Large corporations have perfected marketing and branding in the decades since the era portrayed on the famed TV show Mad Men. Back then, ad agencies and marketing experts were just trying to figure out how to advertise to the average consumer. Nowadays, there are all kinds of focus groups, algorithms, and tactics—both shrewd and shady—that’ll get you to buy the products these companies want you to buy. Bizarre origin stories lie at the heart of many of these household names, revealing the oddball creativity that birthed them.

10 Pez

Pez was first created as a tasty (and a bit tangy, if we’re being honest) peppermint candy in 1927. However, they weren’t initially meant for those with a sweet tooth—they were targeted at smokers. Pez was designed to encourage people to stop cmoking.

The candy’s inventor was an Austrian man named Eduard Haas III. At first, he didn’t come up with the now‑iconic Pez dispenser to disperse the candy. Instead, he simply chose to drop the candies into small metal tins. People would carry those tins around and chew on the candy pieces all day—sort of like what the other world‑famous brand Altoids does with their products in the modern era.

Anyway, back to the birth of the name. As a resident of Austria, Haas naturally spoke German. In that language, the word for peppermint is “pfefferminz.” So, being the creative guy he evidently was, Haas took the “P” from the start of that world, the “E” from the exact middle letter, and the “Z” that capped it out and created the brand name “PEZ.” The name stuck! While the candy’s shape and dispersal method have changed over the decades, the name itself has simply proven too iconic to give up.

9 WD‑40

Persistence pays off. And if you don’t believe us, just ask the guy who invented WD‑40. In 1953, a chemist desperately tried to perfect a formula that could effectively prevent corrosion. That task is best completed by displacing water, but no matter how hard he tried or experimented, he just couldn’t seem to get things done. He attempted to displace water in one way or another, again and again, for 39 straight attempts. And for 39 straight attempts, he failed. And then… the 40th time proved to be the charm!

The chemist finally had a breakthrough on his 40th crack at the formula. And he thought so highly of his success and resilience that he decided to honor that push when it came time to name the product. Thus, “WD‑40” stands for “Water Displacement, 40th formula.” Just goes to show that you shouldn’t give up on something just because you failed once or twice… or ten times… or 39 times! After all, you never quite know: the 40th time might truly be the charm!

8 Etsy

The person who founded Etsy was a guy named Rob Kalin. In 2010, a news outlet asked him the obvious question: why “Etsy”? After all, the art‑and‑crafting website was fast on the rise back then. And now, it has completely taken over the way we shop for artistic goodies and buy custom‑made things. So it’s worth wondering what led Kalin to name his website the way he did!

As it turns out, the founder simply wanted a nonsense word that he could build from scratch and make his own. So he turned to the famed Italian film director Federico Fellini for some halfway inspiration that he could mesh and mold into what he wanted!

Kalin explained: “I was watching Fellini’s 8½ and writing down what I was hearing. In Italian, you say ‘etsi’ a lot. It means ‘oh, yes.’ And in Latin, it means ‘and if.’” It’s weird, but it works for us! Besides, shouldn’t a crafting do‑it‑yourself site like Etsy have a (mostly) made‑up word as its brand name? What a fitting idea for the site!

7 Virgin

Richard Branson’s companies are all called “Virgin.” There’s Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines, and after a while, it sure does make ya wonder: What is up with all the virginity talk? Is there a joke buried in there not‑so‑subtly or something? Well, actually, yes! When the company was first founded, Richard and his pals were (rightly) worried that they didn’t know anything about business. But instead of stressing too hard about that little problem, they decided to make a joke out of it.

For a while, Branson wanted to name the company something entirely different. One of the leading early contenders for the record company’s name was “Slipped Disc.” Get it? Eventually, one of his pals suggested that they name the thing “Virgin.” You know, because they were all “virgins” at business. At first, everybody laughed. But then the name stuck around. And really, who’s laughing now?

6 Delta Airlines

The wonderful folks at Delta Airlines didn’t name their company after the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet, even though that’s a common misconception. And they didn’t name it “Delta” because they enjoyed change or disruption like many people have also come to believe. The origin of the name is far simpler than that, in reality. It all has to do with how the company started nearly a century ago: as a crop dusting service in the region comprising the lowest points around the Mississippi River!

As many of you may know, the floodplain of the Mississippi River way down south, near where it lets out into the Gulf of Mexico is known as the Mississippi Delta. A century ago, the folks who founded the airline were working there, dusting crops for local farmers.

At the time, their company was known as “Huff Dusters.” That name stunk, though, and they knew it. So, they renamed the company “Delta Airlines” to honor the region in which they were founded. Not long after that, in 1929, Delta began operating commercial flights with passengers. And the rest is history!

5 Pepsi

Pepsi was first invented in 1893 by a drugstore owner named Caleb Davis Bradham. At the time, he made up his then‑groundbreaking beverage by mixing caramel, lemon oil, nutmeg, sugar, water, and a host of other natural ingredients. And for a while, he had a simple name for it: “Brad’s Drink.” But eventually, Bradham came to see the drink as less of a refreshing treat and more of a beverage that could cure all manner of ills suffered by local folks. (Or at least that’s what he told himself—and how he marketed the thing to eager customers with money to burn!)

So, five years later, he honed in on the word “dyspepsia,” which means indigestion, and decided to use the root of that word for his drink. In 1898, he pulled away from the name “Brad’s Drink” and replaced it with “Pep Kola” after buying the rights to that name from a competitor. The “pep” was meant to signal that the drink could fix dyspepsia. Whether it did wasn’t important; he just wanted consumers to think it could. And to that end, it was very successful! A few years later, it was changed to “Pepsi Cola,” and from there, the name has not changed.

4 Target

Target may be world‑famous now as one of the biggest and most beloved retail giants ever. But it didn’t start out that way! In the day, Target was first opened by a corporation called The Dayton Company in the ripe old year of 1962. And amazingly, at the time, they opened the store without having latched onto a name! They knew they wanted to create a department store that could sell everything anybody could ever want. And they were committed to a red‑and‑white color scheme that could draw attention. But as for a name? They were adrift.

That is until the company’s publicity director came up with the name “Target.” According to his reasoning, the bullseye‑related word fit perfectly because the original store was set up to have more than 75 different departments, as well as parking for nearly 1,300 cars. Thus, it would be so big and so useful across every sector that it would be the perfect “target” for everyone’s retail needs. The name took hold—and stuck—and here we are today. And really, who doesn’t love to go to Tarjay?

3 Ikea

In 1943, a 17‑year‑old Swedish man named Ingvar Kamprad founded the company that would soon become Ikea. He brought it about thanks to a pile of money his father had given him as a reward for doing well in school. The teenager initially started very simple: He sold pens, and then wallets, picture frames, watches, jewelry, and even nylon stockings. And he named the company in a simple way, too. By putting together the two first initials that made up his name along with the two first initials of the farm and village in which he grew up!

To that end, Ingvar Kamprad combined his own name with the first letters of the farm and village Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd… and got Ikea! By the way, Ikea’s now‑famed product names also have a reason behind them.

See, Kamprad was dyslexic, so he realized early on that naming things after proper names of places in Sweden and other countries (like Klippan, Malmö, and many more) was a more effective way for him to remember the names and how they were spelled. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea!

2 Google

Pretty much everybody at this point knows that the search engine Google takes its name from the word “googol,” which is the mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 (yes, 100!) zeros. That’s a big number! But do you know how the search giant got to that name? The year was 1996, and founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin initially planned to call their search engine “BackRub.” That was supposed to reference the so‑called “backlinks” of the then‑primitive worldwide web. They weren’t totally crazy about the name, though, so they began discussing other options with pals and co‑workers in the research lab, where they spent all their time.

Eventually, during one final brainstorming session in September of ’97 with a Stanford University graduate student named Sean Anderson, the crew landed on the word “googolplex.” Larry suggested they shorten it just to “googol” and looked it up on the web to be sure they could purchase the domain name. And the domain was available! It’s just that… well, when Sean went to register the thing, he misspelled “googol” as “google.” The group ended up liking that one better than the correct term, though, and so it stuck.

1 Lego

When it comes to creating the name of one of the most iconic children’s toys of all time, the whole thing actually came together very simply! LEGO was founded by a Danish man named Ole Kirk Kristiansen in 1932. And to this day, it is still owned by the Kristiansen family—it just keeps getting passed down from generation to generation! That’s a pretty rare situation in this day and age of super‑corporations and mega‑companies turning into behemoths and conglomerates.

Anyway, when it came time for Ole to name his company, he settled on something very simple: the Danish words “leg godt.” That translates roughly to “play well.” He combined the words into the now‑iconic “LEGO,” that was that. He thought it looked good, sounded good, and was easy to say across nearly any language. And he was right!

0 Twitter

It may be called “X” now, but back in the day, Twitter was Twitter. Unless you are new to the website over the last 24 months, you undoubtedly can’t stop calling it Twitter and start using its new “X” moniker. Well, if you’re anything like us, at least. It’ll always be Twitter over here! But how did the original name come about, anyway? And where did co‑founder Jack Dorsey and his team get the idea that a message would be called a “tweet”?

Birds definitely come into play with this name idea. But it goes a little bit deeper than that, too. At first, Dorsey considered (and then turned down) the name “Twitch.” That’s a funny thought because Twitch would go on to become its own gaming‑ and streaming‑related social network. But Dorsey thought Twitch wasn’t quite the right name for his micro‑blogging service way back 20 years ago when he was first putting it together. So he looked elsewhere.

Recalling how he came up with the name “Twitter” in an interview years later with the BBC, Dorsey explained: “We looked in the dictionary for words around it and came across the word ‘twitter,’ and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information’ and ‘chirps from birds.’ And that’s exactly what the product was.”

Here are 10 origin stories that trace the eerie beginnings of the most unforgettable old‑school horror movie villains. From cursed wells in Japan to a fedora‑clad figure haunting suburban streets, each tale reveals the twisted reality that helped shape the monsters we still fear today.

10 Samara Morgan

Remember the gut‑wrenching moment you realized the cursed videotape in 2002’s The Ring could actually kill you? That chilling line – “First you watch it, then you die!” – sent shivers down the spines of countless viewers. The film, a remake of the Japanese classic Ringu, claims its horror roots stretch back to a 16th‑century Japanese legend.

The story centers on a young woman named Okiku, who tended the Himeji Castle. A relentless samurai coveted her, but she steadfastly refused his advances. To force her hand, the samurai stole a priceless plate she was charged with protecting. When Okiku discovered the theft, panic set in, for losing the plate meant certain execution.

Desperate, the samurai coaxed Okiku to surrender, promising he could save her. She rejected him again, inciting his fury. In a cruel twist, he hoisted her over a deep well and left her dangling. When she still refused, he struck her with his sword, sending her plummeting to a watery death.

Okiku’s tale didn’t end there. From the bottom of the well, the samurai heard her eerie, endless counting of plates—never reaching the tenth. Today, a well known as Okiku’s Well still exists in Japan, sealed off to keep the restless spirit from climbing out.

9 Norman Bates

When Robert Bloch penned the 1959 novel Psycho, he likely never imagined his creation, Norman Bates, would become a cinematic icon and later inspire the TV series Bates Motel. Bloch’s original books later featured copycat killers adopting Bates’s identity after his demise, a twist that diverged from the film franchise.

The novel’s adaptation to film was spurred by the shocking revelations surrounding real‑life murderer Ed Gein. Many assumed Gein was the direct muse for Norman, yet Bloch clarified that it was the broader, horrifying circumstances of Gein’s case that sparked his imagination.

Bloch wanted to expose how killers could conceal their true nature in seemingly quiet towns, lurking behind the nosy, ever‑watchful neighbors. It wasn’t until the world learned the full extent of Gein’s atrocities that Bloch realized just how closely his fictional Norman mirrored the real‑life monster.

The parallel between Bates and Gein extends to their twisted maternal bonds, cementing the character’s place as one of horror’s most unsettling figures.

8 Candyman

Legends that spring from urban folklore often become the backbone of classic horrors, and Candyman (1992) is no exception. The film tells the story of a Black artist who was brutally lynched after an affair with a white woman, birthing the vengeful specter known as Candyman. A graduate student researching Chicago folklore uncovers this terrifying myth.

In the movie, uttering Candyman’s name five times before a mirror summons the hook‑handed killer, who also wields a swarm of bees. Tony Todd’s iconic performance makes it hard to separate the actor from the monstrous image.

On April 22, 1987, a real‑life tragedy unfolded when Ruthie Mae McCoy dialed 911, panic evident as she shouted, “They threw the cabinet down.” She lived in a building with hidden passageways designed for maintenance, but these corridors also allowed burglars to push bathroom cabinets through walls to gain entry.

A neighbor alerted police after hearing gunshots from Ruthie’s unit, yet officers hesitated to breach the door, fearing property damage lawsuits. It took two days before a superintendent forced the lock and discovered Ruthie’s lifeless body, shot four times and lying face‑down.

The film’s first victim, Ruthie Jean, meets a similar fate through a mirror‑borne horror, while her neighbor Ann Marie McCoy, who dismissed Ruthie as unstable, watches the tragedy unfold. Although the exact link between Ruthie McCoy’s murder and the movie remains murky, it’s believed the director incorporated the real crime after learning of the Chicago incident. The story also draws from Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden.”

7 Leatherface

Early portrayals of Leatherface were almost comical, a far cry from the nightmarish chainsaw‑wielding brute we recognize today. Director Tobe Hooper admitted he only learned about infamous Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein after the 1974 release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, yet Gein’s practice of wearing human skin as a mask profoundly influenced Leatherface’s design.

Hooper also recalled a Halloween party where a friend arrived wearing an actual cadaver’s face—an experience he labeled the most disturbing he’d ever witnessed. This macabre memory cemented the idea of a killer concealed behind a skin mask.

To capture Leatherface’s clumsy gait and child‑like demeanor, Hooper borrowed traits from the cartoon character Baby Huey. The iconic chainsaw itself sprang from a fleeting daydream of mowing down a crowd in a bustling hardware store.

6 Jason Voorhees

Jason Voorhees, the hockey‑masked behemoth, can decapitate a victim with a single blow—an absurd yet terrifying notion that has cemented his status as a Halloween marathon staple. The Friday the 13th franchise, spanning twelve films and an upcoming limited series titled Crystal Lake, traces his murderous legacy.

Many point to the 1960 Lake Bodom murders in Finland as the real‑world spark for the series. Although the filmmakers deny a direct link, the similarities are striking. Four teenagers camped by the lake; three were stabbed to death, while the fourth, Nils Gustafsson, survived with severe injuries.

Gustafsson reported a mysterious attacker dressed in black with glowing red eyes. While initially a suspect, he was cleared when his injuries matched his account. The unsolved Lake Bodom case still haunts investigators as of 2024.

The fictional murders later inspired a real‑life killer, Peter Moore, who claimed a fictitious restaurant worker named Jason as his motive for a string of four murders in 1995. Moore, a cinema owner in North Wales, cited the character as a justification for his crimes.

5 Hannibal Lecter

Hannibal Lecter, the cultured cannibal, eclipses many horror icons in sheer terror. Thomas Harris’s 1981 novel Red Dragon evolved into the critically acclaimed The Silence of the Lambs (1991), with Anthony Hopkins delivering a performance that still chills viewers decades later.

Harris’s inspiration came from a bizarre interview with a Mexican prisoner named Dykes Askew Simmons, who introduced him to a man calling himself “Dr. Salazar.” Initially believed to be a prison doctor, Salazar turned out to be an incarcerated surgeon named Alfredo Balli Trevino.

Trevino, a gay man in a repressive Mexico, murdered his lover after a dispute over a potential marriage to a woman. He dismembered the body, packing the parts into a box. After serving twenty years, his sentence was commuted, and he returned to Monterrey, where he practiced medicine until his death in 2008.

Although Trevino’s crimes were never fully proven beyond the lover’s murder, Harris used his demeanor—intellectual, poised, and eerily insightful—to shape Lecter’s character. Both men shared medical backgrounds and a chilling ability to manipulate those around them.

Harris also drew from other real killers: Albert Fish, the notorious “Gray Man”; Pietro Pacciani, the “Monster of Florence”; and Robert John Maudsley, a prisoner who murdered child molesters from behind bullet‑proof glass—an element echoed in Lecter’s cell design.

4 Pennywise

Stephen King’s 1986 novel IT opens with six‑year‑old Georgie Denbrough in a yellow slicker, chasing a paper boat down Witcham Street—a scene that introduces the shape‑shifting, fear‑feeding clown Pennywise.

While King crafted most of Pennywise’s traits, he also pulled inspiration from real‑life clowns. Many link the character to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who performed as “Pogo” the clown. Yet King also cited classic television clowns like Bozo, Clarabelle from Howdy Doody, and even Ronald McDonald.

King’s own encounter with a Ronald McDonald mascot on a smoking‑allowed flight sparked a surreal conversation: the clown claimed to hail from “McDonald Land.” The absurd exchange left King unnerved, feeding further ideas for Pennywise’s unsettling persona.

3 Ghostface

When Scream hit theaters in 1996, it pioneered a meta‑horror style, lampooning genre clichés while paying homage to its predecessors. Writer Kevin Williamson, known for Dawson’s Creek, drafted the screenplay after watching a TV special on Florida serial killer Danny Rolling, the Gainesville Ripper who slaughtered five students in August 1990.

While viewing the reenactments, Williamson noticed an open window in his home and felt a chilling vulnerability—an experience that birthed the masked killer Ghostface.

The film mirrors Rolling’s lack of a clear motive. In Scream, the killer Billy Loomis declares that not every murderer needs a reason, though his personal vendetta stems from Sidney’s mother’s affair with his father.

Ghostface’s influence extended to a 2006 “thrill killing” when teenagers Torey Adamcik and Brian Draper stalked and filmed classmate Cassie Jo Stoddart before murdering her. The duo cited Scream and the Columbine shooters as inspirations, even compiling a “death list” of future victims.

2 Michael Myers

Michael Myers epitomizes pure, silent evil—starting his murderous spree at six by killing his own sister. Throughout the Halloween series, he stalks victims with relentless, mute determination, often leaving viewers double‑checking bathroom doors at night.

Director John Carpenter based Myers on a terrifying encounter during his time at Western Kentucky University. While visiting a psychiatric hospital, Carpenter met a teenage patient whose cold, “devil’s eyes” left an indelible impression, shaping Myers’s emotionless stare.

Additional inspiration came from actor Yul Brynner’s portrayal of a powerful figure in Westworld, influencing Myers’s superhuman strength. The infamous mask, however, was sourced from a Star Trek prop—a Captain Kirk mask repurposed for cinematic terror.

1 Freddy Krueger

Today, A Nightmare on Elm Street feels more like a dark comedy, with Freddy’s exaggerated gestures and elongated arms seeming almost cartoonish. Yet back in 1984, his scarred visage terrified audiences worldwide.

Wes Craven’s script drew from a heartbreaking Cambodian story: a family escaping the Killing Fields arrived in America, only for a young son to succumb to relentless nightmares. The boy warned his parents he feared the creature chasing him in his sleep, stayed awake for days, but eventually fell asleep and died mid‑night, his screams echoing through the house.

This harrowing account formed the backbone of Craven’s script, but he still needed a villain. He recalled a night when a stranger passed his house, stared ominously, and wore a fedora—an image that cemented Freddy’s iconic look.

Combining the real‑life tragedy with his own eerie memory, Craven created a villain who could invade dreams, turning sleep—a sanctuary—into a battlefield.

10 You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch

top 10 origin of the Grinch anthem

If you prefer to dodge the glittering holiday fanfare, this is the anthem for you. The Grinch, birthed by Dr. Seuss, has become the iconic Christmas‑hater, rivaling Dickens’ Scrooge. Though the character has endured for over half a century, his origin dates back to a decade after World II.

Theodore Geisel entered the U.S. Air Force after the war and was tasked with creating propaganda films. Teaming up with animator Chuck Jones, he helped craft the Private Snafu cartoons. When peace returned, Geisel resumed his pen‑name career, releasing the poem that introduced the Grinch in 1955 and expanding it into the 1957 classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! His personal disdain for the commercialization of the season fueled the character’s sour disposition.

Geisel, wary of Hollywood, refused to sell the Grinch rights outright but trusted former colleague Jones enough to grant him a license. The pair turned the story into a 30‑minute TV special, enlisting Tony‑award‑winning composer Albert Hague to write the mischievous number “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch.” Thurl Ravenscroft’s booming baritone delivered the lyrics—”He’s a monster. His heart’s an empty hole.”—three times throughout the special, cementing the version that still dominates today.

Since that debut, the song has resurfaced in a Broadway adaptation of the Grinch, Jim Carrey’s 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and countless TV productions, proving the mischievous melody’s staying power across generations.

9 Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town

Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots penned “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” in October 1933, only to face a wall of indifference from record labels who claimed the tune lacked commercial appeal.

Desperate for a break, they handed the song to comedian Eddie Cantor, who performed it on his 1934 radio show. Listeners loved it, prompting a flood of sheet‑music requests that eventually turned Gillespie into a millionaire, even though Cantor’s original broadcast was never recorded.

The tune has since been covered by a parade of legends—Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra among them—and continues to brighten films, radio playlists, and holiday specials each December.

8 Feliz Navidad

Whether you hear Boney M. or José Feliciano, “Feliz Navidad” has become a staple of the holiday season. Feliciano’s path to fame was rocky; in 1968 his Latin‑flavored rendition of “The Star‑Spangled Banner” at a World Series game sparked jeers and even calls for his deportation.

The following year, his fortunes flipped when he clinched two Grammy Awards for his self‑titled album. Determined not to repeat past mistakes, Feliciano crafted “Feliz Navidad” with a bilingual hook—Spanish verses paired with the simple English refrain “I want to wish you a Merry Christmas”—knowing that English‑language stations would otherwise ignore it.

The strategy paid off, and the song now enjoys global airplay, cementing its place as one of the most beloved bilingual Christmas anthems.

7 Blue Christmas

Jay Johnson, a scriptwriter and jingle composer, rode the New York commuter train in November 1948 when a flash of inspiration struck. While musing over “White Christmas,” he wondered what would happen if the color changed from white to blue, and the idea for “Blue Christmas” was born that very morning.

When the song was ready, several Nashville artists turned it down. Ultimately, Hugo Winterhalter and His Orchestra recorded it, landing the tune on the Top Ten chart that same year, 1948.

By the mid‑1950s, the country scene had embraced the melancholy melody. Elvis Presley recorded his version in 1957, defying his producer’s wish for a country style. Presley, with his band, tweaked the arrangement, and producer Steve Sholes ended up loving the result, leading to the iconic Elvis take that finally saw single release in 1964.

6 Mary’s Boy Child

“Mary’s Boy Child” was originally a birthday‑party tune with a calypso beat, written by Jester Hairston under the working title “He Pone and Chocolate Tea.” The piece was never recorded in that form.

Walter Schumann asked Hairston to craft a Christmas song for his Hollywood choir, prompting a lyrical overhaul of the original birthday melody. Harry Belafonte heard the revamped version, recorded it in 1956, and scored a UK number‑one, becoming the first male artist of colour to achieve that milestone.

When Boney M. released their 1978 rendition, the single surged to become one of the UK’s best‑selling records, moving just shy of two million copies and cementing the song’s place in holiday canon.

5 Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Don’t mistake “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” for a run‑of‑the‑mill Christmas ditty. John Lennon and Yoko Ono launched the song as part of a worldwide multimedia protest in late 1969, a period rife with anti‑Vietnam sentiment. They rented billboard space in at least a dozen major cities, emblazoning the message “WAR IS OVER! If you want it! – Happy Christmas from John & Yoko.”

To further the peace campaign, Lennon drafted the lyrics in 1971, becoming the first Beatle to issue an original Christmas song after the group’s breakup. He recorded a demo in a New York hotel, then recruited Phil Spector to co‑produce the track.

After a publishing‑rights dispute, the single finally dropped in November 1971, climbing to number 4 and re‑charting repeatedly. Following Lennon’s 1980 death, the song surged to number 2 on the UK chart, second only to his own “Imagine.”

4 Jingle Bells

“Jingle Bells” enjoys universal adoration—children, adults, radio stations, and TV specials can’t get enough of its merry rhythm.

The tune was composed by James Lord Pierpont, uncle of financier J.P. Morgan, and debuted at a Thanksgiving church service, never intended as a Christmas carol. Its exact origin is debated: a plaque in Medford, Massachusetts claims Pierpont penned it in 1850 while watching sleigh races in a tavern; however, researcher Kyna Hamill argues he was actually in California during the Gold Rush, making a 1857 composition in Savannah, Georgia, more plausible.

“Jingle Bells” earned a place in history on December 16 1965 when astronauts aboard Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 played the song from space, using a harmonica and tiny sleigh bells to amuse ground control, marking the first musical broadcast from orbit.

3 O Holy Night

“O Holy Night” has been interpreted by legends such as Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, Ella Fitzgerald, Kelly Clarkson, Mahalia Jackson, and Jennifer Hudson, earning its reputation as the definitive Christmas hymn.

The story begins in 1847 when Placide Cappeau, a wine‑merchant‑turned‑poet in a French town, was asked by his parish priest to write a poem for Christmas Mass. Inspired by the Gospel of Luke, Cappeau crafted “Cantique de Noël.” He enlisted his friend Adolphe Charles Adams to set the verses to music, and three weeks later the piece premiered at Midnight Mass.

Although the French church initially embraced the song, Cappeau’s later turn toward socialism and the revelation that Adams was Jewish led to a unanimous denouncement. Nevertheless, the French public kept the melody alive, and a decade later an American writer translated it into English, launching its worldwide popularity in churches and concerts.

2 Baby, It’s Cold Outside

This 1944 duet has become the most contentious entry on the list, sparking debates that link it to everything from Islamic fundamentalism to accusations of promoting rape.

Frank Loesser wrote the piece as a “call‑and‑response” number for himself and his wife to perform at their house‑warming party. In 1948, the song featured in the musical “Neptune’s Daughter,” with the male and female leads labeled “the Wolf” and “the Mouse,” respectively—an early hint of the predatory dynamic some critics later highlighted.

The controversy reignited in 2004 when a humor column suggested the song glorified statutory rape, followed by a 2005 freelance article calling it “semi‑consensual date rape.” The debate resurfaces each holiday season whenever the tune receives airplay worldwide.

1 The Little Drummer Boy

“The Little Drummer Boy” is instantly recognizable, thanks largely to its iconic “pa‑ra‑ra‑ra‑rum‑pum‑pum” intro. Its roots trace back to a traditional Czech carol known as “Carol of the Drum,” which Katherine Kennicott Davis translated into English in 1941. Some accounts suggest Davis re‑imagined the piece based on the Czech lyrics rather than a direct translation.

The distinctive drum rhythm was originally a rehearsal tool, designed by Davis to help the soprano, tenor, and bass sections harmonize. Intended only for practice, the beat inadvertently remained in the final arrangement and became a hallmark of the song.

Since its 1951 debut by the Trapp Family Singers and subsequent popularization by the Harry Simeone Chorale, the song has inspired over 113 recorded versions between 1957 and 2011, featuring artists ranging from Bing Crosby and Jimi Hendrix to Boney M., Westlife with Dolores O’Riordan, Whitney Houston, and Bob Dylan.

The estimated value of the US pharmaceutical industry was $446 billion in 2016, and its R&D spend per employee dwarfs any other sector. Yet many breakthrough medicines emerged not from meticulous planning but from serendipity, wild experiments, or sheer luck. Below are the top 10 crazy drug origin stories that illustrate how the unexpected can reshape health care.

10 Chlorambucil

Chlorambucil, an antileukemia agent approved by the FDA in 1957, traces its roots back to the horrifying use of mustard gas on World War I battlefields. Decades later, as the world braced for another global conflict, Yale researchers were probing treatments for mustard‑gas exposure when they observed that soldiers who had inhaled the agent displayed markedly reduced white‑blood‑cell counts.

This observation sparked the insight that nitrogen‑mustard compounds could be harnessed to target malignant white blood cells, halting their uncontrolled proliferation. Subsequent investigations refined this concept, culminating in the creation of chlorambucil, which remains a staple in the fight against certain leukemias.

9 Viagra

Viagra’s meteoric rise to fame is inseparable from its pop‑culture status, yet its birth was far more modest. The tale began in Merthyr Tydfil, a modest Welsh town, where scientists were testing a novel drug intended to prevent angina. Volunteers reported an unexpected side effect: more frequent erections.

Further investigation confirmed that the angina medication was responsible for this phenomenon, leading to the development of the iconic “little blue pill.” Marketed in 1998 as the first oral therapy for erectile dysfunction, Viagra has since become one of the world’s most prescribed medicines.

8 Botox

Everyone knows Botox for its ability to freeze faces, but the neurotoxin’s origins are far less glamorous. Derived from a purified form of the botulinum toxin that causes botulism, Botox was initially employed to treat muscle spasms, especially in patients with eyelid or vocal‑cord twitching.

When physicians observed that the drug also softened the brow area, its cosmetic potential exploded. Today, Botox procedures number in the millions annually in the United States alone, cementing its status as a staple of modern aesthetic medicine.

7 Smallpox Vaccination

In the late 1700s, Edward Jenner made a monumental contribution to public health by developing the first smallpox vaccine. Smallpox, notorious for its high mortality and disfiguring facial scars, had previously been mitigated only by variolation—deliberately inoculating material from an infected individual, a risky practice that still caused deaths.

While practicing in a rural English village, Jenner noticed that milkmaids who contracted the milder cowpox never fell ill with smallpox. Recognizing that exposure to a less dangerous virus could confer protection, he pioneered vaccination (from the Latin vacca, meaning “cow”). The World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1980, marking the only disease ever eliminated globally.

6 Lithium

The treatment of bipolar disorder—once termed manic‑depression—has evolved dramatically, but for much of history sufferers were confined to asylums. In 1948, Australian psychiatrist Dr. John Cade took an unconventional route, testing the long‑debunked theory that urea was linked to mania. He collected patient urine, stored it in his kitchen refrigerator, and injected it into guinea‑pigs.

When he later introduced lithium urate—a highly soluble lithium salt—into the animals, they became noticeably calm. Cade even tried the substance on himself, noting a soothing effect. This serendipitous experiment laid the foundation for lithium’s status as a cornerstone mood‑stabilizer in modern psychiatry.

5 Penicillin

While Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery of penicillin in 1928 is widely taught, the story of its development into a lifesaving drug hinges on Ernst Chain and Howard Florey. In the 1930s, the Oxford team delved into Fleming’s mold, devising ways to cultivate it on a large scale.

Their inventive methods included repurposing old dairy equipment and even using Marmite as a growth medium. One particularly quirky technique involved fermenting cantaloupes, which proved effective enough to launch clinical trials. Recognizing its potential, the U.S. military mass‑produced penicillin for the D‑Day invasions, saving countless soldiers and cementing the antibiotic’s place in modern medicine.

4 LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is best known as a Schedule I hallucinogen, yet its origins lie in pharmaceutical research. Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 while searching for a circulatory stimulant, a pursuit that initially yielded no promising results.

Five years later, Hofmann revisited the compound, inadvertently absorbing a tiny amount from his fingertips. He described an “uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures” and vivid, kaleidoscopic colors. Three days after this accidental dose, he deliberately ingested a larger amount and rode his bicycle home—a day now celebrated as “Bicycle Day.” Though initially a symbol of 1960s counterculture, recent studies suggest LSD may aid in treating post‑traumatic stress disorder.

3 Disulfiram

Commonly marketed as Antabuse, disulfiram deters alcohol consumption by provoking nausea and a rapid heartbeat when mixed with ethanol. Danish researchers Jens Hald and Erik Jacobsen originally investigated the compound as an antiparasitic agent.

During a post‑work cocktail gathering, both scientists sampled small amounts of alcohol after handling the drug and became violently ill, prompting the realization that the compound could serve as an aversive treatment for alcoholism. Earlier, rubber‑industry workers had observed a similar reaction, but the link to disulfiram was not established until these accidental experiments.

2 Cisplatin

Cisplatin, a cornerstone therapy for testicular cancer, boasts cure rates approaching 90 percent. Its anticancer potential was uncovered by U.S. chemist Barnett Rosenberg in the 1960s, who was originally probing the impact of strong electric fields on E. coli bacteria.

Rosenberg noticed that platinum electrodes, not the electrical current itself, inhibited bacterial cell division. He realized that the compound—known historically as “Peyrone’s chloride”—had profound effects on cell replication. This serendipitous discovery elevated cisplatin to a premier anticancer drug worldwide.

1 Warfarin

Warfarin’s saga began with a tragic cascade of dying cattle, rodents, and a botched suicide attempt before it became the world’s most widely used anticoagulant, prescribed to roughly 1 % of adults in the United Kingdom.

In the 1920s, a mysterious hemorrhagic disease struck cattle in the northern United States and Canada. Investigators traced the cause to moldy silage made from sweet clover, but the episode was initially dismissed. In the 1940s, Wisconsin researchers Karl Link and Harold Campbell isolated the anticoagulant compound from sweet clover, developing it into warfarin, which was first marketed as a rat poison in 1948, causing fatal internal bleeding in rodents.

Human use emerged in 1954 after a U.S. military recruit survived a failed suicide attempt involving warfarin, demonstrating that the drug could be administered safely at lower doses. One of its earliest human patients was President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Today, warfarin is a mainstay for preventing strokes and treating clot‑related conditions.

Why These Top 10 Crazy Drug Origin Tales Matter

Each of these ten stories showcases how the unexpected—whether a battlefield chemical, a bicycle ride, or a laboratory mishap—can spark medical breakthroughs. The “top 10 crazy” narratives remind us that curiosity, chance, and a dash of serendipity are just as vital as rigorous research in the quest for life‑saving therapies.

Food ties us together across continents, and the dishes we consider everyday staples often hide wildly unexpected backstories. In this roundup of 10 bizarre origin tales, we uncover the surprising roots of the foods that fill our plates.

Exploring the 10 Bizarre Origin Stories

10 Ketchup

Ketchup may seem like the quintessential American topping, draped over hot dogs, burgers, and everything a child might dunk, but its story begins far from the United States.

A staggering 97 % of American households say they keep a bottle in the fridge, which makes it feel like a homegrown staple—yet its lineage is anything but domestic.

The name actually traces back to the Hokkien phrase ke‑tsiap, a fermented‑fish sauce that once ruled the tables of southeastern China.

British cooks caught wind of the exotic sauce and tried to copy it, evident in a 1732 recipe titled “ketchup in paste” by Richard Bradley, which cited “Bencoulin in the East Indies” as the source.

It would be many decades before Henry J. Heinz refined the formula in 1876, turning the tangy, tomato‑based version into the global household name we recognize today.

9 Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is another deeply rooted standard. If you told most people that fried chicken was invented anywhere but the American South, you’d probably spark a heated debate.

With all due apologies to Colonel Sanders and his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices, the dish actually traces its roots to—yes, you guessed it—Scotland.

In medieval times the Scots were among the few who favored cooking chicken in hot fat, a method we now recognize as frying. When Scottish immigrants streamed to the United States in the 1800s, they carried this technique with them, especially to the Southern states.

There, African slaves adapted the method, seasoning the meat and turning it into the soulful, crispy delight we now associate with Southern cuisine.

8 Pancakes

No modern‑day food could have been more ancient than pancakes; researchers have even identified remnants of a pancake‑like batter in the stomach of Ötzi the Iceman, dating back roughly 5,300 years.

In ancient Greece and Rome, pancakes were a simple mix of honey, wheat flour, olive oil, and curdled milk, while during the English Renaissance they were flavored with apples, sherry, rosewater, or a variety of spices.

Even Thomas Jefferson was a fan: the third President sent a specialty pancake recipe from the White House to his hometown, showcasing the dish’s long‑standing popularity.

7 Bacon

Unsurprisingly, bacon has been delighting palates since around 1500 BC, but its origins lie in ancient China, where early cooks cured pork bellies with salt, arguably birthing the world’s first bacon.

Through trade and conquest, the Romans and Greeks learned the curing technique, creating their own version known as petaso, a pork shoulder boiled with dried figs, browned, and paired with wine.

The word “bacon” itself likely stems from several linguistic sources—the French bako, the Germanic bakkon, and the old Teutonic backe—all referencing the pig’s back.

It wasn’t until the 17th century that the term settled on the smoked, salted pork belly we recognize today.

6 Mac And Cheese

Macaroni blended with a melty cheese sauce (sometimes topped with decadent lobster or, even better, bacon) is another guilty‑pleasure comfort food. As it’s pasta‑related, it’s no surprise that this dish has roots in Italy.

However, the Italian version was far removed from the boxed convenience we know. Prior to the 1300s in southern Italy, a dish resembling lasagna—layers of boiled pasta sheets, grated cheese, and spices—was the ancestor of modern mac and cheese.

“American mac and cheese” has far more humble roots. One theory claims the casserole emerged to serve New England church suppers, earning the nickname “macaroni pudding.”

Another story credits Thomas Jefferson, who, after bringing a pasta machine from Italy, had his wife craft a dish with Parmesan; Jefferson later swapped Parmesan for cheddar, creating the beloved comfort food.

The one indisputable fact is that macaroni and cheese remains a budget‑friendly, delicious dinner option for countless households.

5 The Hamburger

Common knowledge tells us that the hamburger was invented in Hamburg, Germany, in the 19th century, but that’s only partially true. Meat from the Hamburg cow was minced, spiced, and formed into a patty—historically called a “Hamburg steak.”

This upscale dish was originally served without a bun, making it a pricey menu item in fine‑dining establishments.

The transition to a handheld sandwich happened during the Industrial Revolution, when factory workers received hamburger steaks from food carts. An unnamed innovator slipped the patty between two slices of bread for convenience, giving birth to the modern hamburger.

4 The Hot Dog

Ah yes, another iconic American food that isn’t even American. Hot dogs were invented in Germany, where they were called “dachshund” or “little dog” sausages, referring to their slender shape.

The mastermind behind these sausages was Johann Georghehner, who marketed his product in Frankfurt, coining the term “frankfurter.”

So, how did “frankfurter” become “hot dog”? According to a popular legend, drunken college students jokingly claimed the sausages were made from actual dog meat, sparking the nickname “hot dog.”

The rumor spread, boosting the snack’s popularity, and the whimsical name stuck, even though the sausages are still pork or beef based.

3 French Fries

They’re called “french fries,” so they must be French, right? Turns out, they may not be.

One competing theory suggests that the golden, fried, crispy potatoes were originally made in Belgium. Villagers near the Meuse River often ate fried fish as a staple dish. In the winter, the rivers would freeze, cutting off access to the fish, so they would fry potatoes for their meals instead.

It’s rumored that U.S. soldiers stumbled upon this. As the predominant language in that part of Belgium was French, the soldiers dubbed the food “french fries.”

Like any good origin story, there is a third theory. Some believe that the “french fry” is really Spanish. The Spanish were the first‑recorded people to encounter the South Americans as mentioned in The Chronicle of the Incas, or the Seventeen‑Year Travel of Pedro Cieza de Leon Throughout the Mighty Kingdom of Peru.

No matter what the truth is, “french fry” sounds much better than “Belgian fry” or “Spanish fry.” So we’ll stick with it as is.

2 Chili

Are you ready for a creepy nun origin story?

According to a Native American legend, a nun is responsible for the first chili recipe recorded on paper. Apparently, Sister Mary of Agreda of Spain would go into a trance, leaving her lifeless body behind for days. Shadow‑walking into different cultures, she used her soul to preach to “savages” and encouraged them to seek out Spanish Christian missions.

Although the corporeal Sister Mary never left the confines of Spain, it is believed that she spirit‑walked across the globe. The Native Americans refer to her as la dama de azul (“the lady in blue”).

But we’re a bit skeptical here. A nun spirit‑walking across the globe in an era when intercultural communication didn’t yet exist, and the most famous information she brings back is a recipe for chili? Must be one divine recipe.

1 Chocolate Chip Cookies

Always good to end with a dessert. The chocolate chip cookie is a classic offering in that category. Whoever conceptualized this must have been a visionary.

As it turns out, the chocolate chip cookie was the product of a happy accident. Ruth Graves Wakefield ran an inn in Massachusetts called the Toll House Inn. She and her husband were getting ready to bake some Chocolate Butter Drop Do cookies, a colonial favorite, when Ruth realized that she was out of baking chocolate.

Earlier in the week, she had been given a block of Nestlé semisweet chocolate from Andrew Nestlé himself. She decided to chop that up and use it as a substitute. Instead of dissolving into the batter during the baking process, the chocolate chunks held their form, resulting in the most delicious accident in US history.

Here are the 10 origin stories of classic sitcoms that shaped American television. While many beloved series were adaptations, spin‑offs, or film‑based, the backstories of these comedies often hold surprising twists that even the most devoted fans may not know. Dive in for a behind‑the‑scenes look at how each show found its footing.

10 1982)

During the 1970s, prime‑time schedules were dominated by gritty police dramas, yet the creators of Barney Miller envisioned a comedic take on the precinct world. Though billed as a comedy, the series captured the everyday rhythm of a city police station with a realism that resonated with actual officers. The original pilot, titled “The Life and Times of Captain Barney Miller,” focused heavily on Barney’s personal life and bore little resemblance to the eventual series, largely because almost the entire initial cast was replaced.

Only two actors survived the overhaul: Hal Linden, who left a Broadway role to embody the titular captain, and Abe Vigoda, who became the beloved Detective Fish. Veteran director‑producer John Rich was brought in to rescue the faltering project, insisting the show stay centered on the station house itself. This shift turned the series into a workplace comedy that rarely delved into the characters’ private lives. The retooled version, after being aired as a rejected pilot on ABC’s summer anthology Just for Laughs, blossomed into the iconic, long‑running sitcom we all remember.

9 1957)

It’s hard to picture I Love Lucy without its vivid slap‑slap‑slap visual comedy, yet its roots lie in radio. The original incarnation, My Favorite Husband, was a radio program inspired by the novel Mr. and Mrs. Cugat. Lucille Ball’s magnetic performance made the show a hit, prompting producers to rush it onto the fledgling television medium. Initially, the plan was to cast Richard Denning—who played Lucy’s on‑air husband—as the TV counterpart.

Ball, eager to keep her traveling bandleader husband Desi Arnaz close, insisted that Arnaz co‑star, despite network executives fearing audiences wouldn’t accept an ethnically mixed couple. After a successful vaudeville tour that proved their chemistry, Ball’s persistence paid off. The series, produced by Desilu Productions, kept the original radio writers Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr., added William Frawley and Vivian Vance, and transformed into the timeless classic we celebrate today.

8 1999)

Fran Drescher’s serendipitous encounter with CBS Entertainment president Jeff Sagansky on a 1991 transatlantic flight set the stage for a sitcom that would become a cultural touchstone. Having already collaborated with Sagansky on two failed projects, Drescher boldly told the exec that she was tired of being a “side dish” and deserved to be the “main course.” She insisted not only on starring but also on co‑creating the series with her then‑husband, Peter Marc Jacobson.

When Sagansky finally agreed to hear a pitch, Drescher and Jacobson had nothing prepared. Inspiration struck during a shopping trip in London with Twiggy’s teenage daughter, sparking a comedic twist on The Sound of Music that placed Drescher’s flamboyant character at the center. The result was The Nanny, with Fran Fine’s quick‑witted, wise‑cracking charm captivating audiences alongside Charles Shaughnessy’s Broadway‑producing Maxwell Sheffield.

7 1966)

Animators William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, fresh off successes like Tom and Jerry and The Huckleberry Hound Show, broke new ground by launching the first prime‑time animated series: the prehistoric sitcom The Flintstones. While brainstorming concepts—including pilgrim tales, Native‑American stories, and hillbilly sketches—the duo landed on the Stone Age because, as Barbera explained, “You could take anything current and translate it into the Stone Age.”

Many assume the show directly parodied The Honeymooners, and while clear similarities exist, Barbera never outright confirmed the influence. Yet William Hanna acknowledged that the characters were “terrific” and that The Honeymooners served as a foundational reference point. This blend of familiar sitcom dynamics with a caveman setting created a timeless classic that still resonates today.

6 1979)

Building a sitcom around a stand‑up routine was rare in the early ’70s, but Gabriel Kaplan’s Welcome Back, Kotter defied that norm. The series followed Brooklyn teacher Gabe Kotter as he attempted to manage a rambunctious group of remedial high‑school students dubbed “The Sweathogs.” Remarkably, the core Sweathog characters were inspired by real classmates Kaplan attended with at New Utrecht High School.

Before their television debut, Kaplan had already woven these personalities into his comedy act, “Holes and Mello‑Rolls.” Their transition from stage material to screen gave the show an authentic, relatable edge that contributed to its lasting appeal.

5 1991)

Behind the beloved quartet of Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia lies an unexpected genesis: a spoof crafted for potential advertisers to promote the upcoming drama Miami Vice. According to Biography, the ad‑hoc sketch featured Doris Roberts and Selma Diamond riffing about the new cop series, which sparked the concept of retirees gathering for card games in a Florida community—originally titled “Miami Nice.”

Betty White was initially cast as Blanche, while Rue McClanahan was slated for Rose, a role reminiscent of her air‑headed Vivian in Maude. However, director Jay Sandrich felt McClanahan didn’t suit the innocent Rose and ingeniously swapped the actresses, a decision that proved perfect. The resulting ensemble broke new ground by spotlighting mature women with humor and heart.

4 1982)

The seed for Mork & Mindy came from an unlikely source: an eight‑year‑old’s imagination. Garry Marshall’s son, Scotty, suggested inserting an alien into an episode of Happy Days. Though the writing team initially balked, they drew straws and the concept landed with Marshall, who recognized its potential.

Robin Williams, whose improvisational brilliance defined the series, was discovered when Garry’s sister saw him perform an alien routine in his stand‑up act and urged the casting. The show ultimately became a spin‑off without a traditional pilot; Marshall repurposed the Happy Days episode, adding dialogue for the extraterrestrial Mork and splicing in new footage of Williams alongside Pam Dawber as Mindy.

3 1970)

Following the massive success of Bewitched, writer‑producer Sidney Sheldon sought a similar magical premise and turned to the 1900 novel The Brass Bottle by F. Anstey. The book narrated an architect’s discovery of a genie trapped in an antique bottle, inspiring two silent‑film adaptations and a 1964 movie starring Tony Randall and Barbara Eden.

Sheldon adapted the tale for television, swapping the male genie for a female one and pairing her with astronaut Major Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman). While initially resistant to casting a blonde, Sheldon eventually chose Barbara Eden after a thorough search, cementing her iconic role and ensuring the series stood apart from Bewitched.

2 1987)

The Love Boat blended romance and comedy aboard a cruise ship, offering a fresh vignette format where each episode featured a rotating roster of celebrity guests. This structure kept the series lively and allowed it to draw viewers based on guest star appeal alone. Rather than a conventional pilot, the franchise launched with two TV movies in the early ’70s, each starring a different cast from the eventual series.

The series’ origin traces back to Jeraldine Saunders’s 1974 memoir The Love Boats, chronicling her experiences as a cruise director. Producer Wilford Lloyd Baumes adapted the book into the televised franchise, turning real‑world cruise tales into a beloved, light‑hearted TV staple.

1 2005)

The hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond grew out of Ray Romano’s stand‑up routine, which humorously chronicled his family life. After a monologue on The Late Show with David Letterman, Letterman producer Rob Burnett reached out, expressing interest in developing a series based on Romano’s material.

Unclear on the exact premise, writer‑producer Phil Rosenthal convinced Romano to portray a version of himself, blending his own family dynamics with Rosenthal’s. The resulting show drew heavily from real anecdotes of both families, delivering an authentic, relatable portrait of a dysfunctional yet loving household that resonated with audiences for nearly a decade.

When it comes to auctions of fine art masterpieces and valuable antiquities, provenance is everything. For those unfamiliar with the term, provenance is the documented history of the ownership of a particular piece being put up for sale. Before making a bid on an item that may sell for many millions of dollars, a buyer wants to be sure that what they are buying is authentic, with the paperwork to back it up.

Provenance can also ensure that the seller has ownership of the piece and thus the legal right to sell it. Auction houses will usually require extensive documentation of provenance before agreeing to facilitate a sale. Still, there have been several auctions that ended in sales—and lingering controversy over the origin and history of an item. Here we take a look at 10 high-dollar auction items of questionable origin.

Related: 10 Fake Artworks And Artifacts Exhibited In Museums

10 The Tutankhamen Head

In July 2019, the prestigious London auction house Christie’s held an event called The Exceptional Sale, and the item at the center of the event was an “Egyptian Brown Quartzite Head of the God Amen with the features of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen.” The stunning piece up for auction was dated to the reign of Tutankhamen, circa 1333-1323 BC, and it sold for a whopping £4,746,250 with the buyer’s premium (a fee on top of the winning bid that goes to the auction house). For American readers, that’s roughly 6.4 million U.S. dollars.

It sold for this staggering amount, despite its provenance being unclear before the 1960s. On top of this, the Egyptian government contested the sale, claiming that the artifact would have been stolen from an Egyptian temple and unlawfully removed from the country in the 1970s. The Chairman of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA) countered that it was common practice for Egyptian antiquities to be sold and shipped out of the country “by the crate-load” until Egypt banned such sales in 1983.

The 2019 Christie’s sale was to another private collector, so the location of the object is unknown until it comes up for sale again. Yet the controversy over provenance and ownership still remains.^[1]

9 The Jimi Hendrix Monterey Stratocaster

On December 3, 2021, Paul Davids, who runs a successful guitar-focused YouTube channel, uploaded a video with the title “I PLAYED JIMI HENDRIX’ $10,000,000 GUITAR.” The black Fender Stratocaster in question was purported to be one that Hendrix famously played at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. However, eagle-eyed Hendrix fans quickly pointed out that some identifying marks on the guitar in Davids’s video didn’t match those seen on Hendrix’s Strat, as seen in film footage of the Monterey festival.

Most telling is a missing chunk of black finish on the back of Hendrix’s guitar, which seems to have moved on the guitar in question. Further doubts arose when news was unearthed that this guitar was to be sold by Heritage Auctions in 2017, but Heritage stopped the sale after experts cast doubt that it was the same guitar Hendrix played at Monterey. Davids eventually updated his video to express doubt on the guitar’s provenance before pulling the video entirely. Myles Poulton, the man who had arranged for Davids to play the guitar in the video, still believes in the provenance of the Hendrix Monterey Strat, despite many in the YouTube guitar community remaining unconvinced.^[2]

8 The Hitler Phone

In 2017, Maryland auction house Alexander Historical Auctions sold a truly grim item—a red phone purported to be the one Adolf Hitler used in his notorious World War II bunker. Considering all the evil orders that would have been issued from Hitler’s phone, the auction house described the object as “arguably the most destructive ‘weapon’ of all time.” (LINK 10) Although a buyer happily paid $243,000 for the phone, serious doubts were cast on its provenance.

Frank Gnegel of the Frankfurt Museum for Communication labeled the phone as “clearly a fake.” At the same time, a Dutch telephone collector and expert, Arwin Schaddelee, wrote extensively about his doubts on its authenticity. In particular, he notes several British parts, which would have been unusual in 1940s Germany—especially considering Germany and England were enemies in the war. He also pointed out that the cords are from a later era and how stories of the phone’s origins have changed over the years. Not surprisingly, the auction house has stood by the item’s authenticity, despite the provenance seeming to not stand up to scrutiny. ^[3]

7 Igbo Sacred Art

The Igbo people are an ethnic group in Nigeria, with an estimated population of 40 million, making them one of the country’s largest tribes. A pair of Igbo sacred art objects went under the hammer at Christie’s in June 2020, and the resulting controversy brought to light a different side of contested provenance. While no one was disputing the age and authenticity of the items, it was questioned whether the artifacts had been obtained in legal trade and if the seller even had the right to put them up for auction.

Princeton University professor Chika Okeke-Agulu went public with claims that the objects were looted during Nigeria’s 1960s civil war. Okeke-Agulu pointed out how the story of the objects had always said they were acquired in 1968—until they went up for auction, and Christie’s moved the date to a less-controversial 1983. Although the sale went through for $239,000, Okeke-Agulu and the Nigerian government work to continue to bring awareness to war looting. They also call for sacred objects to be returned to their native people.^[4]

6 The Velázquez “Young Immaculate”

Diego Velázquez was a 17th-century Spanish painter who has a Virgin Mary painting, The Immaculate Conception, in London’s National Gallery. In April 2017, a newly discovered work went up for auction—Retrato de Niña o Joven Inmaculada (Portrait of a Girl or Young Immaculate). It features a young girl with hands held in prayer, similar to the Immaculate Conception, leading to it being billed as “potentially an early work” by Velázquez. If it is a true Velázquez, then it likely would have been done when he was still a teenager.

This is a good example of another phenomenon around provenance uncertainty: taking a risk. Modern techniques employed by art historians today can eventually provide a degree of certainty of a work’s origins over time. But do you want to miss out on the auction now? Apparently, enough art collectors were willing to take the risk, as it sold for €8 million (approximately US$9 million) when it was sold on April 25, 2017, at the Spanish auction house Abalarte in Madrid.^[5]

5 Steve McQueen’s Rolex

The late actor Steve McQueen was the epitome of antihero cool in classic films such as Bullitt (1968), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and Papillion (1973), so who wouldn’t want to own a part of his fashion ensemble? In 2018, auction house Phillips attempted to give that chance to a lucky fan when they put his Rolex Submariner wristwatch up for sale.

Almost immediately after the auction was announced, fans pointed out a tiny problem—there was no photographic evidence of McQueen ever wearing this watch. Phillips said the watch was given by McQueen to his former stuntman, Loren James. McQueen’s estate entered the debate, disputing that the Rolex in question ever belonged to McQueen. Phillips eventually canceled the sale, saying they still believed McQueen had gifted the watch to James but conceded that they could not provide evidence that McQueen ever wore it.^[6]

4 The Van Gogh Landscape

Vincent van Gogh is one of the more recognizable names in the world of fine art, due in no small part to previously unknown works resurfacing with some regularity. The Van Gogh Museum accepts around 200 pieces for authentication every year, with approximately five each year meriting further study. And some of those do eventually get certified as authentic works of the master. This can lead some auction-goers to take a risk and bid on an unverified painting.

One such case happened in 2021 when art collector Stuart Pivar picked up what he believes to be a Van Gogh landscape painting at an auction outside of Paris. The 3′ x 3′ work is titled Auvers, 1890, after the town where Van Gogh lived in the weeks leading up to his death in July 1890. If it is eventually authenticated as a legitimate Van Gogh, it will turn out to be his largest work—and the only one painted on a square canvas. And, one can assume, Pivar will net a healthy profit on his investment.^[7]

3 The Timurid Qur’an

The Qur’an is the Islamic holy book, and in June 2020, Christie’s sold an unbelievably beautiful 15th-century copy known as the Timurid Qur’an. Between its Arabic calligraphy and its gold-flecked, colored paper, it is an incredible work of art that fetched a hefty £7 million (approximately US $9.5 million) at auction.

But that buyer had to take an incredible leap of faith on its provenance, which was unknown prior to the 1980s. While the piece is believed to have been created at the court of a Timurid prince in what is now Iran or Afghanistan, it is going to take a lot of work for the new owner to fill in the gaps in its history between the 1400s and the 1980s.^[8]

2 Counterfeit Wine

Extremely old or well-regarded bottles of wine are a natural fit for the world of high-dollar auctions. It’s also a temptation for counterfeits to make their way into auctions. In April 2021, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported Rudy Kurniawan following a conviction for wine counterfeiting. In 2006, Kurniawan was having what seemed to be a great year, netting $34 million worth of wine over two auctions.

The sales, facilitated by auction house Acker Merrall & Condit, were called into question when 22 lots of wine at another Acker auction were identified as fakes. In 2012, the FBI found a fake wine assembly line in the kitchen of Kurniawan’s Los Angeles home. And apparently, Kurniawan’s criminal acts are not unique. Wine Industry Advisor posted an article in February 2022 advising people to only buy collectible wine at charity auctions, so you can at least know your money went to a good cause if the wine turns out to be counterfeit.^[9]

1 Hobby Lobby Biblical Antiques

Steve Green is the president of arts-and-crafts chain store Hobby Lobby and the found of The Museum of the Bible. However, the museum has proved to be troublesome for Green and Hobby Lobby. In 2017, Hobby Lobby paid $3 million in fines and forfeited more than 140 ancient artifacts after the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that the pieces had been illegally imported into the United States.

Hobby Lobby has made some effort to recoup some of its losses. In 2020, they sued Christie’s over the $1.7 million sale of a tablet featuring the Epic of Gilgamesh. Hobby Lobby alleged that Christie’s didn’t do their due diligence to verify the artifact’s provenance and that the previous owner had concocted a false history for the piece. As of February 2022, Hobby Lobby has amended its complaint, adding the previous owner as a defendant.^[10]