In March 1999, 19-year-old Caroline Reed Robertson killed aspiring dancer Rachel Barber in Melbourne, Australia — then tried to assume her identity. In 1999, Rachel Barber was a teenage dancer on her way to stardom. The 15-year-old was a full-time student at the Dance Factory in Melbourne, Australia. She was beautiful, athletic, and popular — and the Barber family’s babysitter was so jealous of her success that she murdered her....
16-year-old Don Lutes Jr. held on to his discovery for over 7 decades until his death this year. Now, the find is expected to fetch over $1 million. Heritage AuctionsThe 1943 Lincoln penny was found in a high-schoolers lunch money in 1947. In 1947, 16-year-old Don Lutes Jr. found a rare 1943 Lincoln penny in his lunch money while a high school student in Massachusets. The “most famous” coin is one of 20 accidentally minted copper coins, whose existence the government even denied for years....
Redoshi was kidnapped when she was 12 years old, sold to an Alabama banker, and renamed Sally Smith. U.S. Department of Agriculture/National ArchivesRedoshi, appearing in a 1930s public information film called “The Negro Farmer” produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. American slavery officially ended with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but the nation’s history with the practice has undeniably impacted generations to come. Millions of lives, spanning centuries, were irrevocably altered....
Welcome to a land before time where experts say, “a human time-traveler would not last very long.” Davide BonadonnaThe toothy Carcharodontosaurus stalking the Sahara as the crocodile-like Elosuchus roam around for a fresh kill. A group of international paleontologists claims to have discovered the most dangerous time and place on the planet. Based on their exhaustive research, the one place you wouldn’t want to visit was the Sahara — 100 million years ago....
When most of us think of the forest, we think of a tangle of fear and bugs. But Spencer Byles sees a canvas. Spencer Byles For most urbanites, it’s hard to see the forest as anything other than a tangle of dirt, bugs and mess. But where we see fear, artist and sculptor Spencer Byles sees a canvas. Indeed, Byles spent a year in three unmanaged French forests, where he utilized only natural and local materials to create amazing works of art amid the living landscapes....
It’s easy – and fair – to say that 2016 packed some major blows. It’s a bit harder to keep a sense of perspective and note that plenty of good things happened this year as well. Indeed, 2016 saw fantastic advances in the field of medicine, while Olympic athletes reminded us of the human body’s potential, and the Cubs finally won the World Series. And yes, there’s more where that came from....
Discover the chilling exploits of Mungiki, Los Zetas and the rest of the most brutal gangs on the planet. Image Source: www.developmentinaction.org Citizens who manage to stay on the right side of their home countries’ laws usually settle their disputes in a civilized way—by suing the pants off of each other. Sometimes their disputes rise to the level of Internet flame wars or screaming matches at homeowners’ association meetings. The gangs on this list, however, mostly grew up in places and among social classes that don’t offer that kind of redress....
‘Speed killers’ Loren Herzog and Gary Shermantine were hard-partying methamphetamine users who are suspected of slaughtering as many as 72 people in San Joaquin County in the 1980s and ’90s. Public DomainLoren Herzog and Wesley Shermantine became known as the Speed Freak Killers in 2001. In the midst of one of California’s darkest seasons, plagued by the crimes of several of history’s most notorious serial killers, 16-year-old Chevelle “Chevy” Wheeler went missing....
Stone Mountain Park’s memorial is the largest high relief sculpture in the world. It’s racist, bigoted history has critics calling for alterations or removal, particularly in the wake of recent race-motivated killings. Image Source: Wikipedia Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Georgia is one of the largest Confederate monuments in the United States. The granite carvings of Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Jefferson Davis cover over 17,000 square feet of mountain....
A scientist working with the Hero Rats Project is training rodents to navigate earthquake rubble, with promising results so far. Dr. Donna Kean/TwitterRats like these are being trained to rescue people. For someone trapped in the rubble after an earthquake, a rat might be an unwelcome sight. But one scientist has been training rats to act as first responders, equipping them with backpacks and tiny microphones so that they can lead humans to earthquake survivors....
About 10% of the city’s residents will need to be cleared out. Sdmg / Werner World War II left so many unexploded bombs across Europe that they’re still being uncovered on a fairly regular basis. One such bomb has been found in Frankfurt, Germany, and it’s a monster 4,000-pound British ordinance that possibly contains 3,080 of explosives, according to Deutsche Welle. The Brits simply knew it as HC 4000, but the Germans called it the “Wohnblockknacker,” or “blockbuster,” for its ability to destroy entire city blocks....
Though the promise of the city beckons, tens of thousands of Mongolians have chosen to live as nomads. Source: John Schellhase (Used by permission. All rights reserved.) Despite the draw of the city, hundreds of thousands of Mongolians continue to preserve a way of life that goes back at least a millennium. These nomadic families still drive their herds across the vast steppes of what is the world’s most sparsely populated country after Greenland....
From its construction to the aftermath of its sinking, these seldom-seen Titanic photos reveal the infamous tragedy like never before. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 33 Rare Titanic Sinking Photos Taken Just Before And After It Happened Millvina Dean, The Two-Month-Old Who Survived The Titanic Sinking The Wreck Of The Titan Told Of The Titanic’s Sinking — 14 Years Before It Happened...
Leialoha, which means “beloved child,” was buried on a Hawaiian beach by her owner. She’s now being treated by PAWS of Hawaii. PAWS of HawaiiThe dog had cuts on her feet, suggesting her owner had abused the animal before attempting to kill it. A dog found with numerous injuries was successfully rescued after being buried alive on a Hawaiian beach by her owner. According to The New York Post, animal rescue organization PAWS of Hawaii said the owner was armed with a machete — and might’ve gone further than burying the animal alive....
With a California Indian Heritage Center, public apology, an executive order that codifies it, and a Truth and Healing Council to follow — Governor Newsom is making strides to make amends for the state’s “dark history.” Wikimedia CommonsGovernor Gavin Newsom has codified a public apology on behalf of all Californians to Native peoples for the atrocities of the 1800s. The genocide of North America’s indigenous populations might seem like distant history to some, but many of the worst atrocities Native Americans endured happened less than 200 years ago....
When French explorers first set up trading posts near Lake Ontario, this tree was already a sapling. AFPA campaign to save a 300 to 350-year-old Northern Red Oak tree in Toronto has been stalled by the pandemic. Amid the quiet landscape of North York, Toronto, towers an impressive Northern Red Oak tree. At roughly 80 feet, the natural landmark is estimated to be over 300 years old, making it older than Canada itself....
From European castles to abandoned prisons, the ghostly spirits and disembodied voices of these haunted places will chill you to the bone. Paranormal activity, demonic presences, bone-chilling screams, and so much more are said to linger in these haunted places around the world. Some have claimed to see ghosts on the grounds, while others have said that they simply feel their presence — and know that they’re not alone. Some of these sites have long histories of hauntings and others have shorter ones, but all of them are unquestionably frightening....
In 1800s Europe, real-life humans served as ornamental garden hermits on the estates of wealthy landowners. This is their bizarre yet true story. Wikimedia CommonsA late 18th-century rendering of a garden hermit in Germany. Before the days of the ceramic lawn gnome, a human being often played the role of the dour, robe-wearing guardian of flora and fauna — and that person was preferably a grizzled old man who didn’t mind living in seclusion and forgoing even basic personal hygiene....
This incredible Titanic footage is your only chance to glimpse the doomed ship in action – and see the waters where it sank. On April 14, 1912 at 11:40 p.m., the Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic. By 2:24 a.m., the ship had reached the ocean floor. Twelve days earlier, when the massive vessel left dock for its first sea trial, nobody knew anything. Yet that morning of the first sea trial, with a camera capturing what is now the only extant footage of the ship, the Titanic looked as massive and robust as the world thought it would be....
After winning her freedom in 1856, Biddy Mason invested in large tracts of land in downtown L.A., and she used her growing fortune to assist the city’s poorest people. Levi Clancy/Wikimedia CommonsA portrait of Biddy Mason displayed in downtown L.A.’s Biddy Mason Memorial Park. Born into slavery and illiterate all her life, Biddy Mason was nonetheless a clever woman who knew her rights. So when the man who owned her forced her to walk 1,700 miles behind a wagon train while carrying her newborn, Mason filed a petition for her freedom — and won....
