GRAMMAR GLITCHES

The 10 Funniest Mistakes, Typos, And Misprints In History

Image: Natalia Y.

Everyone makes mistakes, that’s a given. But sometimes, even the smallest slip-ups can lead to catastrophic outcomes, no matter how unintentional. These grammatical gaffes stand as a testament to the power of language, reminding us to always proofread before making history.

From political slip-ups to literary lapses, here are ten instances where, er… let’s call them unexpected linguistic detours, induced everything from laughter to financial ruin.

Image: Lars Blankers

In 1992, during a visit to a New Jersey elementary school, then Vice President Dan Quayle put himself in an embarrassing situation when he tried to correct what he thought was a spelling mistake. After a 12-year-old student correctly spelled the word "potato", he promptly added an e to the end of the word, creating an awkward moment as he insisted that "potatoe" was the correct spelling.

Image: Priscilla Du Preez

A 1631 edition of the Bible became infamous as it contains a number of mistakes that substantially distort the intended message of the sacred text. Known as the "Wicked Bible", among its most egregious blunders is the omission of the word "not" from one of the Ten Commandments, transforming the original sentence into the scandalous directive, "Thou shalt commit adultery." However, some argue that this was not a product of lazy proofreading, but rather sabotage from a competitor.

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Constable Dogberry, a character in one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies Much Ado About Nothing, became the namesake for malapropisms, as he consistently ends up uttering absurd phrases while attempting to sound intelligent. Some of the most popular "dogberryisms" include confusing suspect with respect, ex-communication with communication, comprehend with apprehend, and even redemption with damnation!

Image: SpaceX

How expensive can a typo be? Well, as NASA found out, almost 80 million dollars. In 1962, a missing mathematical symbol in Mariner I’s code led to the spacecraft blowing up in a million pieces over the Atlantic. How could this happen? Apparently, an engineer missed an overbar (a mathematical figure that indicates the mean of a set) while transcribing the calculations by hand. This caused the spacecraft to overcorrect its trajectory, eventually throwing it off course.

The takeaway from this story is simple: always proofread. After all, even the most brilliant people are not immune to making mistakes.

Image: micheile henderson

Talking about expensive typos, a misplaced comma in the 13th Tariff Act cost the United States over 40 million dollars in 1872. The Act included a list of items exempt from taxation upon entry to the country, and included in the list was an item that read "fruit, plants tropical and semi-tropical for the purpose of propagation or cultivation."

According to the government, the comma was meant to be a hyphen, meaning fruit-bearing plants, but the correct grammatical interpretation suggested that all fruit were included in the exemption. It took almost two years to fix the mistake, but it was already too late.

Image: Janko Ferlič

Don’t worry kids, Yogi Bear is totally fine. But for a moment in 2015, Associated Press declared the cherished bear dead, when someone published Yankees’ legend Yogi Berra’s obituary under a hysterical title: "Yogi Bear has died. He was 90." While this was likely the mix-up of an underslept intern, Berra was known for his amusing unintentional witticisms and malapropisms, remembered for gems like "It ain't over 'til it's over," "It's déjà vu all over again," and "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

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In a peculiar incident in December 2017, a Cambridge newspaper unintentionally became viral when a placeholder reading "100PT SPLASH HEADING HERE" found its way into the headlines. Meant for internal use during layout, the cryptic text unexpectedly amused readers and sparked online speculation, with some even joking about the headline being a warning of an incoming tsunami wave. The newspaper’s editor-in-chief later apologized profusely for the amusing mishap, which was allegedly caused by a technical issue.

Image: Michał Parzuchowski

Around 2010, an article from an unknown local newspaper went viral for misspelling "Mississippi" as "Missippi." You might argue that they simplified it, but the funniest part is that the article was about the purported success of a literacy program in the state. Maybe the program needed to focus on newspapers too.

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The Guardian, one of the UK's most renowned newspapers, earned an unintentional reputation for its numerous typos. In a memorable blunder, it once printed its own name as "Gaurdian," prompting satirical magazine Private Eye to nickname them "Grauniad." Overall, the newspaper took it in good stride, and the nickname is still playfully used, even among its journalists, to refer to the media outlet with a touch of humor.

Image: Daria Kraplak

Unbeknownst to most, James Joyce’s famous novel Finnegans Wake hides an easter egg of sorts. When it comes to an author famous for his experimental and gibberish-like writing, what can possibly be considered a mistake or a typo? Well, it seems the author used to dictate parts of his work to his friend Samuel Beckett, and during one of these sessions, someone knocked at the door, with Joyce immediately saying "Come in." Without thinking twice, Beckett wrote that along with the rest of Joyce’s dictation. It is likely that Joyce noticed the gaffe, but decided to leave it there just to mess with the readers.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Discover 10 Iconic Movie Moments That Weren't In The Script!

Image: Jon Tyson

Have you ever had an unexpected adventure or a spontaneous moment that turned out to be unforgettable? Well, that's exactly what happened in these famous movie scenes that became iconic moments in film history.

Some actors have a magical touch that goes beyond their acting skills, being able to create moments that stick in your memory, even though they were never part of the script.

Join us as we uncover these 10 completely improvised moments and lines that stole the show!

Image: Padraig O'Flannery

It is no secret: Jack Nicholson is one of the most talented actors of all time, and the evidence is everywhere you look.

A big piece of evidence is the fact that one of the most famous lines in movie history came from his brilliant mind. The mythical "Here's Johnny!" from The Shining (1980) was entirely crafted by Nicholson as it wasn't found in the film's script or Stephen King's original book.

Yet, the actor's creativity, coupled with Kubrick's directing expertise, transformed that scene into an emblem of horror cinema.

Image: Gerald Schömbs

Who could ever forget the legendary shark from Jaws (1975)? With its huge mouth and sharp teeth, it frightened even the bravest spirits. So, when faced with the movie's formidable sea monster, actor Roy Scheider couldn't help delivering this creative line.

"You're gonna need a bigger boat," as later revealed, was a line used as an inside joke by the cast and crew, as the boats on which they did the actual filming were quite small. Thus, Scheider took the phrase and perfectly placed it within the film, even though it wasn't originally scripted.

Image: Auke Bakker

If you are reading this article, chances are you've watched the masterpiece Casablanca (1942). And you probably know that one of its countless iconic lines was a spontaneous creation of the talented Humphrey Bogart.

The well-remembered line "Here's looking at you, kid" came out of Bogart's mouth and perfectly fit the moment. It worked so well that it was named the greatest-ever movie line by Premiere Magazine.

But here's a fact: the movie's script was not yet finished when filming began.

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While the famous lineup scene in The Usual Suspects (1995) was in the script, the actors’ fits of laughter were completely improvised. Or should we say, impossible to hold back!

As revealed by the film's screenwriter, Christopher McQuarrie, it was a small accident that caused laughter among the actors: let's just say one of them accidentally let out... a gas.

However, that spontaneous moment added a touch to the scene, and that shot ended up making the final cut.

Image: K. Mitch Hodge

Have you ever taken a cruise? If you're on the bow, your hair in the wind, you probably can't resist the impulse to imitate Leonardo DiCaprio, delivering that iconic line from the now classic Titanic (1997).

But, if it weren't for the actor's genius, the famous "I'm the king of the world!" would not have reached us, as it was not in the movie's script!

Sure, standing in front of the vast ocean may make you feel all-powerful, but DiCaprio's brilliance took it a step further and made up those lines while filming in a studio setting!

Image: Caleb Fisher

Leonardo DiCaprio's talent for improvisation isn't just a thing of one time. From Titanic when he was just a twenty-something, to his more mature roles in films like the western Django Unchained (2012), Leo's talent always shines.

In Django, DiCaprio once again showed his acting skills, moving through unexpected turns like a champion.

During a passionate monologue, Leonardo DiCaprio's character slams his hand down on a table, and he actually cuts himself. Blood begins to dribble, but he incorporates the accident into the scene, as part of the plot. That's a mark of true talent!

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From The Simpsons to Scary Movie, numerous series and films have quoted this iconic line from A Few Good Men (1992) that has become a pop culture hit!

But if it weren't for Jack Nicholson in his performance as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, this memorable phrase from the famous courtroom scene wouldn't have had the same impact or recognition that it has today.

The actor took a simple line from the script, "You already have the truth," and transformed it into the legendary, "You can't handle the truth." It's proof of Nicholson's genius!

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A gem of American cinema, Midnight Cowboy (1969) is a perfectly crafted masterpiece acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

But even in this great classic, there's room for spontaneity. In fact, one of the most memorable moments in the movie wasn't even in the script. While playing the con man Ratso Rizzo, Dustin Hoffman found himself in the middle of real New York City traffic during filming. When a taxi unexpectedly went too close, Hoffman's instinctive response was perfect: "Hey! I'm walking here."

Image: Chris Li

Leonardo is back once again. This time, joined by the incredible Matthew McConaughey. Together, they delivered one of the best moments of 21st-century film history: the unforgettable chest-pounding scene in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

Turns out this bizarre gesture is something McConaughey often does before filming his scenes. But it was Leonardo DiCaprio who saw this spontaneous act and suggested incorporating it into the film's well-known scene. The eccentric nature of the characters allowed for this twist, which was accepted and appreciated by the director.

But wait, there's more! Believe it or not, part of the dialogue between the two characters was also unscripted.

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Martin Scorsese, the successful director, revealed that one of the most famous lines in Taxi Driver (1976) and why not, in world cinema, was improvised by Robert De Niro.

The iconic "You talkin' to me?" monologue was not in the script; it was a spontaneous creation of the actor during the filming of the exceptional mirror scene. It's the small details like these that make Taxi Driver a true classic and Travis Bickle an unforgettable character.

Naturally, this role made De Niro earn an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.