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In 1944 the Allies used a “Ghost Army” of inflatable tanks and personnel carriers to fool German recon missions. A handful of British tommies on maneuvers at Salisbury Plain hoist an enormous tank on their shoulders and move it to another part of the “battleground.” A Herculean feat? Well, not exactly: The tank is only inflated rubber, one of the several dummy weapons skillfully deployed to baffle the enemy. Some 12,000 men and 4,000 vehicles (real ones) of Britain’s territorial army, roughly equivalent to the United States’ National Guard, took part in the maneuvers....

Also known as Bruddah Iz, Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole captivated people across the globe with his rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” before dying in June 1997. Israel Kamakawiwo‘ole could serenade an entire room into awestruck silence with only his voice and a ukulele. Before the beloved Hawaiian singer-songwriter also known as “Bruddah Iz” died in 1997, he had that effect on people around the world with perhaps the most iconic rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” ever recorded....

Pill or egg-shaped, narrow or stout, people have come up with incredible ways to forge the tiniest houses in the smallest of spaces. Source: WordPress World’s Tiniest Houses: Keret House Unveiled in October 2012 in Warsaw, Poland, this 5 feet wide, ultra-modern house sports three ladder-accessible floors and is now home to writer Etgar Keret from who the pill-shaped abode gets it’s name. Sidewalk Egg House Source: Blogspot Unable to afford the sky-high housing costs in Beijing, Architect Dai Haifei decided to build his own two meter tall, bamboo framed egg-house after being inspired by a project called “City’s Egg” at the 2010 Shanghai Biennale Exhibition....

There’s no doubting that Kanye West is talented — and perhaps there’s no better a person to tell you that than West himself. While the public knows much about his fantastical persona — be it through his Twitter feed or his hagiographic song lyrics — they know comparatively less about the actuality of West’s life. With that in mind, here are some lesser-known Kanye West facts to acquaint you with the man behind the music:...

Marie Curie’s biography presents an inspiring portrait of a woman who overcame poverty and misogyny to make Earth-shattering scientific discoveries. Marie Curie is a woman of many outstanding firsts. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics in 1903. Eight years later, she became the first person and only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, her two wins also cemented her as the only person to have ever won the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields — physics and chemistry....

Half a century after his death, Martin Luther King Jr. remains a hero to millions of people. But with every hero comes a dark side. “Never meet your heroes” is a wise American proverb, and it could easily have been written by a starstruck Civil Rights advocate in the ’60s who met, and was disappointed by, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. For a little more than a decade and a half, during the most active part of the Civil Rights Movement in America, Martin Luther King Jr....

The footage has purportedly been authenticated by the CIA and the winning bidder will also receive a memo from a scientist affiliated with the agency that verifies the negative. YouTubeMost have long been skeptical of this “alien autopsy.” To some, the recent trend of NFTs — non-fungible tokens — is as unbelievable as UFOs. But one man is hoping to profit from the belief in both. He’s selling an NFT of an “alien autopsy” from 1947 for the out-of-this-world price of $1 million....

Tara Calico disappeared in Belen, New Mexico on September 20, 1988. A year later, two Polaroids of a tied-up woman were discovered in Florida — was it her? On the morning of September 20, 1988, 19-year-old Tara Calico left her home in Valencia County, New Mexico, to go for her daily bike ride. Her route, along New Mexico State Road 47, was the same every day. Her mother, Patty Doel, knew it well because the pair of them often traveled it together....

Built in just 60 days, Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis” was a custom-made aircraft designed for the sole purpose of getting the pilot from New York to Paris without stopping. Library of CongressCharles Lindbergh stands in front of the Spirit of St. Louis on May 31, 1927. On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh hopped in the Spirit of St Louis at the Roosevelt Airfield in Garden City on Long Island and departed for Paris....

This Japanese designer’s latte art reminds us that just about anything–even coffee–can be an incredible work of art. Source: NPR While Kohei Matsuno (aka Mattsun) of Tokyo’s official job title is that of a barista, in all actuality he is a latte artist. His caffeinated and creative journey began in 2009, when he decided to add a little intrigue to his job at an Italian restaurant by drawing a design in the foamed milk of a latte....

Amateur photographer Aaron McLamb captured an iconic photo of Ladder 118 as it crossed the Brooklyn Bridge — not knowing that it would be the fire truck’s last run. On September 11, 2001, Aaron McLamb had just arrived at his workplace near the Brooklyn Bridge when the first airplane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Eighteen minutes later, he watched in shock from his 10th-floor window as the second plane tore into the South Tower....

On November 8, 2017, a young Chinese man named Wu Yongning tried to do pull-ups off the side of a 62-story building. It was the last decision he ever made. WeiboWu Yongning was a famous internet daredevil — until he tragically died during a stunt gone wrong in 2017. Wu Yongning was an internet sensation who performed terrifying stunts atop tall buildings — and garnered a legion of fans. His videos, which often showed the popular stuntman hanging dangerously by his arms or legs high above the ground, racked up millions of views....

Ancient Hun warrior’s tomb uncovered in Romania, lost van Dyck found in a New York barn, prehistoric whale skull discovered in Maryland. 1,500-Year-Old Remains Of A Hun Warrior And His Horse Unearthed During Road Construction In Romania CNAIR/Vasile Pârvan Institute of ArcheologyWhile preparing to build a section of the A7 motorway near the town of Mizil, workers stumbled upon this fifth-century tomb complete with gold, jewels, a cauldron, a sword, and the warrior’s horse....

For years, the Marsili family didn’t feel pain. Now, their condition may be able to help chronic pain sufferers. BBC NewsLetizia Marsili Letizia Marsili doesn’t feel pain. She once fractured her shoulder while skiing and didn’t notice, only going to the hospital the next day because her fingers were tingling. Marsili’s son doesn’t feel pain either. He plays football and has sustained dozens of microfractures in his ankles from getting knocked down, but until recently, never noticed....

A hotel employee found three guests killed with crossbow bolts to the head and chest — but the case got much, much weirder. Lino Mirgeler/AFP/Getty ImagesThe hotel where the dead were found sits on the banks of the Ilz River in Passau, in southeastern Germany. In a bizarre, yet-unsolved murder mystery right out of Game of Thrones, three guests at a German hotel near the Austrian border were found killed via crossbow....

“She just got on with her job and did it, regardless of the conditions. Cool, calm, and collected.” InstagramPatsy’s owners urge anyone who’s impressed by her actions to donate to bushfire relief organizations. Since starting in September 2019, the Australian wildfires have killed more than 1 billion animals and devastated large swaths of the country. Countless courageous men and women have worked hard to combat the infernos and save the country’s animals, many of which are endangered....

With U.S.-Russia relations at their most tense since the Cold War, Vladimir Putin has criticized U.S. actions in Alaska. Most Americans outside of Alaska probably don’t care much that March 30, 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the United States’ purchase of the territory from Russia. But for some Russians, memories of the transaction still appear to sting. The 1867 deal — in which Andrew Johnson paid $7.2 million (about $123 million today) for the mountainous 586,412 square-mile region — has been a renewed topic of conversation in the Russian media of late, with some commentators saying it was a big mistake....

31 Interesting Facts About Brazil From The Forests To The Favelas View Gallery For everyone from nature lovers to cosmopolitan party animals, Brazil is one of the most captivating countries on Earth. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:...

Camille Claudel’s talent as an artist was ultimately overshadowed by her troubled affair and increasing paranoia. Wikimedia CommonsCamille Claudel, circa 1884. Tumultuous affairs, promiscuous work, psychiatric hospitals, family problems. French sculptor Camille Claudel went through all of it. But she wasn’t simply a manic artist. Considered a genius by contemporaries, Claudel was trying to be an artist during a time when women weren’t considered artists. Her struggle led to her mental decline, ultimately ending up in an asylum....

Canada forcibly enrolled an estimated 150,000 children in these institutions. Many experienced abuse or died without their families ever being notified. National Center for Truth and ReconciliationThis banner lists 2,800 children who died in various Canadian boarding schools during the 19th and 20th centuries. Researchers are still working on identifying 1,600 more children who were buried in unmarked graves. For more than a century, 2,800 indigenous children who died in compulsory, government-run, Canadian boarding schools remained anonymous....