2025.10.19 – How Low Crime Closed Dutch Prisons, Quiet Generosity Lifted a Star, and Other Verified Curiosities: Underground Cities, Royal Everydayness, Crystal-Clear Lakes, Unpaid Volvos, Mirror Exhibits, a Champion’s Self-Defense, and the Devon Owl Mix-up

Posted byLeonardo Tomás CardilloPosted inUncategorized

Key Takeaways

  • Since 2014, the Netherlands has shut 23 prisons amid falling incarceration; several sites were repurposed, including for refugee housing.
  • In the 1990s, Denzel Washington quietly funded summer theatre studies at Oxford for young actors; Chadwick Boseman later thanked him publicly at the AFI (American Film Institute) tribute in 2019.
  • In 1963, a Turkish homeowner broke through a wall and rediscovered Derinkuyu, a vast underground city that could shelter up to 20,000 people.
  • In 2009, artist Stephen Wiltshire memorised the New York City (NYC) skyline after a short helicopter flight and drew it by hand; videos document his NYC panoramas from observation.
  • Princess Diana often sidestepped royal protocol—riding public transport and queueing with William and Harry, including at a British theme park.
  • Blue Lake (Rotomairewhenua), New Zealand, is the clearest natural freshwater measured on Earth, with ~70–81 metres horizontal visibility.
  • In 1974, North Korea received 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans from Sweden and never paid; Sweden’s export credit agency still duns the debt.
  • In 1963, the Bronx Zoo displayed “The Most Dangerous Animal in the World” — a mirror — to confront visitors with humanity’s impact.
  • In New York, two muggers tried to rob ex-heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey (then in his seventies); he floored them — an incident he relayed to the press in 1971.
  • In 1996 in Devon, England, two neighbours spent months hooting at “owls,” later realising they’d been imitating each other.

Story & Details

The Netherlands and the quiet closure of prisons

Falling incarceration led the Netherlands to close 23 prisons since 2014, with some sites converted for uses such as temporary asylum centres and housing. The country has remained among Europe’s lowest for imprisonment rates through the late 2010s, an outcome linked in reporting to sentencing trends and alternatives to custody.
Variants: Later reports (2015–2025) discuss additional closures and capacity swings; counts vary by time window, but the “23 since 2014” figure is well documented.

Denzel Washington’s early help and Chadwick Boseman’s public thanks

In the 1990s, Denzel Washington helped fund Oxford summer theatre training for a cohort of young actors. Chadwick Boseman was one beneficiary, later offering an emotional, public thank-you during the 2019 AFI celebration of Washington’s career. Multiple videos capture Boseman’s tribute and the surrounding ceremony.

Derinkuyu: a city behind a basement wall

During 1963 renovations in Cappadocia, Turkey, a homeowner breached a wall and followed a tunnel into Derinkuyu, a multi-level underground city descending tens of metres. Archaeological synthesis places its intense use in Byzantine periods, though earlier phases predate that era. Capacity estimates commonly cite 20,000 people, including space for livestock and stores.

Stephen Wiltshire and the NYC panorama from memory

In 2009, artist Stephen Wiltshire took a brief helicopter survey of NYC and produced a large-scale, pen-and-ink skyline from memory. Filmed projects also show him drawing Manhattan panoramas after limited observation from vantage points such as the Empire State Building.

Princess Diana’s everydayness: public transport and queues

Accounts from former protection staff and press features recount Princess Diana occasionally riding the London Underground and buses with her sons, and queueing at parks rather than using preferential access. Video from a Thorpe Park visit underscores this informal approach to public life.

Blue Lake (Rotomairewhenua), New Zealand: seeing through water

Field measurements (2010–2011) at Blue Lake (Rotomairewhenua) in New Zealand’s Nelson Lakes National Park recorded horizontal visibility above 70 metres, reaching a high reading around 81 metres, approaching the ~80 m theoretical visibility of distilled water.
Variants: A popular misstatement claims “80,000 metres” visibility; empirical studies support ~70–81 m.

The 1,000 unpaid Volvos in North Korea

In 1974, Sweden delivered ~1,000 Volvo 144 sedans to North Korea as part of a broader trade package. No payment ever arrived. Sweden’s EKN (Export Credit Agency) indemnified Volvo and continues to send regular debt reminders; coverage as recent as 2023 reiterates the outstanding balance and occasional sightings of the cars.

“The Most Dangerous Animal in the World,” Bronx Zoo, 1963

On April 26, 1963, the Bronx Zoo unveiled a mirror behind bars titled “The Most Dangerous Animal in the World,” prompting visitors to confront their reflection — a commentary on human threats to nature. Contemporary and retrospective coverage documents its message and later echoes at other zoos.

Jack Dempsey fends off muggers

Press recollections and biographical summaries report that by 1971, Jack Dempsey told reporters he’d been accosted by two muggers a few years earlier near his Broadway restaurant and knocked them both out.
Variants: The exact incident year is imprecise across sources; accounts consistently place it in his seventies.

The Devon owl mix-up

British outlets in July 1997 reported that Neil Simmons, an amateur owl breeder in Devon, had spent months hooting nightly to attract owls—only to learn his neighbour had been replying in kind. The revelation came via a chance conversation between their spouses.

Variants

  • Dutch prison closures: Figures differ by timeframe. Credible reporting confirms 23 closures since 2014; other pieces discuss different totals over longer spans or subsequent policy shifts.
  • Jack Dempsey incident date: The 1971 press mention frames it as “a few years earlier,” so the exact year is not fixed.
  • Blue Lake visibility: Empirical studies show ~70–81 m; the “80,000 m” figure is not supported by measurements.

Entities & Roles Index

  • Denzel Washington — Actor; funded Oxford summer theatre studies for young performers.
  • Chadwick Boseman — Actor (deceased); publicly thanked Washington at AFI in 2019.
  • Derinkuyu — Ancient underground city in Cappadocia, Turkey; rediscovered 1963.
  • Stephen Wiltshire — Artist; documented for large-scale city panoramas from brief observation.
  • Princess Diana — British royal noted for informal, public-facing choices (Tube, queues).
  • Blue Lake (Rotomairewhenua) — New Zealand lake with world-leading freshwater clarity.
  • North Korea — Recipient of 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans; payment long overdue.
  • Bronx Zoo — Site of the 1963 mirror exhibit on human impact.
  • Jack Dempsey — Former heavyweight champion; resisted a mugging attempt successfully.
  • Devon neighbours — Participants in the 1996–1997 owl-call misunderstanding.

Chronology

  • 26 April 1963: Bronx Zoo mirror exhibit opens (New York, United States).
  • 1963: Derinkuyu rediscovered during home renovations (Cappadocia, Turkey).
  • 1996–1997: Devon owl hooting misunderstanding reported in July 1997 (England).
  • 1992: Princess Diana and sons at Thorpe Park (United Kingdom).
  • 1990s: Denzel Washington funds Oxford summer theatre studies (United Kingdom).
  • 2009: Stephen Wiltshire completes NYC panorama from memory (United States).
  • 2010–2011: Blue Lake visibility measured above 70 m, peaking ~81 m (New Zealand).
  • 2014–present: Netherlands closes 23 prisons (Netherlands).
  • 2019: Chadwick Boseman’s AFI tribute to Denzel Washington (United States).
  • 1974 → present: North Korea’s unpaid Volvo debt (Sweden/North Korea).
  • 1971 press mention: Dempsey recounts flooring two muggers (United States).

Conclusions

A set of disparate, well-sourced curiosities converges on one theme: ordinary decisions and chance moments can reveal outsized truths. National policy choices ripple into unexpected infrastructure shifts; a private act of generosity alters cultural history; a renovation opens an ancient world; an artist’s memory stretches human possibility; informality humanises royalty; an alpine lake clarifies the physics of water; a decades-old invoice becomes diplomatic shorthand; a mirror reframes our species; a septuagenarian’s reflexes outpace crime; and two neighbours laugh across a hedge. Each is small on its own, but together they map a world that is stranger, kinder, and more interesting than it first appears.

Sources

Definitions & Translations

AFI (American Film Institute)

A U.S. cultural organisation that honours film artistry and preserves cinema heritage; organiser of the AFI Life Achievement Award.

NYC (New York City)

The most populous city in the United States; context here is Manhattan skylines and the Bronx Zoo.

Rotomairewhenua (translated from Māori)

Māori name for Blue Lake in New Zealand’s Nelson Lakes National Park; the lake is considered culturally significant.

“The Most Dangerous Animal in the World” (exhibit title)

A 1963 Bronx Zoo display using a mirror to suggest that humans pose the greatest danger to other species and ecosystems.

Appendix (Translations & Short Quotes)

  • “The Most Dangerous Animal in the World” — 1963 Bronx Zoo mirror exhibit title.
  • “There is no Black Panther without Denzel Washington” — sentiment from Boseman’s AFI remarks (translated/paraphrased to maintain English cohesion).
  • “Tube” — colloquial British English for the London Underground rapid transit system.
  • “Visibility above 70 metres” — Blue Lake measurements from 2010–2011 fieldwork.

Published by Leonardo Tomás Cardillo

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonardocardillo

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