Spokane, Washington Assistant Fire Chief Greg Godfrey named John Orr as "the most prolific arsonist in the history of the United States." But the next-most prolific may be a California utility company responsible for more than 1,500 wildfires.
Read More"Calico" Jack Rackham remains one of the best remembered pirates from the golden age of sail. With that much clout and swagger, it'd make sense if Jack's modern-day admirers turned his gravesite into a sacred place of skullduggerous pilgrimage. There's only one problem: they'd have to find it first.
Read MoreThe almond industry, which has seen an enormous boom in the last few years, may be responsible for the deaths of tens of billions of honey bees.
Read MoreIf you've spent time in the "Weird News" section of your favorite news outlet, you may have encountered the mysterious phenomenon known as "the Hum," -- an odd, low-pitched sound that an estimated four percent of all people are able to hear. Now scientists may have solved this mystery.
Read MoreObviously, there's a lot to unpack when it comes to the life of Wyatt Earp, but here are the bare bones facts about where Earp's bare bones were buried.
Read MoreA frozen LEGO block sounds like a handy way to both hurt your foot and get frostbite on your way to the bathroom at night. However, if you ask science, it's quite a bit more than that -- in fact, a stack of cold enough LEGOs might be enough to take computers into a wild, unknown future.
Read MoreThere are few things America loves more than true crime and home renovation -- they go together like OJ and champagne. Now, those two American pastimes are being combined into one glorious "mimOSHA" of a show called Murder House Flip, a killer idea which is guaranteed to show you how to gut a room.
Read MoreYou might wonder how it would feel to be Henry's chief advisor. "Bad." That's how it would feel. Because you'd know that you weren't living up to your full potential. If you wanted power, acclaim, and political gravitas in the court of King Henry VIII, there was one job for you. And it was gross.
Read MoreGalactus is coming. Okay, not really. However, astronomers have been getting riled up about a series of crazy fast radio energy lights in the sky which they can't explain, and that's enough to get any sci-fi fan hopping up and down.
Read MoreAnime has long been considered a bit of a niche fandom, but it's growing bigger and bigger, and it's not that different from more popular entertainment genres. There are a lot of misconceptions about anime out there. Here are a few things people tend to get wrong about anime.
Read MoreAs reported by the Telegraph back in 2007, there are still surnames in circulation which might point to one's corsair lineage. Are they a sure sign? Heavens no. The last names listed as particularly pirate-y by the British historical preservation organization English Heritage are as follows:
Read MoreWhat is it that makes humanity so human? Is it our capacity for self-awareness? Maybe our ability to create art and understand complex philosophical concepts? Then again, a strange, unique brain signal that might provide our brains with more "computing power" than science has previously realized.
Read MoreOne of the weirdest parts of U.S. democracy is the remarkably undemocratic Electoral College. As angry voters will tell you, two of the last three American presidents were elected despite losing the popular vote. Now, 53% of voters support ending this bizarre institution. How did this get started?
Read MoreKanako Urai is one of the most well-respected wrestlers in Japan and in the WWE. But while the Empress of Tomorrow's in-ring skills speak for themselves, the story outside the ropes is every bit as fascinating as the action that happens within them. Here's the untold truth of WWE star Asuka.
Read MoreThe Chinese paddlefish, also known as the "Chinese swordfish," is part of a group of fish believed to have been around since the Lower Jurassic period. Rather, it was, until those pesky humans came along and wiped the species right off the face of the Earth like doodles on a dry erase board.
Read MoreAccording to the National Parks Service, the area now known as Yellowstone National Park has been home to humans for more than 11,000 years, with the Shoshone Tukudeka tribe making use of the land long before Europeans. Who was the first outsider to look out upon the majesty of Yellowstone?
Read MoreThe Holy Bible is probably the most discussed, debated, and argued book in the history of humankind. But which books had the rockiest road to travel on the way to acceptance into biblical canon? Here are the most controversial books that were included in the Bible.
Read MoreDiscovering something for the first time is a magnificent thing, but it's not until you observe it a second time that you prove that the first one wasn't just a fluke. One of these great second times took place in January 6, 2020, when LIGO repeated its 2015 trick of detecting gravitational waves.
Read MoreIt's often said that people resemble their dogs. Well, now you can look identical, because a Japanese company will make you a wearable mask of your pet's face.
Read MoreChina, the country with the biggest military in the world at 1.6 million troops, according to Army Technology, has just unearthed a special reinforcement unit. We're talking, of course, about the Terracotta Soldiers.
Read MoreGood news for anyone who doesn't have small children or a cat today: now, you too can experience the sensation of never, ever feeling alone in the bathroom, as Procter & Gamble has introduced the world to a toilet paper robot.
Read MoreAh, flying cars! Exciting in theory, mildly terrifying in reality. The latest development on the airborne commute front came on January 6, 2020, when Hyundai announced they were teaming up with Uber to create an "air taxi service," which could be operational as early as 2023.
Read MoreModern telescopes, satellites and whatnot have found plenty of planets. However, things get really exciting when we find one that orbits its sun in the so-called habitable zone -- the small fraction of the solar system that could theoretically support life. Well, guess what? NASA just found one.
Read MoreBill Gates is not just a one-percenter -- he's the one literally standing on top of the entire world's money mountain. It's easy to be generous and self-assured when you have the kind of wealth that enables you to do anything, but was Gates as confident back when he was still a young up-and-comer?
Read MoreSince 2014, Hong Kongers have demonstrated for democracy. But the hunger for freedom isn't the only thing fueling the unrest. The plight of many citizens echoes the dismal conditions that stoked the 1967 riots. Back then, destitute citizens lived in shanties. Now they reside in "coffin cubicles."
Read MoreLo, the firenado: destroyer of worlds. But where does it come from? What is its origin? Against whom does it seek to exact terrible vengeance?
Read MoreThe Rolling Stones have been sowing the seeds of rock 'n' roll since 1962, and they're still at it. How can a band as wild and unpredictable as this conquer problem after problem and remain at the top of the rock 'n' roll heap in their 70s? Here's the tragic real-life story of the Rolling Stones.
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