The first American woman to go to medical school was admitted as a joke. Geneva Medical School thought it was joke when Elizabeth Blackwell applied to attend 1847. She graduated in 1849, started her own practice, and opened an infirmary for the poor.
In the late 1600s, London was plagued by an attacker who would spank his victims with a rod and shout "Spanko!" before running away.
If you sneeze while driving at 60 mph, your eyes are closed for around 50 feet.
In 1923, jockey Frank Hayes won a race at Belmont Park in New York despite being dead — he suffered a heart attack mid-race but his body stayed in the saddle until his horse crossed the line for a 20–1 outsider victory.