With its majestic rings, Saturn is the sixth planet from our Sun and the farthest planet that we can see from Earth with the naked eye. With the possible exception of Mars, Saturn is also the planet that has the strangest and most bizarre conspiracy theories as to its true identity or purpose. These are

Many variables determine how well a movie does at the box office. They include the quality of the script, the talent of the director and the actors, the caliber of the cinematography, the contributions of other crew members, the movie’s publicity, and critical and audience responses, to name a few. Sometimes overlooked, another factor in

On October 4, 1957, 60 years ago yesterday, the Soviet Union stunned the world with the launch of the first artificial satellite. The small sphere, transmitting a “bleep-bleep” radio signal, caused near panic in the minds of some Americans as they visualized Russian atom bombs in orbit. It sent the US government and armed forces

We all are accustomed to tales of supposed hauntings after private tragedies; the jilted bride appearing in her wedding dress even though she threw herself out of a window 100 years before; the victim trying to communicate their distress 30 years after their murder. But what of events that affect hundreds, if not thousands, of

According to a poll by The New York Times, 21 percent of Americans had tattoos in 1999. Today, that number has increased dramatically as 40 percent now sport some sort of body ink. For some people, tattoos may be symbolic, a form of rebellion, or even a channel of artistic impression. Whatever the reason, tattoos

There’s nothing so pleasurable that humanity can’t turn it into a contest. Even the joys of a simple meal have been co-opted into a sport by making consumption competitive. Competitive eating, as it is known, has grown in recent years and has spread across the globe. There are contests for almost any food imaginable—and some

Thanks in large part to modern technology, anyone can be his own master in learning just about anything. An Internet connection is the cord between us and the wealth of knowledge online about any particular subject. Beyond that, all it takes is initiative. But the Internet and formal education are not the only ways to

Though the reason that we need sleep continues to baffle scientists, there’s no denying that we require it to function efficiently. In the short term, lack of sleep affects judgment, hinders the ability to retain information, and reduces the ability to cope with stress. Over time, the effects of lack of sleep are much more

“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that it is difficult to tell whether they are genuine.”—Abraham Lincoln. Darn right. It’s not just an Internet problem, either. You can often see the same mistakes in these old-fashioned information storage devices called books and newspapers. We think we know what these quotes mean and where

When people attempt suicide, they mostly have one motive in mind. More often than not, however, suicide attempts do not go to plan. It’s estimated that for every successful suicide, there are 33 attempts.[1] In the best-case scenario, the survivors will be given the help and support they need. In the worst case, the effects

Companies have often used celebrities to push their goods or services. Most of the time, this works out well. Actors, musicians, and athletes have a wide reach and come with a built-in fan base that shows genuine interest in the products they endorse. Not all company-celebrity pairings are made in Heaven, though. Some of them

There are thousands of reports of strange lights in the skies, even of close contact with apparent vehicles from other parts of the galaxy. But reports of such craft crash-landing and being recovered by our collective governments are a little more few and far between—not to mention a lot less believed. Regardless, there are many

It’s common knowledge that Jesus died a violent death after being nailed to a cross and hung to die. But what’s not as commonly known is that His disciples also died extremely violent deaths. Some of them died almost like Jesus did. Others died similarly but with a few differences. Still others died completely different,

Sometimes, the small things about movies make them just that much more interesting and enjoyable. Like when you find a hidden Easter egg or a reference to your favorite character or scene from another film. Likewise, it’s fun to discover little details about the production and cast that your friends might not know. It’s more

Keeping up with the news is hard. So hard, in fact, that we’ve decided to save you the hassle by rounding up the most significant, unusual, or just plain old mind-blowing stories each week. The final full week of September was so packed with political action it almost felt like being back in election season.

Well-known cheese-eating surrender monkeys and wearers of onion strings. These slightly xenophobic stereotypes about the French are widespread wherever English is spoken. And with good reason. France is a terrible country that looks down its nose at the rest of the planet while making a noise like “haw hee haw hee haw.” Despite this horribleness,

Drinking and partying are synonymous with the lavish lifestyles of Hollywood’s elite. From the posh bungalows of Malibu to the sprawling mansions of the Hamptons, it’s common to see the rich and famous drinking bottles of Dom Perignon while dining on elaborate surf and turf spreads. This is probably why the entertainment industry is notorious

On February 2, 1959, things took a macabre turn in the Ural Mountains. Nine experienced hikers died under what many consider to be questionable circumstances. The area in which they died would later be named the Dyatlov Pass in honor of Igor Dyatlov, the team’s leader. Investigators at the time never found conclusive evidence of

Shopping is a battle between company and consumer. You want to spend less, the stores want you to spend more, and they usually get what they want. That’s not all on you, though. Corporations have a whole bag of tricks up their sleeves to get you to drop more of your hard-earned cash than you

We all love to watch a good movie, but a lot of what makes that movie so good is the performance carried out by the actors. They spend months preparing for and playing their roles, but sometimes, their jobs are much harder than we even realize. Some actors have to undergo shocking transformations to correctly

Armed and equipped with military weapons and supplies, today’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams often resemble a military, rather than a police, force. Questioning the need for such militarization, critics suggest that it encourages police to think and act like combat forces rather than peacekeepers. SWAT teams frequently invade US citizens’ homes in the

In the 1900s (a simpler time), it was estimated there were only 1.6 billion people on Earth. By the 1950s, we’d doubled that number, and by the 2000s, we’d managed to hit six billion.[1] A study in the journal Global Environmental Change projects that the global population is going to peak at 9.4 billion later

Did you ever notice that the buttons on a shirt are on opposite sides for men and women? Curious to find out how World War II changed women’s shaving habits? Ever thought about why men stopped wearing high heels? And what makes the fourth finger on our left hand the “ring finger”? These aren’t just

Google is one of the biggest forces on the Internet. When we want to look something up, we Google it. When we want a decent browser, we download Chrome. We check emails on Gmail, watch videos on YouTube, write self-promoting bull on Blogger, and read list-based websites on our Android devices. When you think about

A hoax is a prank, joke, or a desire to deceive, and history is full of them. In the early 1900s, hoaxers preferred to wow audiences with miraculous feats, such as in the case of the mechanical Turk, which appeared to be a wooden, mechanical man who could play chess and beat his opponents but

There is no denying that flashy or highly unusual artifacts are fascinating. As the world of archaeology turns more glitzy, these items hit the headlines more than their dull, unglamorous counterparts. But history holds no such prejudice. Sometimes, it’s the more mundane artifacts that tell us the most about our ancestors and how they lived.

20 hertz to 20 kilohertz: the range of frequencies humans are able to hear. Sound is a natural constant, as essential and expected as the light we see and the air we breathe. From good music to blaring alarms, our daily lives are full of these vital vibrations in familiar forms. However, there is more

Keeping up with the news is hard. So hard, in fact, that we’ve decided to save you the hassle by rounding up the most significant, unusual, or just plain old mind-blowing stories each week. This week was the Groundhog Day of news reporting. After a roundup last week where we covered a devastating earthquake in

In today’s society, fortune-telling typically involves tarot cards, palm reading, and horoscopes. These modern practices are tame compared to what went on in the past. Throughout history, people have been just as obsessed with trying to figure out what will happen in the future as they are today. In ancient times, many different forms of

Autumn shadows grow long. Skeletons peek through house windows. Scary costumes fill store aisles. But what about that other part of Halloween—the one that claims this is All Hallows’ Eve? Any Church calendar notes that Halloween falls just before All Saints’ Day, but how do holy and creepy go together? This list will look at