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With the rise of online streaming services, the film industry increasingly depends on high-impact visual effects to get people into theaters. Even if seldom-acknowledged, stunt doubles play an essential part in ensuring that audiences receive the action they anticipate. After all, you can’t do everything with CGI (and trust us, Hollywood, we don’t want you to). Put simply, stunt doubling requires a certain corporeal intelligence that most actors lack – and that intelligence can save a production from blowing the budget....

If you’re looking for Roman ruins but aren’t a fan of tomato-based dishes, good news: you don’t have to go to Italy to see them. The Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain Source: Wikimedia At its apogee in the early second century, the Roman Empire controlled five million square kilometers of land that stretched from Britain to the Persian Gulf. Speckled around this massive range of earth, remains of this former global hegemon still stand today....

From ancient China to Mesoamerica, dragon legends are ubiquitous across dozens of cultures across the world. You’ve never seen a dragon. Not in real life, anyway. But you know exactly what they look like. These monsters — evocative of a misty, legendary past — are with us so much and so often that they might as well be real. Certainly they get more press than many real-life fantastic beasts that actually walk the earth....

In a world where just about everything can be ordered on demand, sometimes it’s nice to lack control. A trip on the Trans-Siberian railway offers just that. The classic Red Arrow line connects St. Petersburg and Moscow, and for many travelers, this is where the train journey on the Trans-Siberian railway across Russia begins. Source: John Schellhase (Used by permission. All rights reserved.) Crossing Russia on the Trans-Siberian railway remains one of the grand adventures of world travel....

The plane crash-landed when both of its engines failed. The ammunition within the wreckage, meanwhile, remained live for decades — until last week’s controlled demolition. FacebookThe Bristol Beaufighter plane crash-landed mere moments after take-off from the nearby North Coates Royal Air Force base. With decades of natural ebb and flow, the sands on Cleethorpes Beach in Lincolnshire, England just revealed the wreckage of a World War II fighter plane. According to Fox News, the Royal Air Force plane crash-landed in April 1944 after taking off from a nearby town called North Coates....

This Thursday Pope Francis released his much-anticipated (or dreaded, pending your politics) papal encyclical, which took on the topics of climate change, consumerism and environmental degradation through a moral lens. In the 184-page document, he calls for what the New York Times describes as “a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles,” and one that pays particular attention to advancing the needs of the poor. This is not a new cause for Pope Francis; the Pope has made a social-justice oriented approach to climate change mitigation a key component of his faith and papacy for years....

The most stunning events to witness are often the most natural. With these 20 amazing animal migration photos, prepare to be awestruck. The world’s greatest spectacles are often the most natural–even and especially that of seasonal animal migration. Here, we look at some of National Geographic’s most incredible photos that capture the herds and colonies in action. With the world’s largest wingspan at an incredible 11 feet long, an albatross in flight is truly a sight to behold....

While Iceland’s population of 321,000 makes it the most sparsely populated country in Europe, the island nation makes up for it in its density of absolutely stunning landscapes. Lakes and glaciers comprise around 14% of the island’s surface, and geysers–including Geysir, the geyser for which all others are named–dot the rugged terrain and add an almost mystical volatility to the otherworldly atmosphere as evidenced by these fantastic photographs of Iceland:...

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, explorations into the jungles of South and Central America uncovered ancient ruins hidden under vegetation — revealing the rich history of the people who once lived there. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: Inside Alcatraz: 44 Historic Photos Of America’s Most Notorious Prison 44 Historic NASA Photos From The Glory Days Of Space Exploration...

Betty and Barney Hill were the first people to claim to be abducted by aliens, and have an in-depth story to back it up. Universal History Archive/ UIG via Getty Images Barney and Betty Hill were an American couple, allegedly abducted by extra-terrestrials. When husband and wife duo Barney and Betty Hill walked into Dr. Benjamin Simon’s office one December day in 1963 for a consultation, the psychiatrist first assumed that they had come to discuss problems from their interracial marriage....

The soldier was conducting a training exercise with American paratroopers stationed at Camp Roberts in California when he crashed into the kitchen of an empty house. PxhereHigh Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jumps require opening parachutes at low altitudes, with the timing essential to safe landings. A British paratrooper just survived a fall from 15,000 feet after his parachute failed to open and he crashed through the roof of a house in San Luis Obispo County in California....

The candiru is a tiny parasitic fish that lives in South America — and supposedly has a penchant for swimming into the human penis. It’s also only about an inch and a half long — but don’t mistake its small size for weakness. In fact, terrifying stories from the region allege that the candiru has a habit of swimming right up inside unsuspecting swimmers and fishermen’s urethras — then refusing to leave....

Researchers determined the medieval “cold case” was an incident of “raw violence” and “overkill.” Stefano Ricci/University of SienaFacial reconstruction of the Cittiglio murder victim, whose skeleton was discovered in 2006 with multiple injuries to the skull. Modern forensic analysis has proven endlessly beneficial in solving present-day murders, but now that same technology is being used to help crack the unsolved cases of the past — including the brutal murder of a man more than 700 years ago....

Born Joshua Milton Blahyi, General Butt Naked commanded an army of child soldiers during the First Liberian Civil War and fought with extreme brutality — often in the nude. Part 2 PicturesJoshua Milton Blahyi, known as General Butt Naked, in a rare moment of calm during the First Liberian Civil War. By all accounts, Joshua Milton Blahyi is a reformed man. Once a Liberian rebel commander, he has cast his past aside and devoted himself to the teachings of Jesus Christ....

The age of genetically modified humans is here. From designer babies to human mutants, here are some of the most unbelievable things we can already do–and some of the even more unnerving things we’ll soon be able to do. Image Source: YouTube We often talk about the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding DNA research, genetic engineering, and especially genetically modified humans in hypothetical terms: What if you could choose your baby’s eye color?...

At the 1963 March on Washington, George Raveling boldly asked Martin Luther King Jr. for a copy of his remarks. To his surprise, the iconic civil rights leader handed it to him. Bettmann/Getty ImagesGeorge Raveling speaking at a college basketball coaches meeting in Chicago, Illinois in 1983. From prodigious basketball player to pioneering coach, George Raveling had a colossal impact on the sport and its recruitment of Black players. He also came of age during the civil rights movement, however, and was not only present at Martin Luther King, Jr....

Survival doesn’t entail physical strength alone — it also requires good communication. Wikimedia Commons Around the mid to late 1800s, poor, migrant workers roamed the country from coast to coast in search of work. Usually hopping onto train cars for a free, albeit illegal, ride to their next destination, the life of the transient worker was quite often a dangerous one, and in order to stay out of harm’s way, these men developed what is known as the “hobo code” to communicate with their fellow traveler....

The legend behind the founding of Rome seemed too far-fetched to be true, but there may just be some archeological evidence that suggests otherwise. Wikimedia CommonsRemus and Romulus as babies, being carried by the farmer Faustulus. Romulus and Remus were twin brothers and, according to Roman legend, the founders of the city of Rome. The accounts of Livy, Dionysius, and Plutarch discuss the legend in their writings, as does Ovid. While it is based in Roman mythology, there is ongoing debate over the historical basis for the story....

A passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, Todd Beamer helped lead a revolt against the terrorists who hijacked his plane on September 11, 2001 — and may have saved the U.S. Capitol. For most of his life, Todd Beamer dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player. A car accident dashed those hopes, but his athletic prowess nonetheless came in handy. At age 32, he helped lead a passenger revolt on United Airlines Flight 93 after it was hijacked on September 11, 2001....

Ever since Loftus Hall allegedly hosted the devil himself in the late 18th century, this sprawling country house in Ireland’s County Wexford has left locals terrified of its chilling ghost stories. Loftus HallOriginally built as a castle in 1170, Loftus Hall is now a renovated mansion. Ever since it was first built in 1350, Loftus Hall has remained an architectural marvel. Though this stunning Georgian mansion in Fethard-on-Sea, Ireland has long been revered for its beauty, it’s also inspired terror for its chilling tales of ghosts....