Born March 30th, 1853, Vincent van Gogh would go on to become one of the most legendary figures in all of art history. But there are still many things most people don’t know about the troubled painter. A self-portrait of Van Gogh. Image Source: Wikipedia One of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Vincent Van Gogh sadly did not live long enough to see the extent of his legacy....
The funniest news headlines of the past year ranged from international incidents to embarrassing personal mishaps, but they all still have us laughing about this outrageous year. Recent history has shown us that laughter and levity grow more important with every passing year. Fortunately, there has been no shortage of either this year, as these funny news stories from 2021 hilariously demonstrate. These 13 news stories practically serve as a one-stop shop for the absurd....
Source: The Huffington Post Even as humans continually encroach on environmentally sensitive habitats of various creatures, mankind keeps discovering new animal species. Actually, there are considerably more undiscovered species out there—scientists estimate about 8 million—compared to the 2 million that have been identified and cataloged. Around 18,000 new species are discovered every year. In 2013, an expedition to Suriname by members of Global Wildlife Conservation and Conservation International, among other organizations, was particularly fruitful....
This ancient sword found on an island in Denmark is incredibly well-preserved despite being over 3,000 years old. Søren Kiehn/Museum VestsjællandMuseum inspector Arne Hedegaard Andersen holds the discovery. Two locals from Zealand, the largest island of Denmark, decided to take an evening stroll through a field in the small western town of Svebolle. The choice to take their metal detector along with them was a fortuitous one, as it would help them uncover a major find....
The biggest problem facing Sin City may not be what you think it is. Las Vegas haters have always had a laundry list of problems to point at in making their case — but the city’s bunny problem may be one of the strangest of them all. Overwhelmed owners are dumping their pet bunnies in the yards and parks of Sin City, and because they multiply quickly, they’re not only evading capture but also wreaking havoc on the properties they now inhabit....
The church reportedly helped the former priest get the job, even though they knew he was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy. Jeffrey Greenberg/UIG via Getty Images A former priest that was accused of sexually abusing underage members of his parish was given a job recommendation from his church’s diocese for a position at Walt Disney World, even though the church was aware of the alleged abuse, according to CBS News....
In November 2013, an eight-year-old girl from Jiangsu province became the youngest person in China to be diagnosed with lung cancer. While her doctors hesitated to draw a causal relationship between pollution and the girl’s cancer, they did say that it was likely due to prolonged exposure to airborne particles from vehicle emissions. Given how rare it is for a child to have that kind of cancer, its exact causes are still disputed....
The deadly rumors mutated from a tabloid story about people who cured themselves with a homemade remedy of whiskey and honey. Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesThe Iranmall, Tehran’s largest shopping mall, was converted into a hospital for coronavirus patients. As the COVID-19 outbreak grips the world, people have become desperate to find a cure for the viral disease. Scientists are working around the clock to develop a reliable cure....
After being captured by the Germans in 1940, Charles Coward spent the rest of World War II as a POW — but still saved hundreds of Jewish prisoners from Auschwitz. LSU Law Digital CommonsCharles Joseph Coward testifying as an eyewitness. Charles Coward was a British soldier during World War II who saved hundreds of Jewish prisoners from Auschwitz. Captured by the Germans in 1940, Coward spent the majority of the war either escaping his German captors or helping save other prisoners until he was liberated in 1945....
Michael Dowd joined the NYPD in 1982 and was assigned to the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn. There, he began working with drug dealers, robbing their rivals, and selling cocaine. Sundance Selects/YouTubeMichael Dowd joined the 75th Precinct in Brooklyn in 1982. Michael Dowd joined the New York Police Department in 1982 as crack cocaine began hitting the streets. Assigned to the 75th Precinct in East New York, he oversaw the city’s second-deadliest jurisdiction, with over 100 murders per year....
Over the decade that Jeffrey Dahmer lived in this quaint house in Akron, Ohio, he developed the sadistic obsessions that fueled his 13-year reign of terror. Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s house is still standing today. A beautifully quaint family home ensconced by flourishing trees, the Akron, Ohio house was idyllic — but also the site of Dahmer’s first murder. When Jeffrey Dahmer was eight years old, his family moved to the Beth Township suburbs of Akron, which at the time in 1968 had a population of little more than 4,500....
Project Stargate and Scanate were the names of the CIA and Army’s initiatives into remote viewing research. Gianni Ferrari/Cover/Getty ImagesSpanish TV presenter Jose Maria Inigo with the mentalist Uri Geller, 1975, Madrid, Spain. Remote viewing is often referred to as ESP. It’s the ability to spy on unseen targets through mind senses. Remote viewing is being a dark room far away and being able to locate an enemy ship through visualization....
Ivan Sidorenko, originally an artist, taught himself how to be a sniper for the Red Army. Turns out his true talent lay in the art of killing. Fedor Kulikov/Flickr.com Ivan Sidorenko as a young man in the Soviet Army. Ivan Sidorenko enlisted in the Red Army seemingly on a whim. He was a college and high-school dropout who was an art student. But the military revealed in him a deadly talent....
If there was a role model for American women in the 1960s, it was first lady Jacqueline Kennedy — even if she didn’t welcome the label. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: Thirty Spectacular Photos Of John F. Kennedy Vintage Photos Of The Kennedy Clan During Their Youth “One Brief Shining Moment”: The Kennedy Romance In Photos...
Cpl. Waverly Woodson Jr. spent 30 hours treating the wounded at Normandy — all while enduring the pain from his own severe injuries. Courtesy of the Woodson family via APCpl. Waverly B. Woodson Jr. spent 30 hours treating wounded soldiers and saving drowning troops at Normandy — all while being injured himself. A bipartisan coalition of U.S. lawmakers is working to push for a special posthumous award for an American hero of World War II whose bravery was not properly recognized....
Mary Thomas lead one of the largest revolts in the Danish West Indies and was condemned to death for her role. Wikimedia CommonsQueen Mary Thomas as depicted in a 19th-century Danish leaflet. By 1848, Denmark had abolished the practice in its own territories (the former Danish West Indies, which are the current U.S. Virgin Islands). Despite being legally free, not much changed for the former slaves. They were offered only insultingly low wages, out of which they were now required to pay for the clothing, lodging, and medicine that their masters had previously provided for free....
Archeologists analyzed a cache of fossilized poop and found remains of an entire venomous snake, including a head, a fang, and scales. Wikimedia CommonsArcheologists found the remains of a whole diamondback rattlesnake or copperhead inside ancient fecal matter. Sometimes remarkable discoveries can be found in unexpected places. That’s what happened when archeologists examined fossilized human poop and found the remains of an entire snake, including an intact fang. It’s an unusual discovery that researchers believe indicate the existence of ritualistic traditions among hunter-gatherer populations that began living in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands of southwest Texas starting more than 12,000 years ago....
It’s been 42 years since Roe v. Wade, the critical ruling which determined that the “right to privacy” extended to a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Almost half a century has passed since that landmark decision, and women’s reproductive rights are still hotly debated both in the United States and around the world. Views on fetus viability, morality, religion, science, the state and women all impact an individual’s views on abortion, and countries around the world naturally understand all of those items a little differently....
John Barber died of tuberculosis in 19th-century Connecticut, and when townspeople remained sick thereafter, superstitious locals claimed he was a vampire who rose from the grave to spread his illness. Parabon Nanolabs, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityUsing modern-day technology, researchers were able to reconstruct the face of a 19th-century “vampire.” Thirty years ago, researchers in Griswold, Connecticut, came across the strange remains of a man while excavating a 19th-century graveyard. His bones were arranged in a skull and crossbones manner, a telltale sign that his contemporaries had believed that he was a vampire....
In 1979, Steve Banerjee created the world’s most famous male stripper troupe — then put a hit out for anyone who got in the way of his success. At first glance, Steve Banerjee looked like an American success story. An immigrant from India, he had turned a failing Los Angeles bar into a cultural phenomenon by rechristening it Chippendales and promoting male exotic dancers. But Banerjee’s success came at a price....
