Fossils are all we have to prove that dinosaurs ever existed. There are two types of fossils. The first are body parts like bones and teeth that we often associate with fossils today. The second are traces like teeth marks, footprints, and excreta. Over the years, we have unearthed some really interesting fossils frozen in

“What happened to your second wife?” an interviewer once asked Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. He was referring to Sara Northrup, the woman who’d been at Hubbard’s side while he developed Dianetics and who later divorced him in a messy, public scandal. The whole world had watched their divorce fill the headlines of every paper.

Growing up in the United States, you learn about all the big, quintessentially “American” sites and structures from a very early age. You’re told that they are important and given a vague explanation of why. Then you set about the task of never really thinking about them again. That’s a shame because they can be

The Rajneesh movement made its way to Oregon in 1981 and was led by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The religious cult made national news after engaging in immigration fraud, busing homeless people to their commune, and perpetrating the largest bioterrorism attack in US history in an attempt to overthrow local government leaders. The group had several

Burying people has been a common way of dealing with the dead across the world and throughout history. However, there is much variety within burials. Social, religious, and cultural norms often decide how individuals are placed, whether they have burial goods, and what they are buried in (e.g., stone tombs or wooden coffins). Even with

There are some houses that if the walls could speak, they would likely scream in horror. When a home becomes part of a serious murder investigation, it’s often not long before the murder memorabilia hunters come forward, ready to grab a piece of true crime history. Then, once bodies have been discovered on the site,

Throughout much of North America, large swaths of land are still untamed and unsettled. Hundreds of millions of acres are protected in the wilds of the United States and Canada. Hikers, hunters, and tourists visit these lands every year, but not all of them leave alive. Many have died and went missing in the wilderness

In the 1930s, researchers were developing new insecticides. To their alarm, they discovered that two of their most effective compounds caused serious side effects for humans. They had invented the first nerve agents. Known for their torturous effects, these deadly substances spark a mixture of fear, revulsion, and a little bit of Cold War excitement.

Religious equality means that all religions ought to be equal. If Christians can pray in school, then Muslims should be allowed pray in school. And if Jews can put up menorahs in public buildings, then it’s only fair that Satanists be allowed to put up severed goat heads with inverted pentagrams carved into their skulls.

Deep down, everyone loves a rebel. They do what we only wish we had the courage to do. There are movies made and songs composed to immortalize the human rebels among us. But what about our animal friends? Sure, they usually stick to relatively predictable patterns of behavior within their species. But not always. Although

Religions of the world, though many and varied, have a few negative reputations in common. They don’t always gel with social or political issues, and more liberal-minded people can see religions as being too conservative, or a little behind the times at best. In general, it can be said that there’s often a stereotypical association

Grimoires are books of magic, invocations, and that lot which usually describe ways to summon angels, demons, and other unworldly beings by performing some time-consuming rituals. The summoner can then use these supernatural creatures to pursue their own worldly ends like fortune or love. Of course, for the modern man, gaining a fortune or winning

We have all seen violence unfold at protests and strike rallies on television, perhaps most recently during the labor law protests in France stretching back to summer 2016. For some, these occasions are a chance to “bash the unions” and the chaos and disorder they sometimes bring. For others, it is a proud display of

The world was once filled with some absolutely incredible creatures. Thousands of years ago, massive and strange beasts roamed the planet. Most were so huge that they would tower over a man’s head. We hear a lot about the dinosaurs that lived millions of years ago, but the world was far more diverse than Jurassic

We’ve all seen the Final Destination movies or at least heard of the premise. People survive unbelievable situations which were to suppose to leave them dead. Then they end up dying shortly afterward from something that has no relation to the original situation. Well, death is something that comes with life. But these stories are

If you’ve ever visited Scotland, you know this: If ghosts exist, this is where you’ll find them. (Edinburgh, for example, tends to be named as one of the most haunted cities in the world.) The Scots certainly agree. Many misty Highland moors, ancient battlefields, and old, spooky castles have spectral stories and creepy legends that

Copyright law has gotten awfully complicated since the Internet came around. Companies are getting more paranoid than ever about holding onto their intellectual property. Some would argue that their paranoia is justified, given the endless amount of pirated content that can be found online. Nevertheless, the corporations sometimes go a bit crazy with it. The

Superpowered mutants aren’t just in comic books. There are real people who have been born with unusual gifts so incredible that they can only be described as superpowers. The difference, though, is that the real superpowered people don’t go around fighting crime. They just go around leading normal lives—and for a pretty good reason. The

For the most part, history is a lie. Like Disney conveniently forgetting Sleeping Beauty’s rape, scholars have spent a great deal of time trimming the more “sensitive” facts from history, leaving us with a collection of bland, easily digestible anecdotes. Sure, these “scenes from the cutting room floor” may not always be relevant, but they

People watch TV and movies for many different reasons. One of the best ways to attract an audience is with a recognizable star. Even in those instances, however, there are times when it feels impossible to separate the story and the actors from the props. Imagine Thor without his hammer or Spider-Man without his costume.

Barbershops have a rich history. This was particularly true ages ago when surgery, bloodletting, enemas, and tooth extractions were part of the norm (in addition to fresh shaves). In our day and age, such establishments often serve as a locale for social interaction pertaining to contemporary issues. The following list examines barbers who traded in

The thought of a manned mission to Mars excites the imagination. Whether the first voyage is taken by a private company such as SpaceX, a governmental entity such as NASA, or a public-private partnership, you are likely to see the trip occur in the next two decades. However, embarking on an interplanetary endeavor is no

As a rule, search and rescue attempts for people lost or trapped underground are scaled down after five to seven days. Lack of potable water, rising carbon dioxide levels, and psychological stress mean that it is rare for people to survive beyond that time. Despite this bleak prognosis, however, there are incredible stories of survival

The Inca Empire lasted only around 100 years, until they were overrun by the invading Spanish in the 16th century. The last Inca emperor, Atahualpa, was executed on July 26, 1533. His remains were given a Christian burial by the Spanish, but it is believed that his followers dug them up again and mummified his

There are two sides to every story. The version of history we hear is the one told by the country that comes out on top, and these days, American media is so ubiquitous that the American side of the story is usually the only one we know. But for every moment in American history, there’s

To many Americans, the flag of the United States of America is a symbol of national pride that they display on flagpoles in front of their homes, on their clothing, and pretty much everywhere. Few countries enjoy the considerably ubiquitous nature Americans have with their flags, which may seem strange to anyone not from the

Many people have heard the story of Typhoid Mary, the healthy woman who spread disease everywhere she went. However, almost no one knows the story of Mary Mallon, a feisty woman with a carving knife, who fought hard for freedom from imprisonment from the New York City Health Department. Of course, Mary Mallon was “Typhoid

After Kenneth Arnold kick-started the UFO craze in 1947, a group of believers sprang up, claiming that they had sustained contact with flying saucers. These “contactees,” as they were known, told outlandish tales about talking to aliens via telepathy and visiting distant planets. Their most famous spokesmen, such as George Adamski and his friend George

Geisha are one of the most iconic images we associate with Japan. If there’s one thing most Westerners can say they know about Japan, it’s that they had those female prostitutes who covered their faces in thick, white paint. One problem: None of that’s exactly true. Geisha weren’t prostitutes, and they didn’t always cover their

Behind every historical artifact at a museum, there’s a perfectly normal and rational explanation as to how and why it came to be. Yet, every so often, something is discovered that leaves scientists and historians utterly baffled, to the point of dedicating years of their lives trying to shed light on its origins. Here are