Frank Hayes was born in Ireland before moving to America, where he worked as a horse trainer and stableman in New York. On June 3, 1923, he was called in last-minute as a stand-in jockey for a race at Belmont Park the following day. His mount was a horse named ‘Sweet Kiss’, a 20–1 outsider. To ‘make weight’, Hayes had to drop 12 pounds in just 24 hours. With no real racing experience and no wins to his name, expectations were low. Determined to qualify, he spent hours run

On September 13, 2023, a Rock ‘n’ Roll tradition was born at a music festival held at Varsity Arena in Toronto. When festival host Kim Fowley heard John Lennon was nervously chain-smoking backstage, he came up with an idea to put John at ease. Stepping to the microphone and addressing the crowd he said, "Everyone get out your matches and lighters, please. In a minute I'm going to bring out John Lennon and Eric Clapton and when I do I want you to light them and give them a

Robert Liston was born in Scotland in 1794 and came to be a highly respected amputation surgeon. Back then, anesthesia wasn’t widely used, so faster surgeries meant less pain and better odds. As the story goes, one day, Dr. Liston was scheduled to amputate a patient’s leg. An elderly doctor was on hand to observe Liston’s celebrated technique. The operation began with no issues but, as Liston was changing instruments, he accidentally slashed the elderly doctor’s coat. Belie

There’s a term for people who have an irrational fear of numbers – it’s called ‘arithmophobia’. We’ve all heard of superstitions that exist with the number 13 (unlucky) or say, 666 (the sign of the devil). However, true ‘arithmophobes’ fear all kinds of numbers – especially complex math equations! And … if you’re an ‘arithmophobe’ this definitely is NOT the position for you! So, what does this have to do with Match and Fable’s latest role? Nothing really. That said, wh

On April 23, 2017, Dennis Dickey of Tucson, Arizona decided to throw a party. The event would include a gender reveal for the baby he and his wife would soon be welcoming. Apparently, Dickey considered popping a balloon or cutting into a cake, a little too blasé. Instead, he placed Tannerite (a highly explosive substance) inside a target with the intention of detonating it with the help of a high-powered rifle. Moments after pulling the trigger, the subsequent explosion i

On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters, an American truck driver with an unquenchable desire to take flight, hatched an eccentric scheme. He connected 42 weather balloons to a simple lawn chair in his girlfriend’s backyard in San Pedro, California and armed himself with a pellet gun, some sandwiches and a CB radio. With the balloons secured to his chair, Larry cut the anchor line, expecting to ascend only a few feet above ground. However, the balloons quickly propelled him skyward

In 1986, wanted by police for 50 armed robberies, Valerio Viccei fled Italy, and arrived in London, England. The next year, he, and his accomplice, Parvez Latif walked into the KSDC and asked to rent a safe deposit box. Once inside the vault, the men pulled out their pistols and overpowered the bank manager and his guards. They hung a ‘closed’ sign on the front door, while they ushered a few waiting accomplices into the bank. Ransacking the vault, the thieves fled with an

The ‘Twinkie Defense’ case involved the trial of Dan White, a former San Francisco city supervisor, who was charged with the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1979. White's defense team argued that his mental state was impaired due to depression and diminished capacity caused by his excessive consumption of junk food, including Twinkies! The defense did not solely rely on the consumption of Twinkies as the ‘excuse’ for White's actions but present

On August 8, 1963, fifteen men pulled off one of the most audacious heists in British history. The men used a fake signal to stop a Royal Mail train in the UK and then overpowered the crew. They loaded £2.6 million in cash into their vehicles and disappeared before anyone knew what hit them. The Great Train Robbery was, by every measure, a masterpiece. That was, until one of their own started singing. One man (scared, calculating, or both), walked into a police station and op