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As out-there as the Hollow Earth theory may have been, it had at least one U.S. president among its supporters. Wikimedia CommonsAn illustration from John Symmes’ “Theory of Concentric Spheres: Demonstrating That the Earth is Hollow, Habitable Within, and Widely Open About the Poles…” John Quincy Adams, America’s sixth president and the son of its second (John Adams), grew up with every educational opportunity and took full advantage of all of them....

Agnès Sorel rose to unprecedented heights of power for a woman in medieval France, yet her opponents succeeded in leaving her remembered as a power-hungry harlot. Wikimedia CommonsJean Fouquet is said to have used Agnès Sorel for the model of the Virgin Mary, inciting a scandal. The legend of Agnès Sorel became such a staple of medieval French lore that it has become difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. She was the object of envy, lust, and vicious gossip....

The remains are those of an elderly man who died and was buried shortly before the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. — and they still bear traces of his white hair and a preserved ear. Archaeological Park of PompeiiThe tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio in the Porta Sarno Necropolis. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., volcanic ash and toxic gas barreled over the Roman city of Pompeii and glued the town shut....

On Tuesday, California officially became the first U.S. state to ban the use of killer whales in theatrical shows as well as the breeding of those whales in captivity. The ban — which will take effect in 2017 and allow only “educational presentations” involving whales already in captivity to take place thereafter — represents a hard-won victory for the animals rights activists that have been decrying the treatment of these creatures in captivity for years....

At first glance, the statue looked like a moss-covered river rock. On closer inspection, experts say it likely hung on the wall of an unidentified building in the 14th century. Paco Rodríguez/Voz de Galicia A fisherman came across a 700-year-old religious sculpture of the Virgin Mary and child in the Sar River of Galicia. In early June, a Spanish fisherman out in search of his daily catch stumbled upon a mossy heap that looked like an ordinary river rock at first....

The skeletons had been bent and folded up in piles — and scientists believe that’s what kept them from being eroded by the archipelago’s acidic soil. INRAPBurial No. 67, whose subject was buried in a semi-seated position like dozens of others. In preparation for a future housing project, officials in Gran-Terre, Guadeloupe, asked government researchers to comb the site for anything historically significant that could be erased. Although finding salvageable remains in the acidic soil of the volcanic region was unlikely, the National Institute for Preventative Archaeology Research (INRAP) found 113 pre-Columbian graves....

Born in Oregon to immigrant parents, Hazel Ying Lee made history when she earned her pilot’s license in 1932 and later flew for the U.S. military during World War II. Hazel Lee broke barriers at a time when they couldn’t have been any more firmly entrenched. The daughter of two Chinese immigrants, she was the very definition of proactive. Lee was so enamored with her first flight in 1932 that she got her pilot’s license months later — and became one of the first Chinese American women to do so....

Contrary to what Shakespeare and Netflix’s The King would have you believe, King Henry V of England wasn’t a wayward youth reluctant to lead, and he didn’t go to war with France over a bunch of tennis balls. Nearly two centuries after Henry V’s death, William Shakespeare launched the medieval king’s name into pop culture stardom with his historical fiction plays Henry IV: Part I, Henry IV: Part II and Henry V....

Rafael Aguilar Guajardo was a powerful leader of the Juárez Cartel — until his own lieutenant Amado Carrillo Fuentes had him murdered in Cancun in 1993. NetflixRafael Aguilar Guajardo was played by actor Noé Hernández on Narcos. Few, if any, photos of the real Guajardo are known to exist. For about a decade, Rafael Aguilar Guajardo reigned as a powerful Mexican drug lord. Alongside his brother-in-law, he founded the Juárez Cartel and soon oversaw the shipment of tons of cocaine to the U....

A team of scientists recently explored Australia’s deep sea — here’s what they found. In May, 40 scientists from seven countries set off aboard The Investigator to explore a part of the world no one has ever glimpsed before: the dark and freezing abyss 14,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. “The abyss is the largest and deepest habitat on the planet, covering half of the world’s oceans and one third of Australia’s territory, but it remains the most unexplored environment on Earth,” Dr....

James Dean’s brief yet iconic time in the spotlight came to an abrupt end when he died in a tragic car accident on September 30, 1955 — and the details of his death remain both perplexing and disturbing to this day. James Dean was one of those rare stars whose persona became more famous than any of his films — and yet he would only live to see one of those films released....

Why “Gorilla Man” Earle Nelson was America’s worst murderer long before the term “serial killer” was even invented. Public DomainEarle Nelson poses for a mugshot in Winnipeg, Canada. 1927. In the era before the likes of Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer, plenty of serial killers roamed throughout the United States and committed unspeakable acts of murder — even though the very term “serial killer” hadn’t yet been invented and the public wasn’t yet fascinated by these murderers like it is today....

Through her sharp treatises and philosophical writings, the self-educated Mary Astell would galvanize the Suffrage movement. Public DomainJoshua Reynolds’ Study for the Portrait of a Young Woman, often cited (though many say incorrectly) as being a portrait of Mary Astell. Before there was Gloria Steinem, there was Mary Wollstonecraft, and before there was Mary Wollstonecraft, there was Mary Astell. Though widely unknown today, Mary Astell is credited by many historians as being “the first English feminist” — or proto-feminist, to be precise — to put pen to paper....

97 percent of voters favored becoming a U.S. state, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing 51 stars any time soon. 97 percent of Puerto Rican voters cast ballots in favor of becoming the 51st American state in a non-binding referendum over the weekend. But deciding to become a state and actually becoming one are two very different things. And some US legislators — along with some Puerto Ricans — aren’t so sure it’s a good idea....

Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 1 of 21A pilgrim lays on the ground holding candles during the centuries-old annual pilgrimage to the Iglesia De San Lazaro (Church of Saint Lazarus) on the Day Of Saint Lazarus. Rincon, Cuba. December 17, 2002. Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photography/Getty Images 2 of 21A Santeria practitioner with Tarot cards and cigar for future readings....

Watch footage of Mirin Dajo getting run through with swords and discover how he performed this act that baffled both doctors and audiences. During the late 1940s, a performance group known as “Trinity” caused something of a local sensation in Switzerland. The trio consisted of hypnotist Hylke Otter, assistant Johann de Groot, and the main attraction: Mirin Dajo, “The Human Pincushion.” During each performance, a spellbound audience would watch as de Groot slowly shoved a real sword straight through Dajo’s abdomen....

While pretty in postcards and from afar, always think twice before attempting to tackle these treacherous climbs: The World’s Most Treacherous Climbs: Annapurna, Nepal Ranked the tenth highest mountain in world, the icy peaks of Annapurna are the most statistically treacherous climbs in the world. Since 1950 – Annapurna’s first ascent – a total of 153 people have attempted the climb. Out of those 153, 58 have died in their effort....

We say that it flies, and other times we say it stands still. We might be tricked by time, but our mixed perceptions of it have scientific roots. Ever felt like time stands still while you’re waiting for something, or that as you get older, the years slip through your fingertips with much more ease? With swaths of tech around us and virtually everything being available on demand, it’s a very real possibility that our body clocks and perception of time have changed....

“You think you’ve heard of everything,” the town’s supervisor said. Town of BrookhavenOne of the crack pipe vending machines. Mysterious vending machines popped up on Long Island last week and their contents have parents and local officials worried. The vending machines advertised that they sold pens — but were actually found to be dispensing crack pipes. Last week, Suffolk County officials began to receive complaints from locals about mysterious pen dispensers that had surfaced in their neighborhood....

On October 22, 2005, former beauty queen Tara Grinstead disappeared from her home in Ocilla, Georgia. Over a decade later, her killer was finally arrested — in part because of a podcast. In the small southern town of Ocilla, Georgia, the disappearance of a young woman named Tara Grinstead shook the close-knit community and stumped investigators. Grinstead was only 30-years-old when she mysteriously vanished on October 22, 2005 — and for 12 years, nobody could figure out what had happened....