obsession
Couldn't stop, wouldn't stop, didn't see why anyone would ask.
The Raven That Wrote Two Masterpieces
A paint-eating raven died, got stuffed, and ended up inspiring two of the most famous works in English literature — from two different writers.
The Postman Who Built a Palace
He tripped on a stone in 1879 and spent the next thirty-three years building a palace out of the ones he found on the way home.
The Old Man Mad About Painting
The most quintessentially Japanese artwork ever made was painted with a color Japan had banned.
The Man Who Walked Into His Own Secret
He kept his route secret so no rival could reach the city first. More than a hundred people have since died trying to find him.
The Man Who Boiled His Own Urine and Found Light
He boiled 1,500 gallons of urine looking for gold and accidentally discovered the first new element since antiquity.
The Man Who Recorded Everything
After nearly walking into Lake Michigan in 1927, Buckminster Fuller decided instead to document his entire life in fifteen-minute intervals.
The Man Who Weighed the Earth and Hid From His Housekeeper
He measured the density of the entire Earth. When he saw his housekeeper on the stairs, he built a second staircase.
The Man Who Loved a Pigeon
Nikola Tesla loved a pigeon as a man loves a woman. When she died, he said his life's work was finished.
The Man Who Ate Everything
William Buckland was a leading scientist who also made eating animals a research side quest.