• Here's What Mythbusters Taught Us About Star Wars

    It might seem impossible, trying to nail down the realities of the Star Wars universe. The events described in the movies, books, and video games occurred, allegedly, far, far away, and not even recently. Still, the good folks at MythBusters never let a childish premise stop them.

    By Tom Meisfjord June 8th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth About San Francisco's Black Plague Scare

    As bad as coronavirus is -- and it is bad, make no mistake about it -- Black Plague was worse. (So far, anyway.) Also known as Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, in the mid-1300s it ravaged Western Europe. It would rear its head again in San Francisco.

    By Eric Meisfjord June 8th, 2020 Read More
  • The Legend Of Hellhounds Explained

    Humans have always been a little suspicious of dogs of the not-so-nice variety. Wolves may only want to be left alone, but mankind has long told tales of another kind of dog: the black-furred, red-eyed beast that lurks in the night, watching and waiting. This is the legend of hellhounds explained.

    By DB Kelly June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • The Surprising Truth Of The Goodyear Blimp

    Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's -- a blimp. Are you trying to say Superman put on weight? Of course not. That would be mean. Plus, you're probably talking about spotting an airship, which could be a blimp, a zeppelin, or a dirigible.

    By Eric Meisfjord June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • The Real Reason A Queen's Husband Isn't The King

    The royal family follows a lot of rules. These can involve what they wear, how they walk, or what to say, but one of the lesser-known ones has to do with titles. For example, Elizabeth II is Her Majesty the Queen, but her husband remains His Royal Highness, Prince Philip. Why is that?

    By Emilia David June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • The Real Reason Lindsey Buckingham Left Fleetwood Mac

    In what might well be a case of rock-and-roll toe-may-toe/toe-mah-toe, Lindsey Buckingham was either fired from Fleetwood Mac or was "forced out" (which is kind of the same thing, maybe) by fellow Fleetwooder Stevie Nicks in 2018.

    By Eric Meisfjord June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth About Henry VIII's Longest-Surviving Wife

    Any gambler who knows the secrets of casinos will tell you that there are wagers out there made exclusively for chumps. A scant few hundred years back, one of the biggest sucker bets a person could make was marrying Henry VIII ...

    By Tom Meisfjord June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth About How The White House Was Built

    The White House has a lot of history. It started with a design competition won by Irish architect James Hoban, according to History. The site was chosen by George Washington, with work beginning in 1792, and completed eight years later ...

    By Eric Meisfjord June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • What Is The Richest Country In The World?

    The number of billionaires in the world is dwindling, which — considering the state of the global economy — is not surprising. But have you ever thought if it meant countries are poorer, too? Which country is the richest anyway?

    By Emilia David June 4th, 2020 Read More
  • We Now Understand Why The Byzantine Empire Fell

    It's tempting to call the fall of the Byzantine Empire, well, byzantine, and then call it a day because life's too short for excessive complexity. Or maybe call it a lot of days, because just as the Western Roman Empire crumbled after decades of obvious decline, the Byzantine Empire, took its time.

    By A. C. Grimes June 3rd, 2020 Read More
  • What Do The Colors In The Pride Flag Stand For?

    Flags have a hallowed place in human history. Usually made of cloth, they signify all manner of things: something to follow in the midst of battle. Symbolic identity for a group, large or small. The same is true for the Pride Flag.

    By Eric Meisfjord June 3rd, 2020 Read More
  • Why No Walking Dead Character Has Ever Said 'Zombie'

    It's accepted wisdom that nothing succeeds like success — if it worked one time, it'll probably work the next time, too. Oscar Wilde once observed, "Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess." Both lines would apply to the phenomenon known as The Walking Dead ...

    By Eric Meisfjord June 1st, 2020 Read More
  • The Legend Of The Phoenix Explained

    Ah, yes, the phoenix! Today, the fiery bird's name is rather unfairly associated with two of the most infamous X-Men movies in existence (Last Stand and Dark Phoenix, natch), but the original beast of legend is considerably more hardcore.

    By Pauli Poisuo May 29th, 2020 Read More
  • Idi Amin: The Truth About The 'Last King Of Scotland'

    Ugandan dictator Idi Amin was a man of many titles and epithets. According to ThoughtCo, people called him the "Butcher of Uganda." When Amin died in 2003, the BBC dubbed him "the buffoon tyrant" in a scathing obituary. The names he gave himself were far more charitable.

    By A. C. Grimes May 27th, 2020 Read More