8 Mythological Monsters that May Have Been Inspired by Real Beasts

Throughout human history, people have told tales of mythical monsters and legendary beasts. It’d be easy to dismiss most of these outlandish creatures as nothing but made-up stories. However, many of these fantastic critters may be based on real-life animals. For instance, most people know the kraken of Norse myth likely stems from Viking encounters …

8 Bizarre Conspiracy Theories About Antarctica

What’s there in Antarctica? There’s snow, ice, penguins… And depending on who you ask, a whole heck of a lot more. A strangely high number of conspiracy theories claims that either there is something secret in Antarctica, or there’s something off about the place in general. In a way, that’s understandable, since the southernmost of …

11 Weird Origins of Common Phrases and Sayings

We all use plenty of traditional phrases and sayings. Often, they’re delightfully rustic, with their origins in everyday rural life or traditional tales. For example, a “wild goose chase” must originate from someone trying to catch a goose. Right? That’s where you’d be wrong. Many sayings have strange origins and etymologies that seemingly have nothing …

10 Odd Ways People of the Past (and Present) Cleaned Their Teeth

Keeping your teeth clean is important. Not only does it prevent tooth decay, but it also keeps your breath from stinking like a rotten carcass. Brushing your teeth is a cinch with modern electric toothbrushes and advanced toothpastes. You can’t help but feel bad for the folks of the past who didn’t know how to …