On July 16, 1439, in the middle of a nasty outbreak of the plague, King Henry VI of England issued a bizarre but serious order: kissing was banned. Not just romantic kissing — even the common cheek-kisses people gave as greetings were outlawed. The idea was to slow the spread of disease through close contact.

At the time, people didn’t fully understand how germs worked, but they knew one thing: the plague spread fast, and once it hit a town, death followed. This particular wave was part of the broader Black Death, which had been tearing through Europe on and off since the 1340s. So even a simple kiss was seen as a potential death sentence.

Henry’s order wasn’t enforced by police or anything — it was more of a public health decree. But it does show how seriously governments were starting to take disease control, even back in the 15th century. And for a time when people were still relying on herbs and superstition, it was a pretty forward-thinking move.

So on July 16, 1439, England said “no more smooches” — not because of morals, but because even back then, they knew sometimes the safest thing you can do... is keep your distance.

On the night of July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr., the son of President John F. Kennedy, died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, along with his wife Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and her sister Lauren. He was piloting the plane himself — a Piper Saratoga — on their way to a family wedding.

The flight left New Jersey late in the evening, and visibility over the Atlantic was poor due to haze. JFK Jr. wasn’t yet certified to fly using instruments alone, and investigators believe he became disoriented — a condition known as spatial disorientation, where the horizon basically disappears and pilots lose track of up from down.

The crash sparked a massive search effort. Wreckage and the bodies were found days later, and the NTSB concluded pilot error was to blame. The tragedy devastated the Kennedy family and added another layer to the so-called “Kennedy curse”, the long list of tragic and early deaths in the famous political dynasty.

So on July 16, 1999, America lost not just a name, but a man many believed could’ve followed in his father’s footsteps. JFK Jr.’s death closed the door on what some saw as the last real chance to revive the Kennedy legacy.

Accidental Invention🍫
In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer accidentally discovered the cooking potential of microwave radiation while working at Raytheon, testing magnetrons for radar systems. He noticed a chocolate bar melted in his pocket near active equipment. Spencer then placed popcorn kernels near the device, confirming the heating effect. This led to the development of the first microwave oven, called the Radarange, which was released commercially in 1947. It initially stood over 5 feet tall and cost more than $2,000. ⚙️📡🍫

Exploding Whale🐳
On November 12, 1970, the Oregon Highway Division attempted to dispose of a 45-foot, 8-ton dead sperm whale that had washed up near Florence, Oregon, by using half a ton of dynamite. The explosion launched large chunks of whale blubber into the air, damaging cars and narrowly missing bystanders. A reporter from KATU, Paul Linnman, filmed the event, and the footage became one of the earliest viral news clips in U.S. history. The incident is now cited as a case study in poor explosive planning. 🐳💥🚗

Presidential Alligator🐊
President John Quincy Adams kept a live alligator in a bathtub in the White House’s East Room during his presidency (1825–1829). The alligator was a gift from Marquis de Lafayette, given during a U.S. goodwill tour. Adams reportedly enjoyed showing it off to visitors as a curiosity. There is no formal record of how long the alligator was kept, but the anecdote has been referenced in multiple presidential biographies and by the White House Historical Association. 🐊🏛️🎩

Shakespeares Missing Play🎭
Love’s Labour’s Won is the title of a lost play by William Shakespeare, referenced in several 16th- and 17th-century records, including bookseller Francis Meres’ 1598 list of Shakespeare’s works and a stationer’s inventory from 1603. No known copy or script survives, and its content remains unknown. Scholars debate whether it was a sequel to Love’s Labour’s Lost, a renamed version of another play, or an entirely separate work. Despite multiple references during Shakespeare’s lifetime, no manuscript or print copy has ever been found. 📜🎭

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