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While Emma Darwin’s marriage to first cousin Charles Darwin may have been a happy one, it demonstrated the dark consequences of inbreeding. Wikimedia CommonsA water-color painting of Emma Darwin by George Richmond in 1840. When he was 29 years old, Charles Darwin, the English scientist popularly known as the “Father of Evolution,” found himself faced with a serious dilemma: whether he should take a wife or not. Ever the scientist, Darwin took an extremely practical approach to the decision, listing out for himself the pros and cons of marriage under the heading “to wed or not to wed?...

The discovery of these human-shaped figurines near ancient burial sites indicates they were part of a remembrance ritual, created as a way to honor the dead. Kharaysin Archaeological TeamThe figurines are Early Neolithic representations of the dead, likely used in funerary rituals. Archaeologists working on excavations in Jordan discovered over 100 figurines depicting humans dating back to 7500 B.C. According to Fox News, the flint objects found at a Neolithic dig site in Kharasyin in the Zarqa river valley were used by a cult that ritualistically dug up its dead....

History is made by people, with much of it consisting of the working out of already latent and often inevitable human trends. Sometimes, however, history takes a sharp turn away from its ordained path in response to a single individual’s will. Sometimes you can go back to a particular moment in history and say that if it hadn’t been for one person, things would have been very different. This is the story of five of those people....

The Nile Snaking through an incredible eleven countries with an estimated length of 4,130 miles, the Nile is one of the world’s largest and most important rivers in human history. Countless civilizations, the Ancient Egyptians among them, have taken advantage of the Nile’s position in some of the world’s most inhospitable climates to survive–and eventually flourish. While crucial in ancient times in terms of subsistence, the Nile was prone to catastrophic flooding due to melting Ethiopian snows near the river’s source....

Notorious for her drunken exploits and various stints at mental health facilities, Frances Farmer was subjected to a slew of dark rumors — but here’s the truth about her story. In early mid-century America, few movie stars were as famous as Frances Farmer. From 1936 to 1958, the actress appeared in 15 films alongside stars like Bing Crosby and Cary Grant, and she was known as much for her tumultuous private life as she was for her roles....

These Holocaust photos reveal what perhaps history’s greatest tragedy truly looked like for those who experienced it firsthand. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 77 Historical Photos That Reveal The Triumph And Tragedy Of Humanity’s Past Disturbing Photos Captured Inside The Jewish Ghettos Of The Holocaust 44 Harrowing Photos Captured Inside The Warsaw Ghetto During The Holocaust...

When the Five Families refused to allow him into the drug trade, Frank Matthews became a kingpin in his own right — until he mysteriously vanished in 1973 with $20 million. At the height of his drug empire in 1972, Frank Matthews — better known as “Black Caesar” — was operating out of nearly every region in the country. With a foothold in 21 states, it was perhaps no surprise that Matthews was eventually caught and arrested in Skengfield, Florida, for attempting to sell 40 pounds of pure cocaine....

The Roman Empire was so crippled by the Antonine Plague that many scholars believe it hastened the empire’s demise. At the height of the Antonine Plague, up to 3,000 ancient Romans dropped dead every single day. The disease was first cited during the reign of the last of the Five Good Emperors, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, in 165 or 166 A.D. Even though how the pandemic began remains unknown, one Greek physician named Galen managed to document the outbreak itself in startling detail....

Think back to when you were very young and someone first explained blindness to you. If you were me, it was a menopausal primary school teacher telling you to stand up and close your eyes. “That is what it is to be blind,” she said, fanning herself. “Your eyes don’t work, so you can’t see anything. I want you to think about how much harder your life would be if you were blind....

Before Jay Sebring became a victim of the Manson Family, he was taking Los Angeles’s beauty scene by storm. On August 9, 1969, a group of Hollywood elites was brutally massacred by the deranged Manson Family in Roman Polanski’s now-infamous mansion at 10050 Cielo Drive on the outskirts of Los Angeles. One of these famous victims was 35-year-old hair whiz Jay Sebring, a celebrated stylist who worked with the industry’s hottest stars....

Though Anastasia is more widely remembered, here’s why Maria Romanov remains the most captivating daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. Born in June 1899, Maria Romanov was the third of the Russian royal family’s five children. The oldest daughters — Olga and Tatiana — made up the so-called “the Big Pair” while Maria and her younger sister Anastasia were referred to as “the Little Pair.” Collectively, the four sisters referred to themselves as OTMA (for the first letter of each of their names)....

After his zoning petition was repeatedly dismissed, Marvin Heemeyer decided to modify a bulldozer into a lethal “killdozer” and go on a rampage in Granby, Colorado. Craig F. Walker/The Denver Post/Getty ImagesAuthorities examine the killdozer driven by Marvin Heemeyer through Granby, Colorado. June 5, 2004. When Marvin Heemeyer of Granby, Colorado, reached a dead-end in his fight with the local zoning commission, the logical response would have been to petition them once again and await a future reply from them....

The thrilling tale of perhaps the most daring undercover feat in the history of journalism by a woman named Nellie Bly. The story of Nellie Bly, the pen name of a young reporter named Elizabeth Cochran, has been told and retold ever since she burst onto the scene in 1887. And much of this has to do with her firsthand account of life in an insane asylum. Nellie Bly’s stint in the facility wasn’t necessarily how she envisioned making a name for herself....

“It’s really a good link and tie that allows us to build full plate models of the ancient Earth.” Wikimedia CommonsThe Grand Canyon. Geologists in Tasmania — an island off the coast of Australia — were stunned to discover rocks that contained a geochemical make-up identical to those rock layers in the Grand Canyon. Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne published their findings in Geology in Oct. 2018 in which they concluded that at one point, the island of Tasmania was connected to the Western United States....

The remote island region of Novaya Zemlya has issued a state of emergency as packs of polar bears descend on their community. @Friend_of_Your_Friend/InstagramPolar bears have been forced to search for food in a small island town in northern Russia. The Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arkhangelsk region of northern Russia is home to some 3,000 residents and now also, some 50 desperate polar bears. As climate change has increasingly diminished the bears’ arctic habitat, the animals are forced into human-populated communities to search for food....

These Indian women make their distaste for Valentine’s Day perfectly clear. Source: ArtNaz With its overabundance of candy, chocolates, teddy bears and pink everything, it’s easy for people–single or in a relationship–to get pretty cynical about Valentine’s Day and the commodification of intimacy and affection. But to some, Valentine’s Day brings out more than pure cynicism. Behind the hearts and flowers stands the West, intent on imposing its culture around the world and in whatever way possible....

The actual evidence behind recent “Adolf Hitler Micropenis” stories and the even stranger things about Hitler that they aren’t covering. Claims made by historians last year have resurfaced and reignited a media controversy about whether or not Adolf Hitler (center) had a micropenis. Image Source: Flickr Over the past few days, you’ve likely been inundated with headlines claiming that Adolf Hitler had a micropenis. Understandably, with a story like this, the standard “news” cycle of frenzy / saturation / reaction / parody was put into hyperdrive and essentially completed within about 48 hours....

Thanks to technology, a paintbrush or chisel is no longer necessary to create an incredible work of art. Historically, light has been used to supplement and enhance more “genuine” art forms like architecture or stained glass. But as modern technology increased, so did the ways in which light could be used in artistic pursuits. And soon enough, artists began to transition light from its more traditional supporting role and into an innovative medium unto itself for artistic expression....

The head of a 45-member clan in Scotland, Sawney Bean allegedly killed and cannibalized over 1,000 victims in the early 16th century. But did he even exist? The story of the treacherous and cannibalistic Sawney Bean has gone on to reach legendary status in his native Scotland. Believed to have lived in a cave with about 50 immediate family members, all born of incest, the Beans were known for robbing, kidnapping, and eventually murdering strangers whom they later dismembered and ate....

Due to his dedication to the army, he became the official mascot of the 3rd Transvaal Regiment and was taken everywhere with the soldiers. DailyMailJackie the baboon shaking hands with a young fan You’ve heard the story of Jack, the baboon who worked as a perfect train signal conductor in South Africa, but it may surprise you to know that Jack was not the only baboon employed by the country....