1

Bruce Willis

Image: Stefano Pollio

When The Sixth Sense hit theaters in 1999, it spooked audiences—and simultaneously lined Bruce Willis’s pockets. He took home $14 million upfront, but thanks to a clever back-end deal, his total haul soared to a staggering $100 million. In this one, he saw green people!

2

Tom Cruise

Image: Ryuno

For Mission: Impossible 2 , Tom Cruise saved the world—and walked away with $100 million. Thanks to his producer credit and box office cut, this 2000 sequel became one of the most lucrative gigs in Hollywood history. Cruise really ran away with it.

3

Robert Downey Jr.

Image: Jason Leung

In 2018, Avengers : Infinity War pulled in billions, and so did Robert Downey Jr. Well, almost. With bonuses and back-end deals, his total payday for playing Tony Stark topped $75 million. That’s a superhero salary fit for a billionaire genius playboy, don’t you think?

4

Sandra Bullock

Image: NASA

Sandra Bullock scored big with Gravity in 2013. She earned $20 million upfront, but back-end profits pushed her total haul to over $70 million. Not bad for floating around in space—with a healthy dose of acting brilliance, of course.

5

Tom Hanks

Image: Yosuke Ota

Tom Hanks brought everyone to tears in Forrest Gump , and his deal gave him a slice of the movie’s massive success. Thanks to profit sharing, he earned around $70 million for his iconic role. Life is indeed like a box of chocolates—sometimes there’s a gold bar inside.

6

Harrison Ford

Image: Intricate Explorer

Speaking of gold, in 2008, Harrison Ford returned as Indiana Jones and struck box-office gold. Thanks to a cut of the profits, he took home $65 million for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull . Not bad for dusting off the old fedora, right?

7

Jack Nicholson

Image: Ryunosuke Kikuno

Jack Nicholson pulled more than one trick in Batman (1989). To play the Joker, he accepted a lower salary of $6 million in exchange for a percentage of merchandise and box office profits. Guess how that ended? A massive $60 million payday. The joke was on everyone else!

8

Leonardo DiCaprio

Image: Christophe Hautier

You may think we’re talking about Titanic , but Leo’s layered performance in Inception was the one that earned him a fat check. He skipped a massive upfront fee and gambled on box office bonuses, ultimately walking away with $59 million. Looks like the dream really did pay off.

9

Johnny Depp

Image: Christopher Zenzel

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Johnny Depp took home $35 million just to show up. With bonuses, his total payout reached approximately $55 million. Captain Jack Sparrow really did find his fortune.

10

Margot Robbie

Image: Elena Mishlanova

Margot Robbie played Barbie, and for that, she banked like a superstar. Her starring and producing role in Barbie (2023) earned her $12.5 million upfront, but back-end profits boosted her total haul to $50 million. Never underestimate the power of pink strength!

1

Let’s start with a grammar mistake

Image: Shotkitimages

2

Even the nation’s most important document wasn’t immune to typos! Article I, Section 10 writes "it’s" instead of "its," mistakenly using the contraction instead of the possessive form.

The funny part? The correct spelling of "its" appears properly in other parts of the document. This suggests it was just a careless transcription mistake rather than a misunderstanding of grammar. Since rewriting historical documents isn’t exactly encouraged, the mistake remains to this day. Even the Founding Fathers weren’t perfect proofreaders, you know?

3

A republic, not a democracy

Image: Joshua Sukoff

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Constitution is that it established an American democracy. However, the US was founded as a republic , which differs in that it relies on elected representatives and a system of checks and balances.

When asked whether the Convention had created a monarchy or a republic, Benjamin Franklin famously replied: "A republic, if you can keep it." It was a warning that democracy requires active participation to survive.

4

The Constitution’s British roots

Image: Romain Vignes

Even though the U.S. had declared independence from Britain, the Constitution still used British spellings. Words like "defence," "labour," and "controul" (instead of defense, labor, and control) can be found in the original text.

These spellings were still common in American English at the time, though they would eventually fade away in favor of more distinctly American versions.

5

A comma that shouldn't be there

Image: Anemone123

Grammar nerds, brace yourselves: the Constitution contains a strange comma mistake. In Article III, Section 1, the sentence reads: "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court." That comma between "United States" and "shall" separates the subject from the verb, making it grammatically incorrect. While punctuation rules were more flexible back then, this particular comma sticks out as a clear mistake.

6

Who signed the Constitution? Not Jefferson or Adams!

Image: WikiImages

You might assume that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams signed the Constitution, but they didn’t. But that’s not because they didn’t stand by it, it was because they weren’t even in the country at the time!

In 1787, Jefferson was in France serving as the US Minister, while Adams was in Great Britain as the first US. Ambassador. Despite their absence, both men played major roles in shaping the early American government.

7

Not everyone signed both the Declaration and the Constitution

Image: sarina gr

Let’s focus on the ones who did sign both documents. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed by key American figures, but only six men signed both .

Those names? Benjamin Franklin, George Clymer, Robert Morris, George Read, James Wilson, and Roger Sherman. While many Founding Fathers contributed to both documents, the actual signatures overlap far less than one might expect. How surprising is this?

8

Rhode Island wanted no part in it

Image: Michael Denning

When the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft the Constitution, all 13 states were invited, but Rhode Island refused to show up . The state feared that a strong federal government would overpower them, so they boycotted the entire process.

They even rejected the Constitution’s ratification in 1788 before finally agreeing two years later, by just two votes!

9

They "chuse" some interesting spellings

Image: Brett Jordan

If you were told our Constitution reads " The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment," would you believe it?

You better do because this spelling mistake doesn’t happen only once, it appears multiple times throughout the document.

While it may seem like an error, "chuse" was actually a perfectly acceptable spelling at the time. Language evolves, and by the 19th century, "choose" had won out as the standard spelling.

10

The President cannot veto Constitutional Amendments

Image: David Everett Strickler

Presidents may have veto power over laws, but they have zero say when it comes to Constitutional amendments. Congress or a constitutional convention must propose and ratify them without requiring presidential approval.

While presidents can support or lobby for amendments, they can’t introduce or block them directly. Not many people knew this, what about you?

11

The Supreme Court’s most famous power isn’t in the Constitution

Image: Adam Michael Szuscik

Many people assume the Constitution explicitly gives the Supreme Court the power of judicial review, that is, the ability to declare laws unconstitutional. But guess what? It doesn’t.

Actually, judicial review became a standard practice after the famous Marbury v. Madison case in 1803. The Founding Fathers expected the courts to play this role, but the power isn’t actually written in the document itself. Even the Constitution has its unwritten rules!

1

Gilroy Garlic Festival, California

Image: team voyas

The city of Gilroy, California, is known for being a major garlic producer and is even more known for hosting one of the most important food festivals in America. Originally inspired by a French garlic festival, Gilroy opens their doors to all garlic lovers the last weekend of July, and attracts thousands of visitors every year. Not recommended if you are allergic or just a vampire.

2

Mothman Festival, West Virginia

Image: LucasVphotos

Mothman is one of the most distinguished cryptids in American folklore and a point of pride for its home turf, Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Since 2002, a festival centered around the figure of Mothman has been celebrated yearly, and has been a big source of tourism for the town.

3

Humongous Fungus Festival, Michigan

Image: Transly Translation Agency

In the 1980s, Crystal Falls, Michigan, was the site of a significant discovery: a vast underground colony of Armillaria gallica , commonly known as the honey mushroom. Since 1991, Crystal Falls has celebrated its fungal neighbors with the Humongous Fungus Festival, which includes a parade, a cook-off —mushroom themed, of course—, and many more community events.

4

Surfing Santas, Florida

Image: krakenimages

Florida beaches might not have the ideal Christmas weather, but they are perfect for surfing. This is why, every Christmas Eve, Cocoa Beach, Florida, is the scene of Surfing Santas, a festival where, as the name suggests, people surf dressed as Santa Claus. Initially an open beach party turned festival, the proceeds are destined to local charities and to the Florida Surf Museum.

5

Frozen Dead Guy Days, Colorado

Image: Simon Berger

As the name of this certainly peculiar festival indicates, there is a corpse involved. The remains of Bredo Morstøl, originally from Norway, are cryopreserved in the town of Nederland, Colorado. While the town’s ordinances forbid the private keeping of remains, human or otherwise, a special clause was added for Bredo. Nederland celebrates its most unique resident the second weekend of March, and the celebrations include coffin races and a ‘frozen dead guy’ lookalike contest.

6

Waikiki Spam Jam Festival, Hawaii

Image: newhallpublishing

Hawaii is the biggest SPAM consumer in the U.S., so it’s only right that they hold a SPAM festival. Held during the last week of April, it includes fireworks, parades, live music, and all kinds of spam dishes.

7

Underwater Music Festival, Florida

Image: NEOM

Florida homes the biggest coral reef in the continental U.S., and this festival is all about it. With the intention of raising awareness for reef conservation and eco-friendly diving, this event holds an underwater concert for divers and snorkelers.

8

San Fermin, Louisiana

Image: mana5280

You might have heard of the San Fermin celebrations in Spain, where people run in front of bulls in the street. Louisiana’s San Fermin festival is similar, minus the bulls. In the New Orleans Running of the Bulls, people run from derby skaters armed with foam bats, which are aimed at anyone they encounter in their way.

9

Cow Chip Throw Festival, Wisconsin

Image: Daniel Quiceno M

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, certainly knows how to party on Labor weekend. Besides the chip throwing, you can enjoy music, food, and family activities. Don’t worry about bringing your own cow chips: official festival-sanctioned chips are provided to contestants to ensure fair competition.

10

North American Wife Carrying Championship, Maine

Image: Priscilla Du Preez

Wife carrying as a competitive sport was first introduced in Finland, but it has had its own festival in Newry, Maine, since 1999. Participating couples have to traverse a 278-yard obstacle course, with some of the prizes including the wife’s weight in beer and cash. Single? No problem. As long as you are 21 or older and you have a companion, you can participate.