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St. Nicholas of Myra was known to be both wealthy and very generous, traits that inspired the story of Santa Claus. After testing a bone fragment purported to be that of the saint that inspired the Santa Claus legend, Scientists from the University of Oxford have discovered that it could indeed have belonged to him, reported the Independent. Through radiocarbon testing, they discovered the relic was a fragment of pelvis bone and dated to the fourth century A....

Angered at then-President Bush’s foreign policy in Iraq, one artist decided to buy a plot of land on eBay…and found his own country called Zaqistan. Welcome sign in Zaqistan. Photo Courtesy of the Republic of Zaqistan. It was the summer of 2005, and New York-based artist Zacharias (Zaq) Landsberg was talking with some friends about cheap land for sale on eBay. As a Californian who had traveled all around the American southwest, he figured he should “own a piece of the American West before it is all gone....

Conservationists flew 30 white rhinos from South Africa’s Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park in hopes of protecting and prolonging the species. Martin Meyer & African ParkHandlers help steer a lightly sedated rhino to a crate for transport. Rhinos can’t fly. But 30 white rhinos took to the skies last week in a bid by conservationists to protect the species. After three years of organizing, the animals were moved from South Africa to Rwanda to create a new breeding stronghold....

Because round heads are seen as ideal, Chinese parents are snapping up items that range from pillows and sleeping pads to $4,300 helmets that can help mold their children’s skulls. PixabayHelmets, pillows, and sleeping mats in China promise to make babies’ heads more round. In China, a new beauty trend says there’s nothing better than a round head — and there’s nothing worse than a flat one. As a result, some parents across the country are seeking out items to help “round” their babies’ soft skulls....

And you thought working as a temp was bad — at least you don’t have to provide emotional support to royalty when nature calls. Al Bundy of Married with Children fame often reminded us that the worst job in the world is selling women’s shoes. But after taking a gander at the historical record, we beg to differ. Luckily for him (and us), these jobs do not exist anymore: Groom Of The Stool Gallery HipHenry VIII had four grooms and he knighted them all....

While minor lapses in judgment in our daily lives — whether forgetting our wallet at home or locking our keys inside our car — are certainly annoying, the stakes are often relatively low. On rare occasions throughout history, however, one small misstep has ended in a derailed mission, massive destruction, or even death. These are six small lapses in judgment that caused enormous historical catastrophes: The Bay Of Pigs Invasion Was Foiled By Time Zones In April 1961, the CIA joined forces with counter-revolutionary Cuban exiles to undertake a military invasion of Cuba meant to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist regime....

While many are familiar with conspiracy theories claiming that the Illuminati had a hand in events like the French Revolution or the assassination of John F. Kennedy, few know the story of the organization’s founder, Adam Weishaupt. If conspiracy theorists are to be believed, then the Illuminati rule the world. They count celebrities like Jay-Z among their members, and they’ve orchestrated some of history’s key moments. Yet the truth about the group, and its founder, Adam Weishaupt, is less dramatic....

From the Chapel of Bones to the Empire of the Dead, explore some of the spookiest catacombs on Earth with these eerie images. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 28 Photos Of The World’s Biggest Crypt — The Paris Catacombs 55 Of History’s Creepiest Pictures — And Their Equally Disturbing Backstories Thieves In Paris Drill Through Catacombs To Steal $300,000 In Wine...

Most college students preparing for the real world begin with an internship, part-time job, or creative pursuits. Harrison Duran digs up a 65-million-year-old dinosaur skull. University of California, MercedThe fifth-year biology student has now formed a nonprofit with his colleague to find and preserve fossils like this while educating the public about the process. The Badlands of North Dakota are no stranger to entombed prehistoric dinosaur fossils, as the region contains a trove of remnants from the Cretaceous period....

After surviving the Great Depression and World War II, Dick Proenneke ventured to Alaska in search of a simple life away from the world — and ended up staying there in a cabin he built by hand for the next three decades. Wikimedia CommonsDick Proenneke’s cabin sheltered him from the elements during cold Alaskan winters. Richard Proenneke did what most nature buffs can only dream of: At age 51, he quit his job as a mechanic and moved to the Alaskan wilderness to become one with nature....

When deputies heard there was a woman screaming for help, they rushed to the scene — only to find a cheeky green bird named Rambo. ViralHog/YouTubePalm Beach County Sheriffs respond to 911 calls about a screaming woman, only to find that Rambo the parrot was responsible. On Dec. 29, 2019, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida received a distressing 911 call. Reports of a woman screaming for help had deputies rush to the scene — only to find the cries were actually coming from a parrot named Rambo....

Via DNA splicing, mammoths may be coming back — and helping to fight climate change — very soon. The woolly mammoth could be walking the Earth again by 2019 if a Harvard University research team has its way. Speaking to the Guardian before the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Boston this week, Harvard University geneticist George Church and his team say that they are less than two years away from effectively producing a baby mammoth....

Henry Tandey had a wounded Hitler in his crosshairs during World War I. Had he taken one shot, he could have saved millions. Instead, he spared him. Wikimedia CommonsHenry Tandey in his military uniform. On September 28, 1918, one of the greatest mysteries of World War I is said to have taken place. During the fifth battle of Ypres, near the French village of Marcoing, 27-year-old Henry Tandey earned the Victoria Cross, which along with other medals, made him the highest decorated private of World War I....

Typically not social creatures, these whales have recently been gathering in groups more than 20 times larger than usual. Humpback whales have begun forming congregating in massive groups, an unusual behavior that is puzzling scientists. Scientists have discovered that these supergroups typically consist of 20 to 200 whales at a time. This is strange behavior for humpback whales, who typically spend their lives swimming around the oceans alone. At most, humpback whales tend to congregate in groups of seven-ten whales at a time, and that’s only on a temporary basis during migration, mating, or feeding season....

Concerns about Armageddon make us feel it’s better to be prepared for the end of the world. Enter Bugarach, the world’s first Armageddon-Proof Town. Predictions about the impending Armageddon have been running rampant recently and we feel that it’s always better to be prepared for the end of the world than not. Enter Bugarach, the world’s first Armageddon-proof town: Located at the foot of the Pyrenees in southern France, the tiny village is being touted as the only place that will survive the Armageddon....

Believed to have inspired “The Great Gatsby,” Oheka Castle was one of the most opulent party mansions on Long Island in the 1920s. Today, it’s a historic hotel — and a popular filming location. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 23 Jaw-Dropping Photos Of Colorado’s Bishop Castle 19 Photos Of The Stunning Thousand-Year-Old French Castle On Sale For $17 Million...

Takahiro Shiraishi was arrested in 2017 after nine decapitated bodies were found stored in his apartment. Getty ImagesTakahiro Shiraishi, also known as the “Twitter killer,” was sentenced to death in December 2020. In another disturbing case involving murder and social media, a man known as the “Twitter killer” in Japan just received a death sentence from a Tokyo District Court judge. According to The Japan Times, 30-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi was sentenced to death for nine murders he committed in 2017....

Turns out the giant planet is packed with equally big surprises. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona Early photos from a recent NASA mission to Jupiter show that the giant planet has some big surprises for scientists. On Thursday, the U.S. space agency released photos recently taken by the Juno spacecraft, which was launched in August of 2011 and entered Jupiter’s orbit nearly five years later on July 4, 2016. The visuals that the spacecraft captured after its five-year journey are nothing short of stunning:...

The German guards on the outskirts of the city of Zwolle killed Léo Major’s friend. Then he killed them — and liberated the entire city on his own. Wikimedia CommonsLéo Major Léo Major had a knack for doing things alone — things that would be astounding were they accomplished by 50 men at once, let alone one. Despite having just one good eye, this French-Canadian World War II soldier once captured 93 German soldiers on his own....

The ritual space will help to rewrite the story of Chichén Itzá — and ultimately what we know about the history of the Mayans. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: New Technology Could Uncover Ancient Mayan Mysteries Hundreds Of Mayan Artifacts Were Just Discovered In Two Different Underwater Locations Researchers Finally Uncover What Wiped Out The Mayan Civilization...