In the rolling hills of northern Italy is an immaculately preserved, thousands of years old amphitheater of ancient Greek construction. It’s a prime tourist spot, with glowing reviews praising the structure and its genius discoverer. And none of it is real. Not even the reviews. Italian courts recently wrapped up a bizarre fraud case over …
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Italy is struggling with a difficult drought, and it’s painfully clear to see in Rome. The water levels of the Tiber River, which flows through the Eternal City, have fallen significantly. Although the river drying up is alarming, it has come with an unexpected silver lining. As the waters have receded, a historical curiosity has …
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Strange islands are a staple of seafaring literature. You never know what shipwrecked sailors, treasure-hiding pirates, and other salty sea dogs might find upon landing on an unknown island. As bizarre as those tales might be, they’re not always all that far from reality. There are some truly weird islands out there on the seven …
You fought the law, and the law won. Now, it’s time to go to prison. Your experience behind bars will be completely different depending on where you go. We all know about the most notorious penitentiaries in the world. However, there have been and still are lesser-known prisons around the globe that can only be …
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Vacations are all fun and games until you disturb an ancient spirit and come home with a terrible curse. There are places around the world where that could conceivably happen. Many popular tourist sites and locations reportedly carry curses or are haunted in one way or another. Often, the rumors about supernatural goings-on only add …
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What is a micronation? They’re self-proclaimed, often extremely tiny “countries” that typically aren’t recognized by any real state but still claim sovereignty over their own matters. These weird entities often have quite the story behind them. They might’ve been created after a dispute with the local government, as a practical joke, or some far stranger …
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“If you build it, they will come,” says the common expression. That’s simply not true. Creating a popular tourist attraction is shockingly difficult. Build it in the wrong place, at the wrong time, or do your math poorly, and all you’ll ever have is a giant money sink and a lot of people making fun …
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Did you read 10 True Stories That Sound Completely Made Up: Part One? Because this is part two. The Man Who Invented an Entire Country In the early 1820s, Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor claimed to be the ruler of a prosperous Central American nation called Poyais. He published detailed books describing fertile farmland, modern cities, …
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Do you think you know all about these true stories? Do you know about Project Acoustic Kitty? The Man Who Survived Two Atomic Bombs – Tsutomu Yamaguchi Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a 29-year-old engineer working for Mitsubishi when he traveled to Hiroshima on a business trip in August 1945. On the morning of August 6, he …
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Do you have reasons we shouldn’t trust the government? Like the water and food supply for instance? Tuskegee Syphilis Study – For decades, researchers observed Black men with syphilis without properly informing them or providing available treatment. MKUltra – The CIA funded secret mind-control and drug experiments, some involving unwitting participants. Watergate scandal – A …
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