-appropriate scents into cinemas.
7 peculiar pets in history: From a beer-drinking elk to the Pope’s elephant
Move aside cats and dogs.
Radiation fruit: How 1950s ‘gamma gardens’ created today’s grapefruit
But don’t worry: Grapefruits can’t hurt you.
Charles Darwin’s daughter had an unusual hobby: Hunting phallic mushrooms
Eccentric “Aunt Etty” also edited several of her father’s most important works.
In 1962 Wisconsin, delivery pizzas were cooked in traffic
Mobile kitchens ensured that pizzas arrived piping hot. Why didn’t it last?
Beef tea was all the rage in the 1800s
A cup a day kept the doctor away—at least according to these 19th century remedies.