A famous pareidolia case occurred in the Minnesota State District Court in 1978. Mrs. Sondra Blanchet was being tried for firing a shotgun at her husband Douglas. He survived but the incident had a permanent effect on him in the form of a nervous tic (he threw himself face downward upon the ground every time he heard his name) for which he demanded a considerable sum from his ex-wife. The jury got the giggling when they heard the defense’s plea: pareidolia. According to her lawyer, Mrs. Blanchet had mistaken her husband for a giant squid! What a ridiculous claim, the jury thought, already considering the trial over and seen for sentencing. However, when the husband made his appearance, everyone was amazed by the extraordinary similarity and there were even those who ran in search of a harpoon. Mrs. Blanchet was exonerated, and nowadays everyone wonders how such a strange case could occur.
SILLY HUMOR FOR SMART PEOPLE 