The Story Behind The Leatherman Of Connecticut
If you stood patiently by the right Connecticut roadside between 1883 and 1889, sooner or later a solitary figure would appear in the distance... The Leatherman.
Read More-
-
Times Hamilton Lied To You About History
The musical Hamilton deserves every bit of its status as cultural phenomenon, but it plays fast and loose with historical fact. Here are a few times Hamilton lied to you about history.
Read More -
Everything You Need To Know About The Mystery Seeds From China
This month, mysterious packages containing seeds have been appearing on doorsteps and in mailboxes across the country containing 'mystery seeds' from China. What ever could they mean?
Read More -
What Life Was Like For Women In Ancient Sparta
When you read about the people who lived in Greece in ancient times, it's almost always about men. The women in ancient Greece also had rich lives, but how they lived those lives depended on where they were. Women in Sparta, for example, had a lot of freedoms their counterparts in Athens never had.
Read More -
What You Never Knew About Rasputin
Who really was Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin? How can we define him, besides "Russian guy with a sinister stare" and "staple antagonist in comic books and cartoons?"
Read More -
The Bizarre Mystery Of The Monster With 21 Faces
One multi-eyed monster of Japan, however, was self-named and real: the Monster with 21 Faces (and presumably 42 eyes).
Read More -
Things Americans In The 1980s Couldn't Live Without
Oh, the 1980s. A decade full of neon clothes, mullets, and the Brat Pack. Let's learn some things that Americans in the 1980s couldn't live without.
Read More -
Mansa Musa: Inside The Life Of The Wealthiest Man Of All Time
There once lived a man richer than anyone else who has ever lived. His name was Mansa Musa.
Read More -
What You Don't Know About The New England Vampire Panic
When you think of vampires, do you envision them stalking down a dark alley in England, or hiding away in an Eastern European castle? Or, perhaps, do you picture vampires frolicking about the picturesque cities of New England, amidst its mountains and gorgeous coastlines?
Read More -
The Strange History Of Phrenology
Phrenology, if you're not familiar, is a thoroughly debunked old-timey pseudoscience.
Read More -
The Most Notable Treasure Hunters In History
Treasure hunters have inspired books and movies throughout history. Who wouldn't want to strike it rich by finding a pirate's buried treasure or taste immortality from the Fountain of Youth or the Holy Grail? But it's not easy. These are some of the most notable treasure hunters in history.
Read More -
The Messed Up Real-Life Story Of Pablo Picasso
Picasso was mainly a painter, dabbling in sculpture and other media, and he certainly didn't lead a boring life. Here's the messed up truth about Pablo Picasso.
Read More -
The Terrifying Legend Of Stull Cemetery
For some people's money, you just can't find a more hellish spot than Stull, Kansas, a small, unincorporated community in the Northeast quadrant of the Sunflower State, where the local cemetery reportedly houses a gateway to the fiery inferno of the underworld.
Read More -
Here's How Crassus Became The Wealthiest Man In Rome
Today, when you think of the richest people in the world, billionaire businessmen and tech giants come to mind, like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett. But have you ever wondered who the richest people were throughout history?
Read More -
This Is Why People Thought The World Was Coming To An End In 1910
Humankind has had its fair share of false doomsdays. From perennial favorites like the rapture, predicted with unwavering enthusiasm three times a year, to new, exciting translations of the works of Nostradamus, people can't get enough of those wonderful prognosticated existential threats.
Read More -
Here's How Much Garbage Collectors Really Get Paid
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "One day our society will come to respect the sanitation worker if it is to survive, for the person who picks up our garbage, in the final analysis, is as significant as the physician, for if he doesn't do his job, diseases are rampant. All labor has dignity."
Read More -
The Truth About Nostradamus And His Prophecies
If you were lucid during the weeks that followed 9/11, you'll remember that Nostradamus suddenly started popping up in more conversations than usual. At the center of his newfound popularity was a prophetic quatrain, credited to the enigmatic seer, in emails prefaced with "RE:RE:RE:RE."
Read More -
The Real Reason Kissing Was Once Banned In Medieval England
Fleas and kissing. The two might seem unrelated, but in an era of social distancing, the link between might be clearer.
Read More -
Here's How The Egyptian Calendar Differs From The Gregorian Calendar
The human species has worked hard to add a layer of organization to the passage of time, and there have been some interesting solutions.
Read More -
The Vampire Who Terrorized Croatia For 16 Years
There are tales of a real life vampire... and it's not who you think.
Read More -
Here's How Psychics Trick You Into Believing Them
It's one of the older scams going (and it's still very much going): psychics.
Read More -
Here's Why Exploding Rats Were Invented During WWII
You just don't hear about organizations like the Special Operations Executive anymore. Or their mission to beat the Nazis with exploding rats.
Read More -
It Was Easy For The Goths To Invade Rome. This Is The Reason Why
In 410, Rome fell for the first time in 800 years and for the first time since the establishment of its imperial power. Though today we would date the end of the Western Empire sixty-six years later in 476, its days were now numbered.
Read More -
The Strange Truth Of Andrew Jackson's Burial
In June of 1845, Andrew Jackson was 78 years old -- roughly 248 in 19th century years. Soon he'd be buried -- but not how you might expect.
Read More -
What Happened To The Slaves At The Alamo?
Part of the narrative of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo is that the defenders were there to liberate Texas from the tyranny of Mexico. One of the points that often gets lost amid the flag-waving and coonskin caps is that by the time of the Texas Revolution, Mexico had abolished slavery. Texas hadn't.
Read More -
How To Survive Sinking In Quicksand
Quicksand is probably more important as a motion picture plot device than as an actual natural phenomenon that's waiting to suck you to your death the next time you stroll in the woods/jungle/cursed mall.
Read More -
The Mysterious Death Of Mt. Everest Explorer George Mallory
"He saw two black dots he assumed to be Mallory and Irvine near one of the final ridges before the peak before disappearing into the clouds again. It was the last time both of them were seen alive..."
Read More
