It was a beautiful day in May 1991 when an unknown, nondescript cowboy walked into the American Federal Bank in Irving, Texas. Tellers would later describe him as a white man in his mid-forties who stood 178 centimeters (5’10”). A bit on the heavy side, he had a noticeable paunch. He wore all black, save

Mummies are often associated with ancient Egyptians even though they were not the only culture that mummified dead humans and animals. The Chinese did, too. The Egyptians were probably not the first, either. The Chinchorro people of Chile have been mummifying their dead since 5000 BC. The first Egyptian mummy was created 2,000 years later.

The purpose of most legislation is to promote acceptable behavior and to prevent or punish unacceptable behavior. Still, it can be hard to understand the laws and customs of other countries, and travelers are often advised to take care not to inadvertently break the law. Often, travelers can get a good idea of what is

Dead people and skeletons are often the last thing we expect at tourist attractions—at least most of the time. While some places are visited for their human remains, most aren’t. Nonetheless, there are some vacation destinations that happen to have dead people or skeletons lying around. Some tourist attractions discreetly contain bodies that tourists may

It’s kind of a paradox: Plenty of people fantasize about having a “secret garden” backyard, with flowers blooming throughout the year. How many of those people have the time and will to properly tend to such a garden, however, is another story. At the very least, many people have a favorite flower—even if that flower

If we asked you if something was natural or not, there’s a good chance that you would find it easy to answer. After all, we have well-defined ideas of what’s man-made and what’s not. If you dug a bit deeper, though, you’d realize that many things we automatically assume to be natural aren’t natural at

A host of medical hiccups can hit the human body. Microscopic bugs, injuries, and failing systems are the classics. More intriguing are the rare cases, some only appearing for the first or second time. Say hello to semi-identical twins, children who cannot move after dark, and serious gender switching. The senses go haywire in unbelievable

It’s a rarely discussed global phenomenon, but people are beating up, dismembering, and destroying robots. Nobody knows exactly why this is happening. Anti-robot violence is a disturbing trend that continues to grow as robots become more immersed in human society. Experts contemplate the reasons why people are raging against the machine. One possibility is the

Memes are humorous. That’s the idea. If you’ve been on the Internet at any point ever, you’ve probably come across one. Maybe you’ve even made a few of your own and reveled in your own creative wit. But memes don’t always turn out well for everyone involved. Several people have helplessly watched their lives ruined

We all lie sometimes. Studies have shown that, on average, humans lie 1.65 times a day, and it is believed that this is a conservative estimate.[1] In other words, the participants in the survey lied about how much they lie! Some people, however, take lying to a whole new level, either because of the scale

Nonliving objects and animals are not always safe from litigation. Over the years, people have sued animals and even inanimate objects like puppets. In turn, people have been sued by animals and nonhuman objects. Obviously, lawsuits of this nature aren’t actually filed by animals or nonliving things but by people or groups. While the following

These days, “vaccination” is an inflammatory word. Anti-vaxxers discourage the practice while governments insist that those little vials are safe. At times, both have been wrong. Unvaccinated children have battled for their lives against preventable diseases, and vaccines have been linked to adverse medical conditions. As the picture broadens, things get strange. From kids getting

How can one express the complex emotion of love? A broad range of art forms have been used for this very purpose. There’s no doubt you’ve heard the romantic tale of the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built by an emperor for his favorite wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. It’s both achingly

Just like human babies, animals are keen to taste everything. After all, how can you know that a car tire is not your favorite snack unless you give it a shot? And with the constant growth of the human population, most animals are bound to encounter people or their belongings at some point. Despite being

Superheroes are the objects of fancy and admiration for millions the world over. They right wrongs, protect the weak, and rescue society from innumerable forms of injustice and peril. There’s only one glaring problem: They aren’t real. The incredible feats performed by these stalwart defenders are made possible by uncanny powers that, sadly, are fictional.

Photography has come a long way. At times, it’s hard to believe that black-and-white photographs were the only type available some decades ago. Nowadays, we have so many options. And let’s not even talk about current photography fads like the selfie. But we do not have a monopoly on photography fads. In fact, the people

The cold cubes in your soda deserve a hat tip. They are made of capable stuff, spawning mysterious feats like emerald green icebergs in Antarctica and ice volcanoes in space. The frosty wonder can also move in nanoseconds, hide things for millions of years, and become the material of choice in a nuclear disaster. Ice

Sometimes, nature has had enough of us killing ourselves and has just intervened. Throughout history, armies and navies have met in combat, only to find themselves battling storms and hurricanes instead. Nature may separate the warring parties, forcing one or both to retreat. At other times, it delivers the decisive blow, causing a crushing defeat

Musicians are just as corruptible as the rest of us. It is commonplace now to see your favorite musicians in trouble with authorities for drug charges or drunken stupors. Drug- and alcohol-related arrests have become something of a staple of the music industry. However, in rare circumstances, musicians get into trouble for the unlikeliest of

For many readers, our journey into the fantasy genre began with Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Whether it was through The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, or even through Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations, from the first moment, we were hooked. Tolkien is known to have inspired some of the top names in modern fantasy, from

Ever since humans discovered the existence of germs, we’ve done our best to minimize or destroy them in our homes and bodies. The market for antimicrobial coating products is already massive and is estimated to reach a total value of $4.19 billion by 2021. By far, the medical field demands the largest share of antimicrobials,

They may seem lifeless, but mountains, caves, and canyons are busy. Not just in a geological way, either. Unusual things are left there by strangers and billionaires alike. Mountains also hold seed arks, a strange psychosis, and supernatural sightings. The earthier side is not to be outdone. From methane rivers to mountain ranges nobody can

Courts can categorize nonhuman entities like rivers, forests, mountains, and animals as humans. The courts do not necessarily call them humans straight-up. Instead, they give them the same rights given to humans. When this happens, harm against the nonhuman entity will carry the same punishment as harm against humans. Imagine getting tried for assault because

The idea of using contraceptives is as old as time. Due to the advanced medicine of today, we have many forms available to suit anyone’s needs, but this wasn’t always the case. From stealthy pessaries to handcrafted condoms, the birth control devices of old range from ineffective to bizarre. The first birth control clinic in

Many people have studied body language to figure out what an individual is saying nonverbally through unconscious gestures or movements. Facial expressions and the way someone holds his body are supposed to tell us what a person really means, even if it conflicts with that person’s words. One area of body language isn’t that difficult

For the purposes of this list, “crisis” shall refer to negative circumstances that could alter a nation’s economy. Most of the time, such a description would be fit by large-scale disasters like wars, epidemics, and famine. Sometimes, however, portents of doom might barely seem newsworthy. Seemingly innocuous things like a low birth rate, a shortage

Radioactivity is an energy born when atoms break apart. These rays and particles are not flesh friendly. However, as money and curiosity often override ethics, history is filled with radioactive products, health fads, and illegal human experiments. The zingy particles also cause odd dangers after nuclear explosions and, in a very alarming way, to crematorium

Humans are often called as witnesses to testify in courts and before Congress. As we are about to find out, being a witness is not exclusive to humans. Animals, puppets, and robots have also fulfilled that role. Animals have been called as witnesses in criminal proceedings because they saw the crimes or got involved in

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but for some lucky and daring photographers, that picture can be worth $15,000 and some serious notoriety. The Pulitzer Prize for photography has existed in various forms since 1942, and the award has been given to photographers of some of the most important images ever recorded.

Governments and businesses often commission studies to determine the dangers of a new or existing product. Governments also fund studies before passing new laws. However, this becomes a problem when the results of the study differ from what the business or government expected. When this happens, they might withhold the results and pretend it never