Flash of Genius is inspired by the true story of Dr. Robert Kearns (Greg Kinnear). After creating the intermittent windshield wiper—what he calls "the blinking eye"—Kearns pitches his idea to General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. All three companies turn him down, only to steal his idea and add them to all their automobiles. Dr. Kearns decides to take on the Ford Motor Company in a legal ...

In May of 2006, Bimbala Das married a snake—a cobra, to be precise. Because Hindus venerate cobras, the residents of Atala, India, believed that Mrs. Das' serpentine nuptials would bring good luck to their town.

Commenting on her relationship with the snake, Das said, "We communicate in a peculiar way." Apparently so, as snake-charmers were not able to lure the cobra out of its home for the wedding. ...

Fans of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will do anything they can to help their team get an edge on their bitter rival. It's not uncommon for some to attempt to put a jinx, either seriously or jokingly, on the opposing team.

Exhibit A is Gino Castignoli. When the Yankees were building a new stadium in 2008, Gino—a Red Sox fan—was a construction worker on the project. He decided ...

David Wayne Sharpton, 54, has won major prizes in the Georgia lottery not once, not twice, but three times. In 2004 he won $350,000; in 2005 he won $1 million; and in February 2007 he won $2.5 million.

Sharpton continues to work at his job as a restaurant-oven repairman, though his accrued winnings have given him more than enough to retire. He has a different take on what it means to be wealthy.

"Am ...

After a night out with friends, David Brown, an Englishman, woke up with a series of random numbers on his mind. After much internal debate as to why they were there, he sent a text message to the listing, asking, "Did I meet you last night?" The recipient was a confused Michelle Kitson, who lived just 60 miles from Brown. They had not met the night before, but over time, they would meet. In fact, ...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about a reclusive and eccentric world-famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), who sets up a lottery to invite 5 children to visit his fantastic chocolate factory for a day. He randomly places 5 golden tickets in 5 chocolate bars and soon there is a world-wide clamor to get a lucky ticket.

Inside an elaborate estate in Buckinghamshire, England, a bunch of ...

Every Sunday morning on the way to church, I used to stop at the gas station near my home for a cup of coffee. That's where I became friends with Sue, a rather intimidating woman with tattoos all over her arms. After her, it was Mohammed, my first Muslim friend. And then I met a fellow I'll call Stu. He's a scruffy-looking guy, kind, but always seems down on his luck.

On one occasion Stu pulled me ...

The film The Joy Luck Club, based on Amy Tan's novel, is about the strained relationships between four Chinese-born mothers and their adult American-born daughters. As the daughters mature, the mother's expectations of how a woman should live conflict with the values and goals of their American daughters.

In one scene, June and her mother clean up after a dinner party. The mother notices that June ...

My friend Mike and I went out for an afternoon on the lake, a chance to talk a little and baptize some new fishing lures. We spent several hours fishing, with no luck, when we decided to head back before it got dark. After about half an hour, I heard the outboard motor sputter, then die. Mike went to check out the problem and determined that we were almost out of gas. There was a little, but it was ...

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is the story of three down-on-their-luck prospectors and their search for gold in Mexico.

At one point in their search, prospectors Fred, Bob, and Howard are joined by a fourth man. No sooner had the new prospector arrived then the four are involved in a gunfight with several bandits. Although the bandits are scared away, the fourth prospector is killed. The other three ...