These insanely controversial events failed to make the front page. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re examining our picks for the biggest scandals or world events that were vastly overshadowed by a larger controversy or news story occurring around the same time.
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00:00We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed
00:06this vicious attack to justice.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're examining our picks for the biggest scandals or world
00:14events that were vastly overshadowed by a larger controversy or news story occurring
00:19around the same time.
00:21In all seven of your Tour de France victories, did you ever take banned substances or blood
00:28dope?
00:30McDonald's Monopoly Fraud.
00:34Overshadowed by the September 11th attacks.
00:36On September 11th, 2001, the world was rocked by the news of Al-Qaeda hijacking four commercial
00:42airplanes, three of which crashed into their intended targets.
00:45Surely an accident, we thought.
00:48They just think there's going to be another explosion.
00:53But no, it was the first direct act of war against the United States in over 50 years.
01:00The fourth plane was unsuccessful due to a bray of revolt by the passengers, but they
01:04all sadly lost their lives.
01:06Altogether, 2,996 people perished from the horrifying attack.
01:12This tragic event completely buried news regarding the trial of Jerome Jacobson, the mastermind
01:18behind McDonald's Monopoly Fraud, which began just the day before.
01:229-11, the McDonald's was a memory.
01:27Everybody forgot about it, except the FBI and the Justice Department.
01:33They had how they proceed.
01:35Jacobson, who worked for the company that ran the promotion, stole the most valuable
01:40game pieces.
01:41He then worked with Jerry Columbo, a member of a mafia family, as well as other collaborators,
01:47to defraud McDonald's of millions.
01:49Jacobson served three years in prison for his part.
01:52He pled guilty, received a 37-month sentence, I think, and I would consider that a victory.
02:02He should have got more.
02:03It's just doesn't square up to me.
02:05Several corruption cases overshadowed by the Calciopoli.
02:10In 2006, European football was in turmoil due to several corrupt scandals.
02:14But behind the dream come true was a nightmare, as the country's national pastime was hit
02:19by one of the biggest football scandals ever.
02:22Allegations of match-rigging were at the heart of a story that would make headlines worldwide.
02:27The main spotlight was on the Calciopoli scandal in the Italian football series, Serie A and
02:32Serie B.
02:33Several big teams, such as Juventus and AC Milan, were implicated in securing certain
02:38referees to get favorable results.
02:41Consequently, Juventus was stripped of titles and relegated.
02:45Relegation to Serie B has dealt a huge blow to what is Italy's biggest club.
02:50Financially, Juventus will be counting the cost for many years to come.
02:53Although this was the major news story, a series of lesser-known scandals unfolded concurrently
02:59in other countries.
03:00In England, managers like Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce were accused of tapping up players
03:06for transfers or accepting bribes.
03:08Also, in Portugal, the Apito Dorado scandal, which first emerged in 2004, escalated as
03:14several people, such as FC Porto's chairman, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, was accused of
03:21bribing referees.
03:22The Alhambra decree, overshadowed by…
03:26The voyages of Christopher Columbus.
03:28Nowadays, most people know of Christopher Columbus's exploits in quote-unquote discovering
03:33the quote-unquote New World.
03:35October 1492.
03:38Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas.
03:41It is his moment of triumph, winning his place in history.
03:46But around the same time as his first voyage, a controversial edict called the Alhambra
03:51decree was passed in Spain, which has now largely faded into obscurity.
03:56In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition began to identify heretics in the country.
04:02Fourteen years later, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon issued the decree,
04:08ordering the expulsion of Jewish citizens who refused to convert to Catholicism.
04:21These individuals were given only four months to leave, forcing them to sell their land
04:26for a vastly reduced sum.
04:28While the exact figure of those affected is disputed, it's believed that at least 40,000
04:33were expelled and over 200,000 converted to Catholicism.
04:37The President's Club Harassment, overshadowed by Logan Paul and the Japanese Forest.
04:43In early 2018, most of the world was fixated on the uproar surrounding Logan Paul's controversial
04:49video, which featured a deceased person in a Japanese forest.
04:52What made you decide to go to this forest?
04:55The idea was to just do another fun vlog, go camp for a night and make an entertaining
05:00piece of content in a forest.
05:03And things obviously changed pretty drastically.
05:08However, around the same time, another scandal quietly unfolded.
05:13The President's Club was a UK charity that held annual dinners with famous and influential
05:18people to raise money for good causes.
05:20But in January 2018, two Financial Times journalists attended the event undercover as hostesses.
05:27Former hostesses who worked at this event have said they wouldn't do it again because
05:31they're so badly treated, which is part of the reason why I want to go in undercover
05:35to witness that firsthand.
05:36And I have no other way of going in because women aren't welcome as guests.
05:41After being asked to sign an NDA without reading it, the duo and other workers experienced
05:46sexual harassment and assault from the guests.
05:50The scandal caused the club to close its doors.
05:52And comedian David Walliams, who hosted the event, had his children's books banned from
05:57several stores.
05:59We have to send a clear message that this is unacceptable.
06:04The Texas City disaster overshadowed by the first black player in the MLB.
06:09On April 15th, 1947, the legendary Jackie Robinson became the first black player to
06:14play in the MLB when he stepped onto the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
06:18On the field, Robinson was Rookie of the Year, an All-Star, a Hall of Famer.
06:24Yet his stellar career did not exempt him from a fusillade of racial slurs.
06:29While the moment was praised on the whole, some stirred controversy by criticizing the
06:33decision.
06:34The day after his baseball milestone, however, a tragedy occurred at the Texas City Port
06:40in Texas, which became the biggest industrial accident in U.S. history.
06:44It all started out as a fire on the ship on April 16th, 1947.
06:49The ammonium nitrate on board caught fire and detonated.
06:53A fire aboard the French vessel SS Grand Camp ignited its cargo, leading to a massive
06:58explosion that sparked a catastrophic chain reaction of further blasts and a tsunami.
07:04In total, over 5,000 people were injured by the carnage, and at least 581 lost their lives.
07:11All told, well over 500 people were killed, making it the deadliest industrial accident
07:16in U.S. history.
07:18Boy George Convicted
07:20Overshadowed by O.J. Simpson Sentencing
07:23On December 5th, 2008, former NFL star O.J. Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison
07:29for his role in a 2007 armed robbery at the Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
07:35Former American football star O.J. Simpson's been jailed for 15 years for kidnapping and
07:39armed robbery.
07:40Simpson spent only nine years behind bars before he was released on parole in 2017.
07:45While this case is well known, many aren't aware that on the same day as Simpson's sentencing,
07:51another famous face was convicted of a crime.
07:53As he left for court this morning, Boy George hoped he'd be making a swift return to his
07:58Hampstead home.
07:59Instead, he'll have to wait 15 months.
08:02Musician Boy George was found guilty of the assault and false imprisonment of Norwegian
08:07model Auden Carlson.
08:09The following month, George was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, although he was
08:14granted early release after four months, on the condition that he wear an ankle monitor
08:18for the remainder of his sentence.
08:20I went to prison for four months, yeah, and then I was on tag for four months as well.
08:26And do you know what?
08:27People in prison were amazing to me.
08:291972 Olympic protest.
08:32Overshadowed by The Munich Massacre
08:34The 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, is best known for the infamous massacre.
08:39The 1972 Munich Games became one of the darkest moments in Olympic history.
08:44Members of the extremist group Black September launched an attack on the Israeli Olympic
08:48team, altogether claiming 12 lives.
08:52At the same event, a protest took place that's often been overlooked.
08:55U.S. athletes Vincent Matthews and Wayne Collette finished first and second, respectively, in
09:01the men's 400-meter event.
09:03During the medal ceremony, they ignored the American national anthem, chatting with each
09:07other and playing with their medals instead.
09:10For Olympic officials, the medal ceremony was an eerie replay of the 1968 Games.
09:16Matthews and silver medalist Wayne Collette appeared to fidget on the victory stand.
09:21Collette later explained that he didn't believe in the anthem's lyrics due to the struggles
09:24faced by the black community in the U.S.
09:27As a result, the duo was banned from the Olympics for life, a decision that was only rescinded
09:32in 2022.
09:34The Czech political corruption scandal
09:36Overshadowed by Edward Snowden's leaks.
09:39On June 5, 2013, NSA contractor Edward Snowden began leaking classified information he had
09:45collected during his time at the agency to various journalists.
09:49The NSA specifically targets the communications of everyone.
09:53It ingests them by default.
09:55It collects them in its system and it filters them and it analyzes them and it measures
09:59them and it stores them for periods of time.
10:02The documents revealed extensive global surveillance programs involving the NSA and the Five Eyes
10:07Intelligence Alliance.
10:08Eight days later, Czechia faced its own lesser-known scandal after members of the government were
10:14arrested for corruption.
10:16Those involved were accused of bribing other politicians and abusing their power by illegally
10:21spying on people.
10:23Crisis has enveloped the Czech parliament after police organized crime units raided
10:27government offices, seizing documents and making arrests.
10:32During police raids, authorities seized $8 million in cash and pounds of gold.
10:38The scandal led to the resignation of Prime Minister Petr Necas, especially because one
10:43of the main suspects was his chief of staff, Janina Giova, who he was also dating.
10:49In 2014, Necas was charged with bribery.
10:52Let justice finally hit those who are responsible for such things and let them face justice.
10:57The horse meat scandal, overshadowed by Lance Armstrong's doping confession.
11:02January 2013 was a big month for shocking news.
11:06After years of denial and a ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in 2012, Lance Armstrong
11:12finally admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he had been doping.
11:16Yes or no.
11:17Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance?
11:21Yes.
11:22Only a few days before this sports shattering confession, Europe was grappling with the
11:27realization that food labeled as beef actually contained other animals, such as pigs and
11:33horses.
11:34Millions of ready meals have already been withdrawn, and the government's ordered
11:37tests on every processed beef product in the country, but they say we should tuck in until
11:43we get the results next week.
11:44This discovery meant that some people had unknowingly consumed meat from animals forbidden
11:49by their religion.
11:51It also raised concerns that animal medication might have contaminated the food industry.
11:55Among the suspect suppliers, the French company Spangaro.
11:59Its CEO denied fraud.
12:02I completely refute these accusations.
12:04We didn't mislead anybody.
12:06Several ringleaders were arrested and sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy.
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12:26The Pope's beatification overshadowed by the assassination of Osama bin Laden.
12:32On May 1st, 2011, President Barack Obama confirmed that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind
12:389-11, had been assassinated by Navy SEALs in Pakistan.
12:41The United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of
12:47Al Qaeda.
12:48It was a huge news story around the world that unwittingly led to the suppression of
12:51other news.
12:53Most notably, the beatification of Pope John Paul II on the same day.
12:57An estimated 1.5 million people gathered to see Pope John Paul II beatified, one step
13:03short of sainthood.
13:04While this was celebrated by some, many found it deeply controversial.
13:09John Paul II had been heavily criticized for his inadequate response to the Catholic sexual
13:14assault scandal, and was even accused of covering it up.
13:17Throw in his opposition to contraception and the ordination of women, and it's understandable
13:22to see how the Pope getting this honor was uncomfortable for some.
13:26In his homily, Pope Benedict XVI said John Paul II restored to Christianity its true
13:32face as a religion of hope.
13:34What forgotten scandals do you think deserve to get a lot more attention than they received?
13:39Let us know below.
13:40We're alleging that 3M and DuPont created these chemicals, had the science that showed
13:46just how dangerous they were, how toxic they were, how they were going to last forever.
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