FREE SAMPLE · Experiments
The parachute suit that never opened.
A tailor. An experimental parachute suit. A test from the Eiffel Tower that should never have used a human subject.
Read free ↗NEW STORY EVERY MONDAY
Real stories of
remarkably bad decisions.
Discover what happened, read the sources and see how much you remember in a quick quiz.
Full archive included. Cancel monthly.
FREE STORY · PARIS, 1912
The parachute suit that never opened
Read Franz Reichelt’s story →Explore the case files
Browse the archive
MEMBER STORY · Fatal assumptions
The lawyer who became his own evidence.
A defence lawyer wanted to demonstrate an accidental shooting. The gun he believed was unloaded was not.
View story ↗
MEMBER STORY · Famous names
The handshake that put him in Rocket’s path.
Britain’s new railway was making history. An MP stepped out of his carriage during a stop, with disastrous consequences.
View story ↗
MEMBER STORY · Workplace accidents
When the cheese racks came down
A rack gave way in a warehouse near Bergamo, burying the owner beneath the cheese he’d spent years making.
View story ↗
MEMBER STORY · Wildlife
The plane that came to take them home
Timothy Treadwell had spent thirteen summers filming Alaska’s brown bears. When a pilot arrived to take him and Amie Huguenard home, a bear was still in their camp.
View story ↗What do you remember?
Try three questions from the free Franz Reichelt story.
Get every answer right to earn 50 points once per story. Sign in to save your points.
Challenge a friend
How membership works
Try a free story
Read a full case and take its quiz.
Unlock the archive
Join for £1.99 a month for the full collection of true stories and quizzes.
Explore the archive anytime
Members can read the full archive whenever they like. A new story and quiz arrive every Monday at noon UK time.
THE FULL CABINET
Full membership
- A true story and quiz every Monday at noon UK time
- The full archive of stories and quizzes
- Dates, context and linked sources
- A knowledge quiz with every story
£1.99 / month
Automatically renews monthly until cancelled.
£23.88 over 12 months if you stay subscribed.
Stripe Checkout with Apple Pay on eligible devices once enabled. Payments are currently disabled.
Already a member? Manage or cancel ↗Shop merchandise
View the shopOh Dear, You’re Dead T-shirt
A black tee with our skull badge on the front and “Oh Dear, You’re Dead” printed on the back.
£19.99 estimated · delivery TBC
View buying optionsOh Dear, You’re Dead Mug
A ceramic mug with our skull badge on one side and “Oh Dear, You’re Dead” on the reverse.
£11.99 estimated · delivery TBC
View buying optionsReview layout preview
Fictional examples for design review. These are placeholders for future customer reviews.
“A perfect five-minute read on my lunch break.”
“I always guess the ending before I read the story.”
“The source links are half the fun. Some of these stories are hard to believe.”
Membership questions
When is the new story released?
Every Monday at 12 noon UK time after launch. Each edition stays in the members’ archive.
How do I pay?
Stripe Checkout handles payments. Apple Pay is available on eligible devices once enabled in Stripe.
How do I cancel?
Open Account / cancel and confirm cancellation in Stripe’s billing portal when memberships are live.