Mildly interesting
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In 2013, a Detroit man bought a house next to his ex-wife, then spent $7,000 on a 12-foot bronze middle finger statue, complete with spotlights, pointed directly at her window.
Sometimes, history isn’t just about wars or kings, it’s about the lengths people will go for a personal grudge.
In Detroit in 2013, Alan Markovitz, a local strip club owner, made headlines when he purchased a house next door to his ex-wife. Instead of quietly moving on, he commissioned a massive 12-foot bronze statue of a hand flipping the middle finger and planted it in his yard so it would point squarely at her home. To ensure the gesture couldn’t be missed, he installed spotlights to keep the statue illuminated through the night.
The story quickly spread online, becoming an infamous example of what some called the “pettiest divorce revenge in history.” While some admired the audacity, others criticized the move as a permanent reminder of bitterness. Markovitz himself admitted he didn’t expect the monument to go viral, but once photos circulated, the statue became internet lore.
Fun Fact: This wasn’t just a neighborhood oddity, Markovitz’s statue even landed in international news, cementing its place as one of the most memorable (and expensive) acts of post-divorce revenge on record.
@Mik said in Mildly interesting:
In 2013, a Detroit man bought a house next to his ex-wife, then spent $7,000 on a 12-foot bronze middle finger statue, complete with spotlights, pointed directly at her window.
I’m reminded of Freud’s line: The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.
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@kluurs I remember reading something similar about tardigrades (water bears). The US army actually had given a grant to scientists to study them. If I remember, it related to being able to re-hydrate blood, and possibly being able to use de-hydrated blood because of its easier to store and transport.
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“Bill of mortality” from the Great Plague of London's deadliest week, which ended on this day in 1665, leaving a count of 7165 dead.
In addition to the high count attributed to "Plague" and other expected maladies of the time, we see deaths assigned to more enigmatic causes — “Frighted”, “Suddenly”, “Winde”, “Teeth”, and “Planet”. In addition to those that paint a very specific and vivid picture, e.g. “Burnt in his Bed by a Candle at St. Giles Cripplegate”.
More info, and the whole year of "bills" to view, here: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/londons-dreadful-visitation-bills-of-mortality
