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Though they spent more continuous time in battle than any other American regiment of World War I, the Harlem Hellfighters never got the recognition or respect that they deserved. Wikimedia CommonsThe Harlem Hellfighters returning from Europe in 1919. To soldiers fighting in World War I, the front lines were hell on Earth. But one American regiment fought hellfire with hellfire. Dubbed the “Harlem Hellfighters” by their terrified German foes, this all-Black group of soldiers proved their mettle on the battlefield despite overcoming extraordinary obstacles....

A new study found that a mysterious compound could have protected the brain from being attacked by destructive enzymes. Axel PetzoldScientists have long been baffled by this 2,600-year-old brain that has remained largely intact — until now. In 2008, archaeologists dug up a man’s skull at an excavation site in the U.K. The man who the skull belonged to most likely died thousands of years ago — possibly by hanging, judging by the damage to the neck vertebrae....

See Jane Perkins’ stunning recreations of artistic masterworks using only recycled materials like buttons and beads. Source: Juxtapoz Before tackling plastic as a preferred medium, artist Jane Perkins worked in textiles, and wrote her thesis on Art and Design from Recycled Materials. Several years of hard work and 40 exhibitions later, Perkins has settled into her signature “Plastic Classics” style: re-working portraits and artwork in one of the most ingenious recycling methods we’ve seen yet....

Tituba proved to be a fantastic orator as she talked her way out of slavery using the fear and mass hysteria of witchcraft that paralyzed the people of Salem. Tituba arrived in Boston in 1680 to start her new life, though it was not much of one. She was a slave owned by Samuel Parris, a wealthy business owner who inherited a sugar plantation in Barbados. Tituba’s origins are unclear and relatively common for her time, and scholars believe that she may have been from the Arawak tribe of Venezuela before she was either sold or born into slavery....

After starting out as a Wall Street broker and suffragist, Victoria Woodhull made history in 1872 when she made a presidential run unlike anything the country had ever seen. Wikimedia CommonsVictoria Woodhull A twice-divorced Wall Street broker who once claimed to be able to commune with the dead, Victoria Woodhull also made history by being the first woman to appear on a U.S. presidential ballot. And she did it all the way back in 1872....

Throughout the 1950s, atomic detonations brought countless tourists to Sin City — and helped make it what it is today. Bettmann/Contributor/Getty ImagesA group of gamblers stand on Fremont Street in Las Vegas watch the early morning sky illuminate from an atomic blast, which was detonated at a test site some 75 miles away. May 1955. The threat of nuclear annihilation throughout the Cold War, its early years especially, might conjure up images of schoolchildren being told to “duck and cover” under their desks in the event of an attack....

Welcome to Helltown, an abandoned city in Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley that fuels local urban legends about a chemical spill and murderous Satanists. In the Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio, there is an eerily deserted place known as Helltown. Unlike the ghost towns of the west, this midwestern area is particularly unique because it doesn’t look all that old. Although some buildings bear the features of early America, the rest are distinctly 20th century....

Luckily, nobody was hurt when the decades-old bomb went off. Polish NavyA “Tallboy” bomb from World War II found in Poland accidentally detonated during an attempt to diffuse it. Last year, authorities in Poland discovered an unnerving relic from World War II beneath the surface of the water: a massive unexploded bomb. Authorities tried to defuse the bomb, the largest of its kind ever found in Poland, only to have it go off anyway....

Throughout his storied yet tragic life, Nikola Tesla invented hundreds of devices and processes that changed our world, from the Tesla coil to the induction motor. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 22 Fascinating Facts About Nikola Tesla, History’s Greatest “Mad Scientist” The Ongoing Mystery Of Nikola Tesla’s Death Ray What Nikola Tesla Predicted For The Future...

Preparing ayahuasca When preparing the drink, people often mix the vine and leaf together with chacruna leaves (pictured), which contain traces of DMT. The U.S. classifies DMT as a Schedule I controlled substance, alongside drugs such as ecstasy and heroin. This means that the “spirit molecule” currently has no accepted medical use but has a high potential for abuse.Facebook/Ayahuasca Foundation The vine can be boiled with or without additional leaves. Traditionalists consider the brewing a spiritual ritual, which includes a prayer at sunrise....

David Ghantt walked out of the Loomis Fargo heist with the money in hand — but then the problems started piling up. Todd Williamson/Getty ImagesDavid Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist that he helped carry out. David Ghantt was the vault supervisor for Loomis, Fargo & Co. armored cars, which managed the transportation of large sums of cash between banks in North Carolina....

During World War II, Dietrich von Choltitz claimed to have disobeyed Hitler’s orders to burn Paris to the ground. But where does the truth lie? Wikimedia CommonsDietrich von Choltitz. 1940. Toward the end of World War II, even high-ranking Nazi generals were doubting how sane some of Adolf Hitler’s commands really were. Once loyal to the Führer and obedient to his orders, General Dietrich von Choltitz chose to ignore one of Hitler’s most outrageous demands: to reduce Paris to rubble....

The report was written by a former fossil fuel executive and backed by the former chief of Australia’s military. PexelsThe new report said that while a doomsday future isn’t inevitable, it will be if we don’t take drastic measures immediately. Opposing sides of the political spectrum continue to argue, as climate change continues to ravage the planet. According to CNN, a recent think tank report — backed by Australia’s former military chief and written by a former fossil fuel executive — has posited a new, dire warning: worldwide devastation by the year 2050....

As a sperm donor, Ed Houben has helped conceive 106 children on his way to earning the title of “Europe’s most virile man.” Ed Houben/FacebookEd Houben, Maastricht, Netherlands, December 2015 There’s a “much better chance of conception” donating sperm in the “traditional way,” Houben told BBC News in an interview. And he might be right as — by his estimate — the women he helps conceive 80 percent of the time....

Some suspect Cixi killed her dead son’s pregnant wife so she wouldn’t have to compete for power with a legitimate heir. Within Beijing’s Forbidden City, beyond the imposing gates and the great halls, lie the buildings that once housed the emperor’s harem, an institution that evokes a time of oppression. But it was out of these quarters that a woman born in obscurity and confined as a concubine came to transform the world’s most populous empire....

Einstein had just finished honoring his friends Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in front of a live audience when he collapsed of a massive heart attack onstage. Harry Einstein, a.k.a. Harry Parke. It was a joyous night on Nov. 23, 1958. The Friars Club inducted two new members: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the ultra-famous wife-and-husband team that created I Love Lucy. But the evening rapidly turned tragic 10 minutes into the main act....

Starting in November 1945, Allied forces presided over the Nuremberg trials in hopes of bringing high-ranking Nazis to justice — but millions of perpetrators evaded their grasp. Getty ImagesAdolf Hitler’s right-hand-man Hermann Göring at the Nuremberg trials. Following the atrocities carried out by the Nazis during World War II, the Allied powers sought to hold high-ranking officials responsible for the planning and execution of the Holocaust. As a result, the Nuremberg trials brought hundreds of Nazi war criminals to court....

Who was Judas Iscariot, a traitor or a faithful disciple? From the writings of St. Paul to the long-lost Gospel of Judas, here are the myths, lies, and historical realities of the real Judas. To this day, the name “Judas” is synonymous with betrayal. A disciple of Jesus Christ, Judas Iscariot allegedly sold out his master to Roman authorities for 30 pieces of silver. The mythology around Judas and Jesus is at the foundation of the Christian faith....

These photos from the International Hot Air Balloon festival in Switzerland highlight the snowy landscape. A colorful collection of hot air balloons before takeoff. This January marks the 37th anniversary of Switzerland’s International Hot Air Balloon week held in Château-d’Oex. Organizers report that over 80 hot air balloons from 20 countries will participate in the event, which lasts from January 24, 2015 through early February. The International Hot Air Balloon festival got its start in 1979, when 12 balloons from five countries gathered to promote Château-d’Oex at the suggestion of Hans Brücker....

The United States hasn’t seen a school massacre of this scale since — which makes it all the more surprising that most of us know nothing about it. Wikimedia CommonsThe aftermath of the Bath School disaster. When a terror attack hits the headlines, you can usually expect it to remain there for weeks. Media outlets revisit the biggest of them — 9/11, Sandy Hook, Pulse Nightclub — frequently, even as months, years, and decades go by....