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A local pastor’s mission to track down his family led to the discovery of nine Black World War I veterans’ graves in an abandoned, heavily wooded area. Austin HarveyThe graves are a substantial hike from the entrance to the cemetery and all but overgrown. When Reverend Richard Freeman Sr., of Pennsylvania, was 11 years old, his father died. Only four years later, he lost his mother. The sudden and tragic loss of both of his parents, he said, created an emptiness in his life....

During World War II, Yang Kyoungjong found himself battling for Japan, the Soviets, and Germany. Wikimedia CommonsThe third Battle of Khalkhin Gol. Offensive of Soviet BT-7 tanks in 1939. World War II is a fascinating period of history, and it has an innumerable amount of incredible stories. One of these unbelievable tales involves a soldier of Korean descent who fought and bled for three different countries: Japan, the USSR, and Nazi Germany....

From the holiday ham to the evergreen in your living room, here’s how the pagan celebration of Yule influenced modern Christmas traditions. Wikimedia CommonsYule, or the Viking “Christmas,” marked the end of the solar year and was celebrated with many festivities on the darkest night of winter. Christmastime. Noël. Nativity. Yuletide. Even the many different words we use to describe the Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ reflects how this festival was born of a wide array of cultures....

While most ancient rights of honor suicides were performed by women, Jauhar was performed exclusively by women. Wikimedia CommonsA depictiron of women committing Jauhar, as men ride into battle. In cultures that place a higher value on honor than life, suicide is preferable to capture by the enemy and disgrace. From the seppuku of the Japanese, to the mass suicides of Jews at Masada, versions of honor suicides have been recorded all over the world....

In 1984, Jeff Doucet kidnapped and sexually abused 11-year-old Jody Plauché — then Jody’s father Gary Plauché made sure he never did it again. To anyone walking through Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport on March 16, 1984, Gary Plauché looked like a man making an innocent phone call. But he had actually come to the airport to kill Jeff Doucet, who had been arrested for kidnapping and molesting his son, Jody Plauché....

Right after having sex with Travis Alexander, Jodi Arias fatally stabbed him, slit his throat, and shot him in the head in his Arizona home on June 4, 2008. Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and/or images of violent, disturbing, or otherwise potentially distressing events. In the beginning, Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander’s love story seemed like a fairytale. After meeting by chance in 2006, they soon began an intense relationship....

After luring 18-year-old Jolee Callan onto a hike “as friends,” ex-boyfriend Loren Bunner shot her and shoved her off a cliff. Then, he nearly escaped justice after claiming that he was on the autism spectrum. Jolee Callan had her whole life ahead of her. The 18-year-old had a new boyfriend and was about to begin college when she agreed to meet her ex-boyfriend, Loren Daniel Bunner, for one last hiking trip....

Born John Wilson Vermillion, “Texas Jack” rode with Wyatt Earp on the legendary lawman’s Vendetta Ride of 1882 — and became one of the most fearsome gunfighters of the Old West. Wikimedia CommonsJohn “Texas Jack” Vermillion was present at some of the most famous events which shaped the legend of the Wild West. No one knows for sure how John Wilson Vermillion became “Texas Jack,” a famed gunfighter who gained lasting fame for his skill with a pistol and his association with the legendary Wyatt Earp....

Father Dave Holloway and a private investigator may have finally tracked down the remains of the girl who disappeared in Aruba 12 years ago. The case of the disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway while vacationing in Aruba in 2005 captured the attention of the American public. Now, 12 years after her disappearance, it is likely that her body has been recovered. USA Today reports that Natalee Holloway’s father Dave Holloway has discovered what he believes to be the body of his daughter in Aruba....

The moth, called “xanthopan praedicta,” or “Wallace’s sphinx moth,” has a tongue that stretches nearly one foot long. Minet et al. 2021Wallace’s sphinx moth, top, has a much longer tongue than the similar Morgan sphinx moth. While studying the long-necked Madagascar star orchid in 1862, Charles Darwin suddenly had an exciting thought. Some insects, he mused, must have a tongue long enough to feed on the plant. “Good heavens,” he exclaimed to a friend, “what insect can suck it!...

“The people directly affected are no longer with us. But this also touches their families and the children.” Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty ImagesGerman women carrying children of the Lebensborn program. The Norwegian government has officially apologized to women who were persecuted for the relationships that they had with Nazi soldiers during World War II. The New York Times reported that Prime Minister Erna Solberg issued the apology at an event on Oct. 23 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights....

You probably know that Russia remains both a formidable world power and a place of severe inequality. But here are 32 more Russia facts that you probably don’t know. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 1 of 33Russia has a National Sex Day when the population is encouraged to stay home from work and make babies....

At 107, Louise Signore is in better shape than most. She has no walking or breathing aid, and enjoys dancing and bingo every day. Councilman Andy KingLouise Jean Signore celebrates her 107th birthday, making her one of the oldest living residents in New York. Several spectacular things happened in 1912. Among them, Woodrow Wilson beat out Teddy Roosevelt to become President of the United States, a new nation called the Republic of China had just been founded, and history’s most heralded ship, the RMS Titanic, sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean....

Terry Rasmussen was the serial killer behind the “Bear Brook Murders” in New Hampshire — and his many aliases ensured he wasn’t found out until after he died in prison in 2010. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department, Arizona.Terry Rasmussen’s 1973 mug shot. On Nov. 10, 1985, two brothers were hunting in Bear Brook State Park, bordering Allenstown, New Hampshire. Off a trail, one of the brothers noticed an oil barrel turned on its side....

Like many Christian sects, Tsarist Russia’s Skoptsy believed sex was a sin. Unlike most sects, they also believed that the only way to get to heaven was to cut off their own genitals. Russia Beyond Skoptsy’s ability to unite the isolated masses of Russia made the sect stick, and surviving long after the death of its founding fathers. In their devout faith, followers of Tsarist Russia’s Skoptsy sect could be compared to Orthodox Christians....

Scientists were surprised to find that the Tsimané people in Bolivia experience less brain atrophy than Westerners since the tribe has no access to modern medicine. Tsimané Health and Life History Project TeamA member of the Tsimané tribe in Bolivia. Scientists already had a clue that the Tsimané, a tribe of about 16,000, had excellent health. A 2017 study demonstrated that they had the healthiest hearts in the world. Now, a 2021 study has confirmed that the Tsimané don’t only have healthier hearts — their brains are more robust, too....

A sharp-eyed volunteer spotted the print, which is based on a series of watercolors Salvador Dalí produced in homage to Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” Seaside Art GalleryThe print is based on a series of 100 illustrations Dalí created in the 1950s. The artwork donated to Hotline Pink Thrift Store in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, often arrives dusty and in broken frames. Customers sometimes skip right past it. But one piece recently caught the attention of a volunteer — and it turned out to be a genuine Salvador Dalí woodblock print....

Holocaust poll reveals mass ignorance, one little bone rewrites early human history, analysis shows that fabled Viking sunstones may have been real. Shocking Number Of Millennials Ignorant Of Holocaust, Poll Finds Alexander Vorontsov/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty ImagesA group of child survivors stand behind a barbed wire fence at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on the day of the camp’s liberation. January 27, 1945. A majority of people polled in a comprehensive national study believe something like the Holocaust could happen again....

Historic woolly mammoth remains unearthed in New Mexico, Maya balls made of human ashes found in Mexico, ancient China’s bronze recipe unlocked. 37,000-Year-Old Mammoth Butchering Site Could Upend Timeline Of When Humans Arrived In North America Timothy Rowe/The University of Texas at AustinPaleontologist Timothy Rowe literally happened upon these historic remains right in his own backyard after his neighbor saw a mammoth tusk peeking out of the ground on a hillside on Rowe’s property....

When Maria Victoria Henao fell in love with Pablo Escobar, she had no idea that he would be the future kingpin of the Medellín Cartel. YouTubeMaria Victoria Henao, the wife of Pablo Escobar, in an undated photo. According to Maria Victoria Henao, she met the “love of her life” when she was just 12 years old. She described the 23-year-old man as “affectionate,” “sweet,” and “a gentleman” — not the first words most people would use to describe the infamous cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar....