Awesome Sam O’nella

With few exceptions, U.S. Presidents have had family pets living in the White House. Sam O’Nella Academy looks back at some of the many presidential pets and their purpose in distracting the public from the real issues. While dogs and cats are the most popular choices, some leaders kept silkworms, parrots, sheep, and a very angry ram.

It’s been a while since we got a lesson from the Sam O’Nella Academy, but after a nearly 3-year hiatus from YouTube, the snarky educator takes us back to school to learn about scientific animal names and where they come from. Those taxonomy mnemonics are just as good as the ones on TV Funhouse.

Yep, vacation is over. So it’s time to get back to your desk and maybe do some work or learn something. Let’s start off with another oddball history lesson from Sam O’Nella Academy, and one Timothy Dexter, an 18th century farmhand who married his way into aristocracy, and then became even more wealthy despite his stupidity.

(PG-13: Language) The Sam O’Nella Academy brings us another round of strange and unusual factoids, this time about our distant primate cousins. From smoking cigarettes to painting abstract modern art, chimps have developed some surprising skills and behaviors over the years.

(PG-13: Language) From the window-mounted baby cage to the beauty micrometer, our old pals Sam O’Nella Academy are here to school us on a variety of strange and not very useful inventions which found their place in society for brief periods of time, and thankfully are no longer in use.

(PG-13: Language) There’s a long, and often disturbing history of launching animals into the cosmos before space programs felt comfortable sending humans. Sam O’Nella Academy looks back at the creatures who often gave their lives so that space exploration could march forward.

(PG-13: Language) After sharing the tale of a corpse used for entertainment, Sam O’Nella returns with a grislier tale of a dead body used for… personal entertainment. But not before pointing out how understandably few people know about the value of a Pope’s blood.

(PG-13: Language) Sam O’Nella Academy shares the story of Elmer McCurdy. He was a bandit in the early 20th century who got killed in a shootout with the police. But he stayed above ground for an astounding 65 years, thanks to crooks and clueless entertainers.

There have been numerous recorded instances of groups of people losing their minds at the same time. The always informative, and usually gross Sam O’ Nella Academy shares some of the more notable cases of the bizarre behavior known as mass psychogenic illness.

(PG-13: Language) Sam O’Nella Academy gives new meaning to The Killers’ “are we human, or are we dancer?” by sharing the story of Daniel Dancer. This 18th century man loved money so much he went to the extremest of extremes to pinch pennies.

(PG-13: Language) How exactly does a flood occur without water? Sam O’Nella Academy is here to school us on some of the strangest disasters that covered the earth with massive, deadly amounts of liquid stuff from super-sticky molasses to flaming whiskey.

The Sam O’Nella Academy is here to teach us about one Joshua Norton. This once wealthy San Franciscan decided that he was the head bitch in charge of our nation after a series of misfortunes left him destitute and a bit insane. Then the media gave him a voice and fame.

If you’re squeamish about the possibility of having a surgery, one look at Sam O’Nella Academy’s history lesson on how these procedures worked before modern medicine should give you plenty of perspective and a more positive outlook on your prognosis.