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Zosimos of Panopolis wrote early alchemy texts claiming angels taught metallurgy to women in exchange for sex
He used a story of fallen angels trading metallurgical secrets for sex to explain how humans learned the craft.
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Marvel thought people would hate Spider-Man
Publisher Martin Goodman objected that readers disliked spiders, teenagers should be sidekicks, and superheroes shouldn't have depression or money problems.…
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Americans planned nearly $1 billion in Halloween costumes—for pets
The National Retail Federation's 2026 survey projected $920 million in spending on animal outfits. Pumpkins led the choices, ahead of hot dogs and ghosts. It…
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Mary Baker Eddy firmly believed her enemies were actively attacking her with a curse called malicious magnetism
Eddy called the alleged attacks “Malicious Animal Magnetism,” believing her rivals could make her sick through telepathy.
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Mystic philosopher Ouspensky believed we live the exact same life repeatedly until we finally achieve awakening
He argued that without esoteric self-remembering, people are reborn into the same life again and again. The cycle ends only when they achieve spiritual…
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Notorious occultist Aleister Crowley once published a fake obituary for Arthur Edward Waite purely out of spite
Crowley considered Waite pompous and dull, so he published a detailed fake obituary in his occult magazine—an elaborate insult aimed at the co-creator of the…
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The sovereign order with passports but no territory
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta issues passports to its top officials despite having no territory of its own.
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Why the Pentagon helped make Transformers
The Pentagon offered discounted access to bases, aircraft, and active-duty soldiers, while reviewing scripts to ensure the military was portrayed favorably.
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An orange carrot depends on genes being switched off
A study of more than 600 carrot varieties identified three genes whose recessive versions enable the familiar orange pigmentation. The result favors…
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Why Skyrim’s characters sound strangely familiar
Voice actors play multiple roles, so a familiar performance can return through a different shopkeeper, guard, or enemy. The repetition is especially…
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Men’s testosterone changes throughout the day
Testosterone tends to peak in the morning, then decline as the day goes on. It’s one reason a hormone reading is a snapshot of both the person and the time on…
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Medieval mystic Margery Kempe was banned from local churches for aggressively loud religious weeping
She said she spoke directly with Christ, and her intense “gift of tears”—sobbing and crying out during services—led several priests to bar her from their…
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The US offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland
The 1946 proposal reflected the island's strategic position between North America and Europe. Denmark did not accept it. Greenland's importance was not a…
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Saint John of the Cross wrote his darkest mystical poetry while locked in a closet-sized prison cell
Rival monks opposed to his reforms kidnapped him and kept him in a freezing six-by-ten-foot cell, beating him weekly. He composed the poems in his head, using…
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What those tiny yellow hooks on airplane wings are for
The hooks let crew attach a rope from an emergency exit to a life raft, giving evacuees a handhold as they cross the slippery wing.
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Tony Todd was paid for every bee sting
While filming Candyman, Tony Todd performed with live bees on his body, including a scene with them in his mouth. He said he negotiated $1,000 for each sting…
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The man who hiccupped for 68 years
Charles Osborne began hiccupping in 1922 after falling while trying to weigh a hog. The spasms continued until 1990, through two marriages and the raising of…
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Opposing sides can watch the same news and both see bias
A neutral report gives both sides a hearing, but partisans don’t watch from nowhere. They notice the claims that challenge their position and may treat those…
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Roman soldiers carved phalluses into Hadrian's Wall
Phalluses could serve as protective symbols in the Roman world, intended to ward off bad luck and hostile forces. Carvings survive around Hadrian’s Wall and…
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Central Park’s imagined price depends on what you pretend it is
Treat its 843 acres as saleable Manhattan development land and estimates can become enormous. But that thought experiment removes the park’s actual role,…
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Egypt built a factory to make its own ancient-world replicas
The Konouz facility produces reproductions ranging from small objects to large historical pieces. Reporting on its opening described hundreds of replicas a…
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Why Will Smith stomped fake cockroaches in Men in Black
The American Humane Association monitored the set to ensure no real cockroaches were harmed, so Smith stomped mustard-filled plastic props instead.
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Train wheels steer with slightly different rolling sizes
The two wheels are fixed to one axle, so they turn together. On a curve, the wheelset can shift sideways so the outer wheel rides on a larger part of its…
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Disney’s “Go Away Green” makes backstage objects easier to ignore
Muted gray-green paint helps fences, utility structures, and other unglamorous objects blend into surrounding foliage and shadows. Brighter attractions then…
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