10 Unbelievable Inheritance Stories

Published on 1/20/2010 under Strange Stories - by Marite Elst - 141,410 views

The Portuguese aristocrat who left his fortune to 70 total strangers randomly chosen from a phone directory

Luis Carlos de Noronha Cabral da Camara made an unusual distribution of his money after his death: 70 people listed in a Lisbon phone directory were contacted out of the blue after his death to be told he had made them his beneficiaries. They had been chosen at random from the directory, in front of two witnesses at a registry office 13 years before. It certainly came as a shock to them. In the first place, people do not, as a rule, make wills in Portugal. In the second, Portuguese aristocrats are getting thin on the ground, let alone eccentric ones. In the third - to be chosen by phone directory? No wonder that some feared they were being scammed.

(Link)

The homeless brothers who inherited more than 100 million euros

A pair of penniless down and outs inherited a share of a 4 billion GBP fortune after a bizarre twist in family fortunes. Brothers Zsolt and Geza Peladi were so poor they lived in a cave outside Budapest, Hungary, and sold scrap they found on the street for pennies. Now both of them and a sister who lives in America inherited their grandmother's massive fortune after a life of poverty. "We knew our mother came from a wealthy family but she was a difficult person and had severed ties with them, then later abandoned us and we lost touch with her and our father until she eventually died," said Geza, 43.

They learned of their good fortune after homelessness charity workers in Hungary were contacted by lawyers handling the estate of the brothers' maternal grandmother who died recently in Baden-Wurttenberg, Germany. Under German law direct descendents are automatically entitled to a share of any estate - that would pass from their dead mother to them. (Link | Photo)

The student who inherited almost a billion euros from an uncle he hadn't seen for a decade

Sergey Sudev was left a 950 million euros fortune by an uncle he had not seen for 10 years. But he must have made a good impression at their meeting a decade ago, because it prompted the uncle, who lived in Germany, to write Sudev into his will straight away. The student had no idea he stood to inherit a fortune and got on with his course in journalism.Then one day there was a knock at his door in the town of Komrat - his uncle's agents had tracked him down to pass on the incredible news. A shocked Sudev is reported to have said to them: "Is this a joke?" The inheritance means he has become one of the richest men in Moldova, where the average monthly salary is around 270 euros. (Link)

The richest woman in Asia gave away her multi-billion-US-dollar fortune to a feng shui master in return for a promise of eternal life

Nina Wang, who died of cancer in 2007 at age 69, signed over her vast fortune to a previously unknown feng shui master Tony Chan as a promise for eternal life. Wang changed her will in 2006 in order to leave everything to the feng shui master, voiding a previous will written four years earlier that left the fortune to her family and to charity. With no children of her own, Wang wrote a new will in 2006, two years after her ovarian cancer was diagnosed, making 48-year-old Chan her sole beneficiary.

The question is, why would Chan ask Wang to put him in her will if he had ensured her she would live forever, or at least for a very long time? (Link)

The waitress who inherited a little fortune from a customer

In 1992, Cara Wood was 17 and working at Drin's Colonial Restaurant in her hometown of Chagrin Falls, about 15 miles east of Cleveland. She was a good employee – bright, friendly and helpful. One customer, Bill Cruxton, liked her so much that he always sat in her section. A widower with no children, he went daily to the restaurant for his meals and some company, so they became friends. In addition to being his regular waitress, she helped him around the house and ran errands for him. Wood became so important to Cruxton that he rewrote his will, making her the main beneficiary. Cruxton, 82, died of heart failure in November 1992 and left her half a million dollars. (Link)

The Argentine maid who recived $40m after a judicial battle that involved a corpse's robbery

Eva Paole, a retired Argentine maid, has inherited the whopping sum of $40 million after a nine-year legal battle. It was a decade ago that Paole first heard the rumor that she might be the daughter of baron Rufino Otero, who died in 1983 and had no children with his wife. Until then, Paole always had thought she was the daughter of her mother, Josefa, and her partner. Her mother took the secret of Eva's real father to her grave. According to Eva, "money isn't everything" and what is really important for her is that she has finally discovered her true identity. DNA tests showed she truly is the daughter of the powerful landowner who died 25 years ago.

If all of that wasn't enough material for a soap opera, six weeks after Eva began legal proceedings, Otero's tomb was desecrated and his corpse exchanged for another. To establish Paole's relation to Otero, authorities used the remains of the land baron's mother, Justina Porras instead. (Link 1 | Link 2 | Photo)

The teenager who inherited an Island with a buried treasure

Josh wasn't close to his grandfather and in fact, he had met him just a handful of times in his 17 years. Stubborn and highly traditional, Samuel disapproved of his daughter Susan's marriage to a man from outside of their religious faith, but he'd always had a soft spot for his only grandson. Although he hadn't seen his grandson in years before his death in 2007, Josh was named the heir to what remained of his grandfather's estate, including a 36-acre island and more than 80 acres of farmland. But there was something unexpected in the will… a detailed list of antique jewellery and loose gems contained “in the thermos.” There was no indication at all of where this portion of Josh's inheritance was. But Susan did remember the oblique references her father had always made of his “treasure island” when she was a child.

So now the hunt is on, and while finding Samuel's hidden thermos of precious gems is far from a sure bet, the family is confident that it will soon turn up somewhere on (or under) the island's 36 acres. (Link)

The Terrier who inherited a $12m fortune

New York hotelier and real estate billionaire Leona Helmsley (called the Queen of Mean) has left $12m (£5.97m) to her pet dog, Trouble. The pampered pooch received the largest bequest from Mrs Helmsley's will while some human members of Mrs Helmsley's family fared less well, with two of her four grandchildren cut out of the will entirely.

The money for Trouble's upkeep was left in the hands of her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, who inherited $10m himself. (Link 1 | Link 2)

The man who left part of his inheritance to the woman who would give birth to the most children 10 years after his death

Though highly successful in law and in his investments, Millar is now known primarily for his love of jokes and pranks which played on people's greed and hypocrisy. Millar's greatest and final prank was his will, which says in part: "This Will is necessarily uncommon and capricious because I have no dependents or near relations and no duty rests upon me to leave any property at my death and what I do leave is proof of my folly in gathering and retaining more than I required in my lifetime."

The will was full of playful bequests. But the final bequest of his will was the largest and strangest. In the will's ninth clause, Millar's estate's balance was required to be converted to cash ten years after his death and given to the woman who gave birth to the most children in that time. In the event of a tie, the bequest would be divided equally. The resulting contest became known as the Great Stork Derby. (Link)

The homeless who fled police while bringing him news of a $6-million inheritance

A homeless man supposed to be living on the streets of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia fled police who were bringing him news of a $6-million inheritance. Tomas Martinez, 67, apparently thought the police were about to arrest him for his alcohol and drug habits. The man disappeared without a trace, causing Bolivian newspapers to speak of him in 2000 as a "new millionaire paradoxically not knowing his fortune". The inheritance came to Mr Martinez from his ex-wife, Ines Gajardo Olivares, who inherited the money herself from family members. She evidently did not blame him for leaving her several years ago.

The (un)lucky man has never been found. (Link 1 | Link 2)

8 Unbelievable iPod Stories

Published on 8/27/2010 under Strange Stories - by Gracie Murano - 209,088 views

The girl who survived a lightning strike after the wire of her iPod diverted 300,000 volts

A teenage girl survived a terrifying lightning strike after she was saved by the wire of her iPod.
Schoolgirl Sophie Frost and her boyfriend Mason Billington, both 14, stopped to shelter under a tree when a storm struck as they were walking near their homes. Doctors believe Sophie survived the 300,000-volt surge only because it travelled through the gadget's wire, diverting it away from her vital organs. The teenager was taken to hospital and is recovering from burns to her chest and legs while Mason suffered damage to his eyes. Sophie will be thankful she was wearing her iPod, which she had been given four days earlier as a gift from her grandmother. Sophie and Mason were knocked unconscious by the lightning bolt while holding hands and taking shelter in a field. Mason came round and carried Sophie, who was scorched and unconscious, to a nearby road where he flagged down a female motorist who took the couple to Southend hospital. Sophie suffered burns to her body and legs, some temporary damage to her eyes and a perforated eardrum.

(Link)

The soldier who was saved from an AK-47 attack thanks to his iPod

Kevin Garrad (3rd Infantry Division) was on a street patrol in Iraq and as he rounded the corner of a building an armed (AK-47) insurgent came from the other side. The two of them were within just a few feet of each other when they opened fire. The insurgent was killed and Kevin was hit in the left chest where his IPod was in his jacket pocket. It slowed the bullet down enough that it did not completely penetrate his body armor. The iPod in question was an older and thicker 20GB model, that had been previously manufactured and distributed by HP. The thickness of this model most likely served a big part in slowing down the bullet. Fortunately, Kevin suffered no wound.

Note: according to some sources the iPod did not actually save the soldier's life - it was in fact the vest he was wearing. (Link | Via)

The teacher who got his neck broken by two students after he confiscated their iPod

Two students accused of attacking a teacher in a hallway of Germantown High School are now behind bars. The attack happened after 60-year-old Frank Burd confiscated an iPod from one of the students who was using it in class. The 14-year-old returned later with an 11th grader.
The teens allegedly pushed Burd, who struck his head on a locker. Schools CEO Paul Vallas said Burd broke his neck in two places. He was taken to Einstein Medical Center, but showed no sign of paralysis. The confrontation was caught on videotape. School officials were able to use the tape to immediately identify the students. 17-year-old Donte Boykin was taken to Northwest Detectives in handcuffs shortly after arresting the 14-year-old. Burd, a popular math and photography teacher, was sent to Einstein Medical Center for recovery. (Link 1 | Link 2)

The pair who was arrested for trying to trade iPod Touch and Marijuana for iPad on Craigslist

Police arrested two men in Arizona for attempting to trade a third generation iPod touch and about seven grams worth of marijuana for a 32G iPad via an ad on Craigslist. After receiving a tip about the ad, which included photos of both the iPod touch and marijuana, police officers sent an e-mail purporting to be interested in the exchange. When the police met up under the pretense of completing the trade, 20-year-old Jacob Walker and Jacob Veldare were instead arrested when Walker offered up the marijuana. Both now face charges for possession and the attempted sale of an illegal substance. Not only were the two unwise enough to post pictures of marijuana on Craiglist, but they were also gullible enough to believe that anyone would trade a 32G iPad, which costs $599, for a $299 32G iPod touch and a quarter ounce of marijuana of dubious quality. (Link)

The sub navigator who caused a £60m ship crash because he got distracted with iPod

The navigator of a US nuclear submarine was listening to his iPod when it collided with another ship, causing £60m damage. Crew on board of the attacked sub USS Hartford had also rigged up loudspeakers so they could listen to music on duty. Captain Commander Ryan Brookhart was relieved of his duties after the investigation revealed nearly '30 tactical and watchstander errors' which led to the 'avoidable accident'. The navigator was also revealed to have been revising for an exam at the time of the collision. Fifteen sailors on board the USS Hartford were injured when it rammed into the transport ship USS New Orleans in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage in the Persian Gulf in March 2009. The US Navy report slammed the Hartford's 'ineffective and negligent command leadership' and its 'informal atmosphere'. The damaged sub will cost £57m in repairs, while the USS New Orleans, which 'bears no fault' needs £1.5m. (Link)

The man who found a one-year-old frozen iPod still alive

Andrew Robulack, a resident of Whitehorse, Yukon, found an iPod Classic emerging from a block of ice while he was taking a walk. At first, he mistook it with a piece of canine excrement, a common thing in Whitehorse this time of year, as he gladly informs us. But then he noticed that the unidentified frozen object had a familiar rectangular shape. Obviously, he got the frozen iPod out of the ice in which he thinks it had been laying “since early winter” and took it home to see whether it still worked. Incredibly, after only a few minutes of charging, the player booted up and seemed in full operating order. Of course, it needed some cleaning, but it even displayed the correct date. After the mud was wiped out, the iPod revealed that the only damages were a few scratches and some condensation under the screen; otherwise, it worked just fine. (Link | Via)

The Tokyo subway train that was delayed because of an iPod fire

In August 2010, an unidentified, malfunctioning iPod brought a Tokyo subway train to a halt for several minutes during rush hour in western Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, 17 km (10.5 miles) from the capital's centre. Passengers started complaining about a burning smell, forcing the train to come to a halt while officials went searching for the source. A female passenger then came forward to show that her iPod had burst apart after overheating. The train was delayed for 8 minutes while the stench cleared. For the busy train line, which serves over 1 million commuters daily, that's an extremely rare delay -- the average delay for a train is a scant 20 seconds for some Japanese railways. Apple has described the problem as rare, and attributable to a single battery supplier. (Link)

The girl who almost got injured after her iPod exploded

Ken Stanborough, 47, from Liverpool, had to drop his 11-year-old daughter Ellie's iPod Touch after he started hearing a hissing noise and felt it was getting hotter. After throwing the device out of his back door, within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10 ft in the air. According to Mr Stanborough, Apple attempted to silence him and his daughter with a gagging order, offering a refund, only if he agreed to keep it quiet. A number of bloggers have reported cases where iPods have exploded — usually involving older versions of the digital music players. (Link)

10 Most Fascinating Medical Miracles

Published on 7/6/2009 under Bizarre Medical Stories - by Gracie Murano - 235,206 views

Window washer in coma after falling 47 Stories woke up on Christmas day

Alcides Moreno, 37, fell 47 stories from a New York skyscraper when a freak accident sent his window-washing platform plunging to the concrete pavement. The accident killed his brother, who was working on the same scaffolding platform, and left Moreno is such a bad state that doctors couldn't risk moving him to an operating room. Instead, they operated on him in the emergency room, leaving him in a vegetative state for nearly three weeks. Finally, he showed signs of consciousness and spoke -- on Christmas day. Less than a month later, he was discharged with the expectation that he would walk again within a year's time. Considering that the death rate from even a four-story fall is about 50%, Moreno's survival, thanks in part to some fortunate circumstances, is astounding.

(Link 1 | Link 2)

Teenage model had her body held together by 11 rods

Katrina Burgess, 17, was told by doctors she may never walk again after surviving a 70mph car crash with a broken neck and back, and a catalogue of other injuries. But after being put back together with 11 metal rods and enough pins and screws to send an airport security detector into overdrive, Katrina was signed up by a modeling agency.

Surgeons saved her life after her car left the M5 and crashed into a ditch as she travelled towards her home town of Weymouth, Dorset. She snapped her back, punctured both lungs and broke her neck, her pelvis, her left leg and several ribs. Surgeons at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, said that without surgery to help the bones to fuse, her spinal injuries in particular could deteriorate, risking death.

Doctors inserted a rod from her hip to her knee in her left leg the day after she was admitted to hospital. It was secured inside with four titanium pins. The most risky operation came a week later. They sliced open her back and inserted six more horizontal rods up the length of her back to support her spine. A week after that, they inserted a titanium screw to the top of her spine to support the break in her fragile neck. Only a day after the last operation she was able to take her first steps.

Astonishingly, five months on from the crash, the teenager has recovered to the point where she no longer even needs painkillers. (Link)

Teen lived 118 days without heart

It was supposed to be a great day for 14-year-old D'Zhana Simmons, who received a transplant to replace her enlarged heart. However, her dream turned into a nightmare when the new heart failed to function properly. Doctors had to remove the new organ, but without another heart available and with D'Zhana weakened from the surgery, they had to come up with a stopgap measure: two artificial pumps that kept the blood flowing in her body for close to four months. The feat was newsworthy partially because of D'Zhana's age and partially because when an artificial heart is used to sustain a patient, the patient's own heart is usually left in the body. Finally, on October 29, D'Zhana received another heart transplant, and it was so successful that she had a kidney transplant the very next day. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Blind man got his sight back after having a tooth implanted into his eye

Martin Jones, a 42-year-old builder, was left blind after an accident at work more than a decade ago. But a remarkable operation - which implants part of his tooth in his eye - has pierced his world of darkness. The procedure, performed fewer than 50 times before in Britain, uses the segment of tooth as a holder for a new lens grafted from his skin.

He lost his sight after a tub of white hot aluminium exploded in his face at work in a scrapyard. He suffered 37 per cent burns and had to wear a special body stocking for 23 hours a day. He also had his left eye removed. But surgeons were able to save the right eye, even though he was unable to see through it. At first specialists in Nottingham tried to save his sight using stem cells from a donor but the attempt failed.

It was only when a revolutionary new operation was pioneered at the Sussex Eye Clinic in Brighton that he was given a chance to have his sight back. During the procedure, a minute section of a patient's tooth is removed, reshaped and chiselled through to grip the man-made lens which is then placed in its core. It is implanted under an eyelid where it becomes covered in tissue.

The process requires a living tooth as an implant because doctors suggest there are chances the eye would reject a plastic equivalent. So a canine - which is the best option due to its shape and size - was taken out of Mr Jones' mouth. A patch of skin is then taken from the inside of the cheek and placed in the eye for two months, where it gradually acquires its own blood supply. The tooth segment is finally transplanted into the eye socket. The flap of grafted skin is then partially lifted from the eye and placed over its new sturdy base.

Mr Jones, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was able to see for the first time his wife Gill, 50, whom he had married four years ago.

Mother who had to chose to save one twin got to keep both after disconnecting blood vessels

Shannon and Mike Gimbel faced an agonizing choice. Doctors told them one of the twin girls they were expecting needed to be terminated or both would die. Doctors at Swedish Medical Center had diagnosed Gimbel's twins with Twin-To-Twin Syndrome, or TTTS. It is a condition in which the twins are connected by blood vessels. One twin literally drains the life out of the other. Left untreated, there is an 80 to 90 percent chance that one or both will die.

Shannon and Mike were struggling with the suggestion to terminate the weaker baby when their physician at Swedish, Dr. Kent Heyborne, approached them with another option. He'd made contact with Drs. Robert Bell and Michael Belfort of St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Utah surgeons teamed with those at Swedish to perform laser surgery in the womb to cauterize the blood vessels that were connecting, and slowly killing, the twins.

Shannon says she remembers holding her breath as a nurse used an ultrasound to listen for heartbeats after the surgery. One, then another. Both girls had made it. Reese and McKenna Gimbel were born at Swedish two months later.
(Link)

Boy recovered after orthopedic decapitation

Jordan Taylor was in a car accident that separated his skull from his vertebrae. There was no connection between the bones of the neck and the head. Doctors call the injury an "orthopedic decapitation" and at the time gave Jordan a one percent chance for survival.

The tissue may have been destroyed, but the faith of Jordan's family was intact. Word about what happened to Jordan spread to the family's church and others churches across the country. Jordan's mother says at one time she knew of at least 20 churches that were praying for her son.

Dr. Roberts reconnected Jordan's head to his neck with a metal plate, screws and titanium rods. 3 months after the accident, Jordan left the hospital and is now back at school. (Link)

Wife shot by husband got a new face

Connie Culp is a 46-year-old Ohio woman who has had the first face transplant in the US, and her new look was a far cry from the puckered, noseless sight that made children shrink away in horror, after being shot by her husband.

Culp's expressions are still a bit wooden, but she can talk, smile, smell and taste her food again. Her speech is at times a little tough to understand. Her face is bloated and squarish, and her skin droops in big folds that doctors plan to pare away as her circulation improves and her nerves grow, animating her new muscles. Culp's husband, Thomas, shot her in 2004 then turned the gun on himself. He went to prison for seven years. His wife was left clinging to life. The blast shattered her nose, cheeks, the roof of her mouth and an eye. Hundreds of fragments of shotgun pellet and bone splinters were embedded in her face. She needed a tube into her windpipe to breathe. Only her upper eyelids, forehead, lower lip and chin were left.

She endured 30 operations. Doctors took parts of her ribs to make cheekbones and fashioned an upper jaw from one of her leg bones. She had countless skin grafts from her thighs. Still, she was left unable to eat solid food, breathe on her own, or smell. Then, in a 22-hour operation, Dr. Maria Siemionow led a team of doctors who replaced 80 percent of Culp's face with bone, muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels from another woman who had just died. It was the fourth face transplant in the world.

No information has been released about the donor or how she died, but her family members were moved when they saw before-and-after pictures of Culp.

(Link 1 | Link 2)

Surfer mauled by a shark had his hanging hand reattached

Thirty-three-year-old Glenn Orgias was attacked by a great white shark while surfing at Sydney's Bondi Beach. He was taken to St Vincent's Hospital with his hand hanging by a three centimetre piece of skin. Plastic surgeon Dr Kevin Ho never expected that they would be able to reattach the hand. But given the patient general health and the speed of which he was rushed into the operating theatre made it a possibility that he could have his hand reattached. Dr Ho said leeches were used as part of the effort to restore blood flow to the hand, and he is hopeful that Mr Orgias will regain function in it. (Link)

Paraplegic man suffered a spider bite and started walking again

A motorcycle accident almost killed David Blancarte 21 years ago. He was spared his life, but was unable to move his legs. He was confined to a wheelchair for 20 years. But two years ago, he was bitten by a brown recluse spider and was hospitalized for and spent 8 months in physical therapy.

In therapy, a nurse noticed a spasm in one of Blancarte's legs and run some tests. Five days later David was walking again. (Link)

Near-vegetative man was back to life after stimulation electrodes were implanted into his skull

A man who was left in a near-vegetative state by a serious assault was able to speak and eat again. The severely brain-injured patient, who is now 38, was unable to communicate, swallow or make coordinate movements for six years, before doctors revived him from this minimally conscious state (MCS) with a revolutionary therapy.

Since his skull was implanted with electrodes to stimulate a deep-lying and undamaged part of his brain, he has improved so dramatically that he can now feed himself, brush his hair and recognize and talk to his parents and doctors. The transformation achieved by the deep brain stimulation (DBS) technique, which is already used to treat Parkinson's disease and some neurological disorder (like Tourrett's Syndrome), has raised hopes that it could offer a way back to consciousness for many people with similarly serious brain damage. Thanks, William! (Link)