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The man whose name became a verb for shunning
It takes a special kind of awful to have your name permanently become a synonym for social shunning. In 1880, Captain Charles Boycott was managing a wealthy…
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The street so steep it needed concrete
Asphalt on this 35-degree incline would literally melt and slide down the hill on a hot summer day, taking the neighborhood's cars with it. The street is so…
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The grim dinner rumor about Vlad the Impaler
Long before Bram Stoker romanticized vampires, the real-life inspiration was significantly more vile. Vlad III, the Prince of Wallachia, had a legendary…
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Why taxpayer-funded stadiums rarely pay off locally
Billionaire sports team owners passionately love socialism, but only when it applies to their own construction costs. They routinely extort cities into…
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Why sleep helps you remember a new skill
If you want to master a new skill, the best thing you can do is immediately pass out. Instead of grinding for hours, studies show that going to sleep right…
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Medieval mystics routinely attempted to predict the future and identify criminals by closely staring at blocks of cheese
Move over crystal balls, the real window to the soul is sharp cheddar. Tyromancy was a legitimate form of divination in the Middle Ages where mystics would…
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Eminem wrote The Real Slim Shady in three hours
Interscope records demanded a catchy lead single for the Marshall Mathers LP at the absolute eleventh hour. A deeply irritated Eminem wrote and recorded "The…
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Hannah Montana nearly had a very different name
Disney narrowly avoided accidentally naming a child superstar after one of the internet's most prolific adult film stars. They originally loved the name…
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Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took a break from negotiating international treaties in England in 1786 to visit the former home of William Shakespeare and actively vandalize his furniture.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams took a break from negotiating international treaties in England in 1786 to visit the former home of William Shakespeare and…
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American healthcare is wildly unique among wealthy nations for tying a citizen's access to basic medical survival directly to their continued employment status, a bizarre…
American healthcare is wildly unique among wealthy nations for tying a citizen's access to basic medical survival directly to their continued employment…
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Julie Andrews was repeatedly knocked face-first into the mud by the downdraft of a helicopter while filming the iconic opening scene of The Sound of Music.
Julie Andrews was repeatedly knocked face-first into the mud by the downdraft of a helicopter while filming the iconic opening scene of The Sound of Music.…
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Rod Serling only became the on-screen host of The Twilight Zone because the network executives told him they couldn't afford to hire a professional narrator.
Rod Serling only became the on-screen host of The Twilight Zone because the network executives told him they couldn't afford to hire a professional narrator.…
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Thomas Edison openly claimed in the 1920s that he was working on a spirit phone to communicate with the dead, hoping to apply his industrial inventiveness to the afterlife.
Thomas Edison openly claimed in the 1920s that he was working on a spirit phone to communicate with the dead, hoping to apply his industrial inventiveness to…
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Chewbacca’s iconic voice in Star Wars was created by mixing the roars of bears, walruses, lions, and badgers.
Chewbacca’s iconic voice in Star Wars was created by mixing the roars of bears, walruses, lions, and badgers. Sound designer Ben Burtt spent months traveling…
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Hawaiians consume more Spam per capita than any other state in the United States, eating around seven million cans a year of the gelatinous pink mystery meat thanks to a culinary…
Hawaiians consume more Spam per capita than any other state in the United States, eating around seven million cans a year of the gelatinous pink mystery meat…
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Pigeons are one of the exceptionally rare species of birds that produce a nutrient-dense substance known as crop milk to feed their young, which is secreted from the lining of…
Pigeons are one of the exceptionally rare species of birds that produce a nutrient-dense substance known as crop milk to feed their young, which is secreted…
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Classical economists struggled for years with the diamond-water paradox, questioning why water, which is absolutely essential for human survival, is virtually free, while…
Classical economists struggled for years with the diamond-water paradox, questioning why water, which is absolutely essential for human survival, is virtually…
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Engineers literally turned off the American side of Niagara Falls in 1969 by building a massive temporary dam, reducing the majestic roar of the natural wonder to a depressing…
Engineers literally turned off the American side of Niagara Falls in 1969 by building a massive temporary dam, reducing the majestic roar of the natural…
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Adolf Hitler had a British-born nephew named William Patrick Hitler who completely despised his fascist uncle and actually enlisted in the United States Navy to fight against him during the Second World War.
Adolf Hitler had a British-born nephew named William Patrick Hitler who completely despised his fascist uncle and actually enlisted in the United States Navy…
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Thilafushi is a completely artificial island in the Maldives constructed entirely out of toxic garbage and municipal waste generated by the luxury resorts that promise you an…
Thilafushi is a completely artificial island in the Maldives constructed entirely out of toxic garbage and municipal waste generated by the luxury resorts…
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Hearing a piece of false information repeated multiple times dramatically increases the likelihood that you will eventually believe it, a terrifying vulnerability called the illusory truth effect.
Hearing a piece of false information repeated multiple times dramatically increases the likelihood that you will eventually believe it, a terrifying…
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Boiling acidic thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park routinely dissolve people who ignore the warning signs and decide to go for an unauthorized swim in the wildly vibrant…
Boiling acidic thermal pools in Yellowstone National Park routinely dissolve people who ignore the warning signs and decide to go for an unauthorized swim in…
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Tycho Brahe kept a supposedly clairvoyant dwarf named Jepp under his dinner table, feeding him scraps while waiting for him to blurt out mystical prophecies between courses.
Tycho Brahe kept a supposedly clairvoyant dwarf named Jepp under his dinner table, feeding him scraps while waiting for him to blurt out mystical prophecies…
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Sigurd the Mighty was a ninth-century Viking earl who managed to get murdered by an enemy he had already decapitated several hours earlier.
Sigurd the Mighty was a ninth-century Viking earl who managed to get murdered by an enemy he had already decapitated several hours earlier. After successfully…
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