In today's world, where algorithms can predict your next move before you make it, there's something refreshing about the era of the unpredictable wager. History is full of people who didn't just bet on cards or horses but on events that no sane person would have dared.
Take a break from online slots real money no deposit bonus casino adventures and learn more about some of the most unusual (and sometimes fruitful) bets ever made.
Dr. Seuss
One of the most famous children's books in history didn't come from a spark of inspiration but from a $50 bet. After beloved children's author Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) wrote The Cat in the Hat using 236 words, Bennett Cerf, co-founder of Random Publishing House, challenged Geisel to write a book using only 50 words. Seuss accepted the bet and started writing. He created elaborate charts and checklists to track his word usage so that he wouldn't accidentally slip in a 51st word. The result -- Green Eggs and Ham, one of history's best-loved children's books.
According to Geisel, Cerf never actually paid him the $50. However, after selling hundreds of millions of copies, Geisel didn't complain.
The Needle Eye
In 1746, Charles Watson-Wentworth, the 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, wagered (after a night of heavy drinking) that he could "drive a coach and horses through the eye of a needle." To win the bet, he commissioned a massive 45-foot pyramid and had it built on his estate at Wentworth Woodhouse. He then cut a narrow Gothic archway through the center of the pyramid and named his structure "Needle's Eye". Then, he drove his carriage through the archway and fulfilled the terms of his bet, which he won.
The Man in the Iron Mask
In 1907, J.P. Morgan and the Earl of Lonsdale were arguing at a London pub over whether a man could walk around the world without ever showing his face. Morgan said that it was impossible, while Lonsdale bet it could be done. They found Harry Bensley, a well-known playboy and gambler, who either volunteered to undertake the challenge or was forced into it to pay off his gambling debts.
To win the bet for Lonsdale, Bensley had to wear a 4.5 lb iron helmet at all times, push a baby carriage and manage with a single change of underwear and £1 (to start with). He was also required to find a woman to marry him on the journey - without her ever seeing his face.
Bensley set off from Trafalgar Square on January 1, 1908. Over the next six years, he became a global sensation. He sold postcards of himself to fund the trip and allegedly received over 200 marriage proposals (all of which he declined). He even met King Edward VII and sold the monarch a postcard for £5.
By 1914, Bensley had walked through 12 countries. He was in Italy when World War I broke out. At that point, Bensley called off the bet and returned to England to enlist in the army.
The Butcher of Black Lion Lane
In the 1700s, Mr. Bullock, the Butcher of Black Lion Lane, was a portly and out-of-shape butcher. The Earl of Barrymore was a renowned aristocrat, high-stakes gambler, and a fit, superior athlete. Bullock challenged the Earl to a 100-yard footrace with 2 stipulations. Bullock was to have a 35-yard head start and could choose where the race was to take place.
The Earl agreed and Bullock chose the location the Black Lion Lane, one of the narrowest alleys in Britain—so narrow that two people could barely walk abreast. When the race started, the Earl quickly caught up with Bullock but the lane was so narrow that the Earl couldn't physically pass him. Bullock won.
Horse Hooves
In 1872, Leland Stanford (founder of Stanford University) bet $25,000 on whether all four of a horse’s hooves leave the ground at the same time during a gallop. Stanford believed there was a moment of total suspension and his betting opponents said "no."
To determine the answer, Stanford hired a brilliant photographer named Eadweard Muybridge. After years of trial and error (because shutter speeds at the time were too slow to capture a blur-free image of a speeding horse) Muybridge was ready to solve the problem. He set up 24 cameras in a row along a track and stretched tripwires across the track, with each connected to a camera shutter. As Stanford’s prize horse, Sallie Gardner, galloped past, she triggered the cameras one by one.
The photos proved Stanford was correct. Frames 2 and 3 of the sequence clearly showed the horse with all four hooves tucked under its body, completely airborne. Beyond proving Stanford right, when Muybridge placed his sequential photos on a rotating disk (the Zoopraxiscope), the images appeared to move. This was the first-ever "movie," leading directly to the subsequent invention of cinematography by Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers.
FedEx
In 1973, FedEx had only $5,000 left in its reserves, and they needed $24,000 to pay their fuel bill and keep the planes in the air. They were days away from bankruptcy. FedEx founder Fred Smith took the $5,000 to Las Vegas, played blackjack for a few days and turned the $5000 into $27,000.
He was able to buy the company enough time to secure more funding, leading to its development into what is today, a multi-billion dollar company.
Whenever you question your bets at the online casino, consider history's most unusual wagers.
