More like dead-ures, dentures used to be composed of teeth that were collected from dead soldiers.
The teeth were harvested and placed in synthetic gums for use by people who needed a new set of chompers. Teeth were taken from both Union and Confederate soldiers to be repurposed this way.
A Circus Train Made History but for Reasons You Might Not Think
In 1918, after falling asleep at the wheel, a train engineer accidentally crashed into the back of another train. This secondary train happened to be a circus train, transporting circus performers.
86 people died in the crash, some of which included a trapeze artist and two brothers who put on a strongman act. Perhaps running away with the circus isn’t such a good idea after all.
The Sinking of the Titanic May Have Been Predicted in a Book
Fourteen years before the Titanic would sink, a man named Morgan Robertson wrote a novel about a British ship named the Titan. Just like the Titanic, the Titan was called “unsinkable” but proceeded to hit an iceberg and sink. The book even included details about there not being enough lifeboats to hold the passengers onboard the Titan.
Perhaps Robertson was clairvoyant because fourteen years after the book was published in 1898, the Titanic emerged and sank in a way that exactly mirrored the sinking of the Titan.
The Founder of the Smithsonian Institution Uses the Building as His Burial Ground
James Smithson is buried in the Smithsonian and is said to still be presiding over the place. Employees claim to have seen his ghost roaming around the building.
There were so many reports of Smithson’s ghost that the museum decided to open his casket in 1973 to make sure his remains were still intact.
Liberty Island May Be Home to a Pirate Ghost
The famous Liberty Island used to be occupied by teams of pirates. In 1892, during the time when a fort was erected on the island, two soldiers heard rumors of the island’s past frequenters and decided to try to find buried treasure that was said to be left behind by some pirates.
They actually found the treasure box, but when they tried to open it a demon supposedly appeared to stop them. The figure was thought to be the spirit of Captain Kidd, a famous pirate who was said to have buried his treasure on the island.