Dating can be fun. But for the most part, trying to find a new significant other is filled with awkward interactions with complete strangers. Even when you think you know somebody, dates can sometimes end up being a disaster. Almost everyone has at least one dating horror story. But they probably can’t top the following

A well-crafted insult is a beautiful thing. Putting together just the right words to cut your opponent to the core is an art form. Masters of insults have been found in all times and all cultures. If you read history, you’ll discover that personal abuse has changed how events play out at times. So be

The year is 1981. Thirteen women are dead—bludgeoned, stabbed, and mutilated in a display of brutality that hasn’t been seen in England since Jack the Ripper. There were attempts on the lives of at least seven others, and police would still be asking questions about other possible victims nearly 30 years later. The British press

No matter where you go around the globe, every region has its own monsters and legends, many of which stretch back hundreds or thousands of years. Others have begun in more recent times, seemingly out of nowhere. Regardless of their origins, all these beastly creatures continue to be seen in relatively modern times. Whether these

The term “public enemy” first began being used in the United States during the 1920s. The FBI later adopted the term in its early days to describe wanted criminals. Add to this the fact that Prohibition and the Great Depression sent crime rates soaring, and several historians refer to that period of US history as

It is a well-known fact that Michael Jackson was preparing for a world tour before his death.[1] However, the concert, which became known as “the greatest concert that never happened,” was not the only thing that the King of Pop planned but never got to do. He had a long list of things he almost

If you visit any of the famous seats of government or palaces around the world, you’ll inevitably be confronted by portraits of kings, queens, and presidents from history. Most of them are austere, commanding images of imposing figures—for such portraits are primarily propaganda for the individual captured on canvas. More often than not, these portraits

Portugal is a dream for anyone who seeks the strange and amazing edges of antiquity. As the country shares a European peninsula with Spain, Portugal’s human story reaches back into prehistory. The country is home to some of the oldest, biggest, and rarest discoveries known to science. Ancient ancestors also present their many mysteries woven

Some of the most fascinating and legendary criminals were train robbers. The 19th and early 20th centuries were filled with train heists. Some were even masterminded by legends like Jesse James and Butch Cassidy. Many train robbers got away with millions of dollars in cash, gold, silver, and bank notes. The exploits of some were

Extreme sports are extremely scary. Millions of people around the world live their daily lives without engaging in extreme sports, which either puts them on the right side of Darwinian evolution or demonstrates that they are simply too scared to push themselves to the limits of their nerve and endurance. For those of us who

There is no doubt that UFO sightings exploded following the end of World War II. After Roswell and the popularity the subject enjoyed throughout society as the 1940s gave way to the 1950s, seemingly everyone was suddenly seeing strange things in the sky. However, unexplained aerial phenomena have been witnessed throughout most of recorded history.

Your brain is a complex organ that is constantly working to keep you functioning and alive. It keeps you walking, talking, and just being human. However, we all know that things can go wrong with the brain. In fact, 18.2 percent of us suffer from some form of mental illness every year. It’s likely that

Many things that we see in movies and TV shows strain credulity. And why wouldn’t they? After all, one of the main benefits of Hollywood is that it can take artistic licenses with its stories to make them more exciting. It provides an alternative full of intrigue, murder, and sex which is far removed from

“There by the grace of God go I”: Prophetic words that represent the fragile and the most vulnerable. There is a true distinction between a homeless individual and a “bum.” Never mistake one for being the same as the other. The former are down on their luck and need a helping hand, whereas the latter

The term “affluenza” can refer to rich kids who were so spoiled rotten that they’ve lost all empathy for other human beings. The word has even been used in court to defend them when they commit a crime. Their lawyers’ rationale is that that these rich kids are so sheltered and privileged that they have

Schools are remarkably strange places at the best of times. Hyperactive children are often immature and prone to hissy fits, teachers are burdened with mountains of red tape and marking, and helicopter parents issue persnickety demands. The job is tough. While many educators get it right, some teachers and educational institutions have been known to

As one of the world’s most recognizable brands, Harry Potter has spawned books, movies, plays, games, and theme parks. With the movies grossing $7.2 billion at the box office and the books bringing in an even bigger $7.7 billion in sales, J.K. Rowling quickly became the richest Brit in the world, overtaking the likes of

We all have our heroes in the sporting world, whether they’re football players from our favorite local teams or Olympic champions. We look up to them, and our children learn from them. We may even want to learn everything we can about our favorite sports idols, from their origins to their training methods to their

We’ve heard all of many strange disappearances of people from planes and ships. But sometimes, whole planes and ships disappear in mysterious ways as well. Sometimes, they’re found in just days, but others are never found at all. When you’re finally embarking on that long-awaited and much-needed vacation, you might wish you never had to

If there is one thing you can say about plants, it’s that they look interesting. They are beautiful, colorful, and intricate—from the tiniest bit of moss to the grandest tree in the jungle. They look even more interesting when they do what plants tend to eventually do and take over the land. We humans think

When we’re dazzled by the impressive leaps of modern technology, it is easy to forget the small shifts in innovation that pulled our species forward. Ancient light bulb moments may no longer seem great compared to spaceflight and the next self-parking car, but they do serve a valuable role. New discoveries provide clues about lingering

There are certain islands that have been “discovered” and added to maps before being found to be nonexistent. Yet, their discoverers often claim to have sighted them, and some even said they landed on them. Expeditions sent to the supposed locations of these islands often ended up finding the open ocean and nothing else, although

Like the declarations that “Elvis Presley Is Alive,” the claims that Adolf Hitler didn’t die in Berlin have continued since the announcement of his apparent death. There are many reasons for this beyond just random sightings and suspicious claims. For example, most of us have heard and dismissed the claims of body doubles and mismatched

All biology teachers at some point have to warn their students not to anthropomorphize nature, in other words, not to suggest the natural world behaves like humans. Cells, viruses, and bacteria do not “want” anything. They act under the rules of stimulus and response. Even animals, including humans, mostly follow biological imperatives. But sometimes, just

One of the worst parts of adulthood is noticing all the death and destruction around us. When we need some comfort, we can always turn to the precious memories of childhood to brighten our day. However, even those can be tainted by the problems of the real world. The only thing worse than realizing your

Go to Europe, and you’ll discover that many ancient churches contain relics, e.g. bones or other body parts of long-gone saints. Many Americans regard the veneration of relics as a quaint or even macabre Old World custom. However, they do the same thing. In the US, though, they don’t save bits and pieces of holy

The international sporting events of the Olympic Games are a testament to the unwavering dedication of leading athletes around the world. Participants spend their entire lives training and competing, honing their skills and rising to the tops of their games in order to be able to call themselves Olympians. And yet, only some will get

The world’s fair is an international exhibition meant to allow nations to showcase their achievements to a massive audience. All world expositions are built around a theme which can be general (industry, aviation) or more specialized like the inauguration of the Panama Canal at the 1915 San Francisco Expo. These fairs are also known for

Said by some to be the Australian version of Area 51, Pine Gap is certainly the most secretive and off-limits piece of land in the country. A joint US-Australian venture, there are many reports of strange activity around the facility as well as claims of dark conspiracies involving it, as has been the case since

Australia is home to some of the most terrifying animals in the world. Although it’s true that Australians are used to such hazards and mostly take them in stride, not all dangers can be extinguished by looking inside your shoes before you put them on. Sometimes, our imaginations concoct more than venomous snakes and spiders