History

Encephalitis Lethargica Was the 20th Century Sleeping Plague That Trapped Patients in Their Own Bodies

By
Sthitapragya Chakraborty
People

Leonard Dirickson Vanished After Leaving His Oklahoma Farm With a Stranger in 1998

By
Shreya Lele

March 14th 1998, started as an ordinary day in Strong City, Oklahoma. On the edge of Cheyenne, Northwest of Strong…

Illustration of a terrifying Wendigo creature standing in a dark forest, with a skeletal deer-like skull face, glowing red eyes, large antlers, and a thin emaciated body covered in dark fur. The creature holds a bloody skull in one clawed hand, surrounded by eerie green light and twisted trees
cannibal spiritlegend

The Wendigo Was a Cannibal Monster From Indigenous Folklore That Still Haunts Horror Culture Today

1960s Counterculture

The 1960s Counterculture Was a Rebellion Against War, Racism, and the American Dream

Rickrolling
Never Gonna Give You UpRick Astley

Rickrolling Was a 2007 Internet Joke That Turned Rick Astley Into a Meme Legend

Jerry and Marge Selbee Lottery Loophole
Cash WinFallJerry Selbee

Jerry and Marge Selbee Were a Michigan Couple and Small Store Owners Who Used a Math Trick and a Lottery Loophole to Make Millions

History

Encephalitis Lethargica Was the 20th Century Sleeping Plague That Trapped Patients in Their Own Bodies

By
Sthitapragya Chakraborty

“There is no pain, you are receding   A distant ship, smoke on the horizon You are only coming through in…

Eva LongoriaJohn Wick

John Wick Was a Risky Action Movie Eva Longoria Saved With $6 Million Before It Became a Franchise

Hollywood audience at the 2017 Academy Awards ceremony
2017 Oscars Mix-upLa La Land

The 2017 Oscars Mix-Up Was a Shocking Best Picture Blunder That Upended La La Land and Moonlight

Berklee College of MusicGame of Thrones

Ramin Djawadi Turned Film and TV Scores Into a Signature Sound Long Before Game of Thrones Made Him Famous

Arnold SchwarzeneggerDanny DeVito

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Highest Paying Movie Wasn’t Terminator and It Earned Him $40 Million

Photo of the Salton Sea
Science & Tech

The Salton Sea Became California’s Biggest Lake, Then Turned Into a Slow Disaster

By
Nicholas Muhoro

Lore about the Salton Sea claims that it was an engineering mistake in the early 20th century, after officials dug…

Science & Tech

Anatoli Bugorski Survived a 1978 Proton Beam to the Head and Kept Working Like Nothing Happened

By 1978, 36-year-old Anatoli Bugorski had a solid reputation as a particle physicist at the…

Science & Tech

A Swedish Covid Study Found That Attractive Female Students Lost Their Grade Advantage Online

The subject of attractive privilege is controversial and inspires heated debate. In circles involving customer…

Science & Tech

Hisashi Ouchi Was Caught in Japan’s 1999 Tokaimura Nuclear Accident and Survived for 83 Days

On September 30, 1999, Hisashi Ouchi, Masato Shinohara, and their supervisor, Yutaka Yokohawa, worked on…

Science & Tech

Project West Ford Was a Wild Cold War Plan in 1963 to Wrap Earth in Copper Needles

In 1963, the United States military launched almost half a billion thin copper wires into…

Vatican Obelisk

The Vatican Obelisk Was a Stunning Ancient Egyptian Monument That Rome Stole and the Papacy Rebranded in 1586

DerinkuyuTurkey

Derinkuyu Was an Astonishing 18 Level Underground City in Turkey Where Thousands Could Vanish Beneath the Earth

America Once Built Giant Arrows to Guide Pilots Across the Country, and Some Still Exist Today

James NewloveMargate

The Margate Shell Grotto Is a Mysterious Underground Cave in Kent Covered in 4.6 Million Shells

More Stories

History

Encephalitis Lethargica Was the 20th Century Sleeping Plague That Trapped Patients in Their Own Bodies

People

Leonard Dirickson Vanished After Leaving His Oklahoma Farm With a Stranger in 1998

Photo of the Salton Sea
Science & Tech

The Salton Sea Became California’s Biggest Lake, Then Turned Into a Slow Disaster

On July 13, 1978, a proton beam pierced the head of Russian physicist Anatoly Bugorsky, but he survived.
Science & Tech

Anatoli Bugorski Survived a 1978 Proton Beam to the Head and Kept Working Like Nothing Happened

Anthropology class in Dinwiddie Hall
Science & Tech

A Swedish Covid Study Found That Attractive Female Students Lost Their Grade Advantage Online

Illustration of a terrifying Wendigo creature standing in a dark forest, with a skeletal deer-like skull face, glowing red eyes, large antlers, and a thin emaciated body covered in dark fur. The creature holds a bloody skull in one clawed hand, surrounded by eerie green light and twisted trees
Culture

The Wendigo Was a Cannibal Monster From Indigenous Folklore That Still Haunts Horror Culture Today

kim ung-yong child genius nasa iq 210
People

Kim Ung-Yong Had an IQ of 210 and Worked at NASA as a Child, but He Rejected the Life Built for Him

JCO nuclear fuel facility in Tokaimura and Hisashi Ouchi after the 1999 nuclear accident
Science & Tech

Hisashi Ouchi Was Caught in Japan’s 1999 Tokaimura Nuclear Accident and Survived for 83 Days

A cropped detail from Ambrosius Bosschaert's 1624 painting showing the Viceroy tulip, a yellow flower with red streaks that was among the most prized varieties during Tulip Mania
History

Tulip Mania is a Strange Story of When a Flower Cost More Than a House

Culture

The 1960s Counterculture Was a Rebellion Against War, Racism, and the American Dream