The flying Santa

This one’s brief but funny. Each year during November and December, Disneyland hosts several holiday-related events. One of the most recognizable presentations is A Christmas Fantasy Parade.

While Mickey Mouse stars in all major Disney exhibitions, Santa Claus gets his due during this parade. Alas, something strange happened in December of 2018. During one fateful show, Santa’s float suddenly collapsed in the front. The sudden shift in weight dislodged its passenger.

Yes, as countless children watched in awe and horror, Santa Claus went flying sans a sleigh. An attached safety harness prevented him from hitting the ground. Santa just dangled there awkwardly while kids wondered why the flying man even needed any reindeer.

This story would be a lot less funny without the harness, though. It might have given kids Christmas trauma for life.

The great Measles outbreak of 2014

Back in 2014, 52 different guests fell victim to a measles outbreak…at Disneyland! Yes, the park became ground zero for an outbreak of the disease. Wired published a fascinating post-game article about the incident, and some other sites covered it as well.

To the best of anyone’s knowledge, an unvaccinated international traveler carried Measles to the Happiest Place on Earth. As the Wired writer comments, the disease is “crazy contagious.” The person speculates that 90% of unvaccinated people who come into contact with it in the tight quarters of a theme park will contract Measles.

However, the vaccinated aren’t totally safe, either. When administered correctly, the two shots are 97 percent effective. So, some Disneyland guests who had been vaccinated still got Measles, which I’m sure came as a total shock to them.

This incident gained such notoriety that the state of California passed a law requiring schoolchildren to get vaccinated.