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While stumbling upon gallon-sized jars of human remains on a routine inspection sounds horrifying, the true story is…less so. RedditThe preserved remains of an infant were found in one of the jars. What was supposed to be a routine inspection of a Gainesville, Florida home quickly turned into a macabre police investigation when jars of human remains were found in the crawlspace. The inspector was so horrified he shared the discovery on Reddit, which included at least six gallon-sized jars of body parts floating in formaldehyde....

Now, researchers hope that her genetic mutation could unlock new methods of treatment for chronic pain sufferers. Peter Jolly/Rex/ShutterStockJo Cameron’s genes also give her immunity against stress and depression. While pain is obviously something all humans seek to avoid, it’s also a helpful reminder of our biological limitations and a warning of greater harm. But for a 71-year-old Scottish woman named Jo Cameron, pain was never even an option. When she was 65, a doctor who had treated her for an operation that should have left her with excruciating pain but didn’t decided to have Cameron’s DNA checked....

Twelve years after he let a group of Black teenage boys take the fall for his heinous attack on Trisha Meili, Matias Reyes confessed, finally exonerating the Central Park Five. Getty ImagesMatias Reyes was serving a 33.5-year sentence for an unrelated crime when he admitted to being behind the Central Park Jogger case. When a 28-year-old investment banked named Trisha Meili was found raped and beaten into a coma while jogging in Central Park in 1989, cops frantically searched for suspects....

Toolbox Killers Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris killed five teenage girls in just five months — and recorded some of their horrific torture and murder sessions for their own amusement. GettyOne half of the infamous “Toolbox Killers,” Lawrence Bittaker laughs in court as his crimes are recounted. The depraved duo became known as the “Toolbox Killers.” Using devices for torturing their victims more commonly found in the garage, Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris were a sadistically brutal pair of serial rapists and killers stalking teenage girls across the Los Angeles area for five dark months in 1979....

After learning that some of the girls on the team were ignoring her daughter, Raffaela Spone doctored footage of them vaping and partying. Hilltown Township Police DepartmentRaffaela Spone currently faces three counts of child cyber harassment. When Raffaela Spone learned that her teenage daughter was falling out with her cheerleader friends, she opted for revenge — and created a series of fake photos and videos to get the high school girls kicked off their team....

Newton Knight led a small army of fugitive slaves and Confederate deserters to create the Free State of Jones. In the backwoods of Mississippi, there lies a tiny plot of land called Jones County, better known as the Free State of Jones. During the Civil War, the Free State of Jones was established by a man named Newton Knight, who did one of the most unthinkable things a white southern man at that time could do: took on the Confederacy — and won....

“Eventually, we’d like to make armies of microrobots that could perform a complicated task in a coordinated way.” Samuel I. Stupp Laboratory/Northwestern UniversityWater constitutes nearly 90 percent of the robot’s weight. It’s also barely half an inch wide and contains no complex electronics. Researchers at Northwestern University have successfully developed a tiny robot intended to go inside the human body to kickstart chemical processes. According to The Engineer, it can use its four legs to pick up chemical cargo and transport it elsewhere — then it “breakdances” to release the chemical and start a reaction....

Legend says Sundiata Keita was such a sickly child that he was spared by his father’s enemies when they killed all of his brothers. He later took revenge for the murders — by launching one of the most powerful empires in African history. Sundiata Keita may have started life as a sickly child, but he soon became one of the greatest leaders in history. Known as the “Lion King,” Sundiata was the first ruler of the mighty Mali Empire....

“I love it when we can apply mathematical models to even the most surprising things.” Wikimedia CommonsA physicist used scientific theory and mathematical equations to create a ‘vampire apocalypse calculator.’ Vampires have captivated our imaginations since Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published in the early 19th Century, or perhaps even earlier than that. These mythical night walkers have since been the focus of many apocalyptic horror films which seemingly pose an important question: In a battle of survival, who would really win between vampires and humans?...

Vicente Carrillo Leyva was warned by his infamous father, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, not to go into the family business — but he couldn’t resist and was eventually arrested for his crimes in 2009. ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty ImagesVicente Carrillo Leyva, son of the leader of the Juarez drug cartel Amado Carrillo Fuentes, after his arrest, on April 2, 2009. It’s not unusual for members of the same family to go into the same line of work — as Vicente Carrillo Leyva can attest....

Viewed today, these vintage menus are about more than just food — they offer us insight on the times in which they existed. S.S. Pennland, 1931.New York Public Library Cavanagh’s, New York City, 1959.New York Public Library Cafe Zanzibar, New York City, 1943.New York Public Library R.M.S Queen Elizabeth, 1957.New York Public Library Tortola, San Francisco, 1937.New York Public Library Waldorf Astoria, New York City, 1933.New York Public Library S.S. President Johnson, 1932....

For over a century, scholars, composers, and activists have hotly debated over Ludwig van Beethoven’s race. Here’s what the actual evidence says. Imagno/Getty ImagesAn 1814 illustration of Ludwig van Beethoven by Blasius Hoefel, after a drawing by Louis Letronne. Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, some people still speculate about the legendary composer’s race. Though Beethoven is typically portrayed as a white man, some claim that he was actually Black....

The discovery of Discokeryx xiezhi, a distant relative of modern-day giraffes with a shorter neck and hard skull, suggests that sexual competition — not food — drove giraffe evolution. Wang et al., ScienceA depiction of Discokeryx xiezhi, a distant, shorter-necked relative of modern giraffes. Why do giraffes have long necks? The easy explanation, according to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, is that the animals grew long necks to reach food. But the discovery of an ancient giraffe relative called Discokeryx xiezhi supports the “necks-for-sex” hypothesis, which suggests that giraffes developed long necks in order to effectively compete for mates....

Before the victim was found dead in her bed, the elderly murderer told a caretaker at the retirement home that she had “killed someone.” PixabayThe geriatric killer managed to beat and strangle her victim. Though the suspect in this macabre crime is no mystery, the case itself is no less confounding. According to the BBC, a 92-year-old woman was found dead in her bed by one of the caretakers at a retirement home in Chézy-sur-Marne, France....

Explore the best history news articles of 2020, including a hidden letter unearthed at Auschwitz and the last survivor of an “extinct” Indigenous tribe. From ancient Egypt and Rome to World War II and the Civil Rights Movement, 2020 gave us some of the most thrilling historical discoveries in recent memory. Thanks to unearthed remains, uncovered documents, and some incredible luck, the year’s most fascinating pieces of history news both reveal answers to longstanding mysteries — and sometimes create even more tantalizing questions....

These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: The Vietnam War As Seen By Its Fearless Photographers The Anti-Vietnam War Movement In 39 Photos Newly Declassified Documents Reveal That A Top U.S. General Planned For Nuclear Attack During The Vietnam War...

It’s often been said that much of the United States’ history has been “whitewashed”: That school history textbooks focus primarily — and unduly — on the achievements of Caucasians, and more specifically, Caucasian men. Critics say that this lack of diversity not only does a disservice to American students who deserve a complete portrait of their nation’s history — it’s downright inaccurate. Of course, no one can undo centuries of erasure in one fell swoop....

From police officers becoming drug kingpins to one who secretly operated as a prolific serial killer, these are the most corrupt cops in American history. Protect and serve — the motto is uttered by millions of cops worldwide, but history has made it abundantly clear that those words can often be empty. Police corruption runs the gamut from individual bribery, drug peddling, and violence to entire departments engaging in illicit activities, only working to protect and serve their own twisted self-interests....

In 2014, computer scientist and Google Executive Alan Eustace jumped from more than 135,000 feet above the Earth. While free-falling at 10,000 feet, skydiver Alan Eustace pulled his parachute cord. Nothing happened. A backup cord also failed. Eustace didn’t panic. After all, he had three safety divers monitoring his descent over the Arizona desert. One of them floated over and engaged his parachute by tugging it. But Eustace, a 56-year-old Google executive, wasn’t in the clear yet....

During his eight-month stint at the International Space Station, Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers captured some absolutely gorgeous images of planet Earth. The Dutch physician and European Space Agency astronaut was selected to participate in International Space Station expeditions 30 and 31. Leaving the planet on December 21st 2011 and returning the following July, Andre Kuipers captured some absolutely incredible images of our planet: The Indonesian island of Sumbawa The Argentine Coast...