1

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry’s famous wife wasn’t born with the name Meghan—that’s actually her middle name. Her given name is Rachel , which interestingly enough, matches her character’s name on Suits .

So while the world does indeed know her as Meghan Markle, her full birth name is Rachel Meghan Markle—a fun insider joke for fans of the hit television show.

2

Louis C.K.

The comedian’s real name is Louis Székely . He started using the initials "C.K." as a professional alias, simplifying the pronunciation for audiences.

3

Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren – Having a first name as a last name might sound effortless, but it wasn’t always that simple. He was actually born Ralph Lifshitz , a name he later changed to achieve a smoother, more marketable sound.

4

Michael Kors

Meet the second designer on our list. The man we know today as Michael Kors wasn’t always called that—he was born Karl Anderson Jr. before changing his name later in life.

5

Muhammad Ali

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay on January 17, 1942, in Kentucky, Muhammad Ali went on to become a boxing legend, winning the World Heavyweight Championship three times.

The Greatest, as he was known in the boxing ring, decided to change his name in 1964 after converting to Islam and joining the Nation of Islam (NOI).

6

Bill Clinton

Born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946, he later took the surname Clinton after being adopted by his stepfather. He went on to become the 42nd U.S. president, serving from 1993 to 2001.

7

Malcolm X

Born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, he rose to prominence as an African-American Muslim minister, speaker, and civil rights leader before he died in 1965.

He adopted the name Malcolm X to symbolize the rejection of his family's "slave name" and the lost ancestral African name stolen during slavery.

8

Tiger Woods

The world-famous golfer was born Eldrick Tont Woods but is better known by his nickname, Tiger. The name was given in honor of a close friend of his father’s.

9

Larry King

Larry King was born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York. Just minutes before his first live broadcast, a manager said his name was "too ethnic." Spotting an ad for King’s Wholesale, they chose "King" on the spot.

10

Sasha Obama

The Obamas' youngest daughter isn’t actually named Sasha. Her full name is Natasha —a fact that went viral after users spotted it on Barack Obama’s Wikipedia page.

11

Joan Rivers

It might be hard to picture this TV star as anyone but Joan Rivers. Born Joan Molinsky , she changed her name on her agent’s advice when starting out. That’s how Joan Rivers came to be.

12

Oprah Winfrey

Talk show host and author Oprah Winfrey was originally named Orpah , after a biblical figure. Since people often struggled to pronounce and spell it, her name gradually changed to Oprah—a name now so iconic that it’s recognized worldwide on its own.

1

Roswell Incident

In June 1947, a rancher in Roswell, New Mexico, found strange metallic debris in a field. Soon after, military personnel from a neighboring air base gathered all the evidence and announced they had recovered a flying disc . The following day, however, they retracted their statement, claiming instead that the debris was part of a weather balloon — and suspicions of a conspiracy were born

Years later, government officials stated that the balloon story had been a cover, but there are still disputes about what actually happened. Military sources have since said the balloon was part of a program to detect Soviet nuclear weapons , but the contradicting stories have led many to believe that we don’t know the whole truth about the incident.

2

Washington, D.C. UFO Incident

In July 1952, a series of UFO sightings in Washington, D.C., was reported over two consecutive weekends near the White House and the Capitol. These objects were seen visually by pilots and air traffic controllers, and they were also tracked by radar.

Though the air force deployed jets to intercept the UFOs, the pilots reported that these objects had incredible speed and that they were easily outmaneuvered. The incident sparked attention from the media, which led President Truman to create the Robertson Panel, a scientific committee dedicated to investigating UFO sighting reports.

3

Cash–Landrum incident

In December 1980, Betty Cash and Vickie Landrum, alongside Landrum’s grandson, spotted what they initially thought was an airplane near Dayton, Texas, but was actually a diamond-shaped object, emitting a bright light and hovering near the ground . After getting out of their vehicle to inspect the object, they returned to the car to find it was extremely hot to the touch.

After the alleged UFO left, Cash and Landrum claimed to have seen a military aircraft following it. The three of them experienced burns, nausea, and other symptoms similar to those of radiation sickness , and Cash spent a month hospitalized. The government denied any involvement in the situation, but many investigators and researchers believe this could have been a secret military experiment.

4

The Westchester Boomerang

From 1983 to 1984, residents of Hudson Valley in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut reported the appearance of large objects that emitted bright lights , flying in a circle or V-shaped formation.

The police later claimed that these were actually a group of Cessna 152s from a neighboring town , and the alleged pilots expressed their amusement at the confusion. However, witnesses claimed that the flying objects could not have been small aircraft, as they made no sound and were able to hover in one spot for extended periods of time.

5

Travis Walton incident

On November 5, 1975, Travis Walton, a logger working in Heber, Arizona, was reported missing by his crew. They claimed that, returning from work, they had stopped because they saw an unusual light. Walton had walked into the forest following it and had been struck by a beam . Afraid that he had died, his companions fled and alerted the police, but Walton was not found despite intense searches.

Five days later, Walton appeared in Heber, confused and disoriented. He claimed to have been abducted by humanoid aliens, who kept them in their aircraft . He and other witnesses passed the lie detector test, but many people believed the incident was an elaborate hoax.

6

Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting

In June 1947, Kenneth Arnold, a pilot flying near Mount Rainier in Washington State, reported sighting of several flying objects, which he believed were experimental military aircraft. After an investigation by military officials, they found several witnesses who reported sightings at a similar time and location to Arnold.

Arnold described these aircraft as round objects that moved as a "saucer would if you skipped it across the water". The popularity of the story, the first UFO sighting after World War II, first popularized the term "flying saucer."

7

Stephenville, Texas sighting

Residents of Stephenville, Texas, reported in January 2008 that they had seen a massive flying object, moving at high speed and emitting lights. The witnesses, including a pilot and a police officer, claimed the object was up to a mile long and made no sound.

Though the U.S. Air Force initially denied having planes in the area , they later explained that training maneuvers for 10 F-16 jets had been conducted; this contradiction sparked rumors of a classified military aircraft.

8

Marfa Lights, Texas

One of the oldest alleged sightings in America, the first record of the Marfa lights dates back to 1883. These light orbs appear sporadically on the horizon, and their color varies between blue, red, and white. Appearing around 30 times a year, the Marfa lights can still be seen to this day.

Scientists have tried to explain these appearances as an atmospheric phenomenon similar to a mirage, or the reflection of car lights from a highway, but they have failed to reach a definite conclusion. Marfa has become a popular destination for UFO aficionados , which has led the Texas Department of Transportation to build a dedicated viewing area.

9

Japan Airlines Cargo Flight 1628

On November 17, 1986, the crew of a Japanese cargo plane claimed to have been followed by three flying objects —one massive and two smaller ones— as they flew over Anchorage, Alaska. Media outlets reported that these objects had been captured on a military radar, but government officials later discredited the claims.

After landing in Anchorage, the crew was interviewed by the FBI and the CIA, who allegedly confirmed a radar sighting. However, the agencies have since denied that the meeting ever took place.

10

USS Nimitz "Tic Tac" incident

In November 2004, jet pilots from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier reported encountering a ‘tic tac-shaped’ object with remarkable flying capabilities. Besides the eyewitnesses, the object was captured by the jets’ cameras and tracked by the radar of another aircraft carrier for two weeks.

The videos were classified until 2020, when they were released by the Pentagon after a series of reports by the New York Times . Though several theories have been postulated, there is no official explanation for this incident.

1

Fact: Presidents can drive

Image: Jessica Furtney

It sounds fun to imagine the president taking the wheel for a spin around town, right? Maybe a quiet drive to clear their head or grab a meal in secret behind the tinted glass. But can they really do that?

2

Answer: False

Image: Rolando Garrido

Presidents haven’t been allowed to drive on public roads since Lyndon B. Johnson, but they can still enjoy a little time behind the wheel inside fenced areas like Camp David or their own ranch. George W. Bush often drove around his property in Texas, with the Secret Service keeping a close watch, of course!

3

Fact: Presidents can’t attend their kids’ plays or games

Image: Philip White

Yes, we know presidential tasks are of utmost importance, but we can all agree family moments matter just as much, even in the White House. So, do you think the president can really attend a school play or a kid’s soccer game?

4

Answer: True

Image: Ludo Poiré

It’s true, they can’t unless it’s under very controlled conditions . Public outings cause too much security chaos, so these events usually happen privately. Some presidential kids even had classrooms right inside the White House so their parents could drop in for a visit without turning it into a national operation.

5

Fact: Presidents can open the windows whenever they want

Image: Da-shika

Opening a window is one of the most innocent acts one can carry out, and surely, after long meetings and speeches, a little fresh air would be nice. Can the president roll down a window in the White House or a car?

6

Answer: False

Image: Gabriele Proietti Mattia

That simple act is off-limits for security reasons , of course. Michelle Obama once said her security team gave her a five-minute "window treat" on a drive to Camp David, and it felt like freedom. The rest of the time, those windows stay shut tight.

7

Fact: Presidents can’t use commercial airlines

Image: Shutr

You know Air Force One is specifically designed for the President, and you also know that every president travels constantly , but can they ever hop on a regular American Airlines flight like the rest of us?

8

Answer: True

Image: avid Lusvardi

They absolutely can’t fly commercial, but they do take plenty of flights on Air Force One and Marine One. These aircraft are packed with communication systems , security measures, and comfort most travelers can only dream about. It’s safe to say they don’t miss boarding lines.

9

Fact: Presidents can use regular gadgets from the store

Image: Azwedo L.LC

Whoever the president is, when they get to the White House, they already have a phone. So, they must be able to use regular phones . Or, for example, a brand-new iPhone or tablet seems harmless enough. Surely the president can pick one up and start scrolling. Do you think this is true or false?

10

Answer: False

Image: Eirik Solheim

Standard devices aren’t secure enough. Presidents use specially modified versions that can’t be hacked. Barack Obama had a limited-access BlackBerry, and Joe Biden’s smartwatch and the Peloton were both customized for safety. Even the leader of the free world has tech limits.

11

Fact: Presidents can block people on social media

Image: Swello

Alright, so a new president is in office, and they get a brand new secure phone. But with millions of online followers, it must be tempting to block a few loud voices . Surely the president has that right.

12

Answer: False

Image: Daniel Romero

Nope. A federal court decided that official social media accounts are public forums , which means blocking users violates the First Amendment. Presidents have to let everyone speak their mind, even if the comments section gets a little rowdy.