We’re all familiar with the major consequences of significant world events. For example, everyone knows how the American Civil War led to the abolition of slavery or how the Industrial Revolution created the modern factory-based economic models. But a big splash creates a lot of ripples. Most important events also had unexpected side effects that …
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Everyone wants to be the best at something. Luckily, there are enough bizarre competitions in the world to ensure that each of us can have our crack at winning, no matter our specific skills. Whether it’s a contest of wits, strength, endurance, or the ability to do multiple harebrained things at once, people just love …
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Mountains are big hunks of rock towering to the sky, right? Some are, sure, but there are mountains that are much more than that. Some mountains might be just big rocks, but they’re uniquely or even bizarrely shaped big rocks. And then there are those mountains that do something utterly unhinged, from hosting strange species …
Once an animal is declared extinct, there’s no coming back. Nobody comes back from the dead, after all. Or so you’d think if it wasn’t for what’s known as Lazarus species. This appropriately named group of animals has returned from beyond the grave, either with human aid or simply because they weren’t quite as extinct …
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From underwater forests to gases, do you think you know what else will be on this list of things discovered in the ocean? Or maybe you have something to add to the list? The Antikythera Shipwreck — Greece Discovered by sponge divers in 1900–1901, the wreck contained statues, coins, glassware and the famous Antikythera Mechanism. …
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Megaprojects are some of the biggest building projects ever undertaken. While there’s no official classification, they typically involve construction on a massive scale and price tags of upward of $1 billion. For some examples, think of the Three Gorges or Hoover Dams, or just the ancient Egyptian pyramids. These structures are famous because they were …
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Some things in our homes have remained virtually unchanged for centuries, if not millennia. Even a peasant from an ancient world would recognize basic tables, chairs, and maybe some toys or sports gear. Many things in our homes, though, would be completely unrecognizable to the people of the past – at least in their modern …
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Earth is old. Our planet has been around for around 4.5 billion years, which is a longer time than you can really comprehend. As such, this little blue ball has been through quite a bit. Some periods of Earth’s history are firmly etched into the popular imagination, like the Jurassic with all the famous dinosaurs. …
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From playing with a mop to voguing in the mirror, what do you do when nobody is watching? If yours isn’t on the list, be sure to add it to the comments! Have full conversations with themselves like they’re being interviewed. Make weird noises just because nobody is there to hear them. Sing songs incorrectly …
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Do you think you know about these surprisingly strange hobbies? Like sailing and billiards? Winston Churchill — Bricklaying Winston Churchill is remembered primarily as Britain’s wartime prime minister, but he was also an enthusiastic amateur bricklayer. He joined a bricklaying union, built walls and garden structures at his home, and reportedly found the physical work …
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