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The U.S. has aligned itself with some truly brutal regimes in order to promote and protect its own interests. For thousands around the world, that alliance has proven fatal. The United States has historically forged alliances with some pretty questionable if not absolutely cruel regimes. The received wisdom is that the U.S. sometimes has to support these groups, if only to keep the “worse” ones in check. A quick look at recent history, however, makes one question at what cost these alliances have come....

In 2002, Brian David Mitchell abducted Elizabeth Smart in Salt Lake City because he believed he was a “prophet” who needed seven virgin wives to fulfill his mission. On an otherwise ordinary night in June 2002, a bedraggled man crept into the Smart family home in Salt Lake City, Utah. His name was Brian David Mitchell, and he was allegedly consumed with the conviction that he was a Mormon prophet who needed to collect seven child brides....

Chester Nimitz joined the U.S. Navy as a last resort but would go on to become one of its greatest admirals after pioneering a new form of naval warfare that won the battle for the Pacific. Wikimedia CommonsAdmiral Chester Nimitz in 1942. Admiral Chester Nimitz was not the most senior officer in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, but he was arguably the most important. Beginning in 1941, just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, his vision and drive in the Pacific Theater led to victory over Japan....

Image Source: Pinterest Crossing the path of a black cat portends misfortune to come. Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. Walking under a ladder is just asking for trouble. These common superstitions have permeated our culture for thousands of years, leaving some of their sinister origins long since forgotten… Black Cats Image Source: 7-themes Not every culture has feared the dark feline. In ancient Egypt, an all-black cat was considered a rarity and a sign of good luck....

The good news? We’re recycling in space! The bad news? It’s a little stomach churning. New York Daily NewsAstronauts could be reusing their own waste for food before you know it. The good news is, that scientists have found a way to reduce, reuse, and recycle up in space, by saving room on space shuttles and conserving energy in the International Space Station. The bad news is that it involves a crapload of… crap....

From teaching Rosa Parks how to protest to organizing student activists, Ella Baker was one of America’s most tireless civil rights leaders — all while operating largely behind the scenes. Wikimedia CommonsRespected yet widely overlooked civil rights pioneer Ella Baker gives an impassioned speech in 1964. Ella Baker had an enormous influence on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Without her deft touch, several African-American organizations at the time might not have been so successful....

In addition to the “swearing bowls” from ancient Iraq, authorities seized rare coins, weapons, glassware, and ivory furniture inlays — some of which dated to biblical times. Israel Antiquities AuthorityThe bowls feature inscriptions written in Aramaic and Hebrew. In a recent raid on a home in Jerusalem, Israeli police uncovered a trove of stolen artifacts. Among them were three 1,500-year-old “swearing bowls.” These vessels are otherwise known as “incantation bowls,” and they were used by ancient inhabitants of what is today Iraq, according to the The Times Of Israel evil spirits from their homes....

The discovery comes just weeks after more than 200 children were found buried at a different former boarding school in Canada. St. Boniface Historical SocietyMarieval Indian Residential School For decades, a terrible question has haunted Indigenous people in Canada. Where did the children go? Thousands were forced to enroll at religious schools in the 20th century. And thousands never came home. Now, the discovery of as many as 751 bodies at a former school has confirmed what many families long feared....

The ancient flying reptile dubbed Thanatosdrakon amaru lived on Earth between 146 million and 66 million years. Leonardo D. Ortiz DavidThis ancient flying reptile once dominated the skies over South America. While supervising a civil construction project near Mendoza, Argentina, paleontologists made an incredible find. There in the rock, they uncovered the fossilized remains of two ancient flying reptiles that appeared to belong to a new species of pterosaur. They’ve dubbed the find Thanatosdrakon amaru, or “dragon of death....

In the summer of 2015, a routine U.S. military exercise called Jade Helm 15 led to mass hysteria over an imminent invasion of Texas. Now, we might know why — and the reason is frightening. Dallas NewsResidents of the state were so concerned about the U.S. military’s Jade Helm 15 training operation that Governor Abbott ordered the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercise. When the U.S. military prepared to run a routine training exercise between July and September 2015 called Jade Helm 15, suspicious Americans in Texas and beyond took notice; at first with concern, then with panic....

Over the course of 7 years, photographer Dana Lixenberg shot homeless individuals from Jeffersonville, Indiana in this transfixing series. Source: Dana Lixenberg The pages of Jeffersonville, Indiana are filled with portraits of homeless individuals. And yet, you won’t find images of these people standing on street corners or huddled beneath doorsteps. When photographer Dana Lixenberg set out to capture the essence of these men, women and children, she decided to shoot them away from their circumstances....

For decades, scientists could not agree on whether to classify the Dickinsonia as an animal or not — until this new study showed that it is actually the oldest known animal. Australian National UniversityThe Dickinsonia fossil. A decades-long debate over a 558 million-year-old fossil has now been settled after scientists were able to identify it as one of the Earth’s earliest known animals. The fossil, Dickinsonia, was first discovered back in 1947 by Australian scientists inside a Russian cliff near the White Sea....

See the chilling terrorism timeline of the last 15 years as an animated map. Efforts to combat terrorism were ratcheted up further than ever after the attacks in Paris last month, predictably resulting in actions like renewed airstrikes and reformatted immigration policies. But terrorism isn’t a new problem, and it’s not only a problem for the Western world – it’s been an increasingly large problem for most of the world year after year....

A descendant of Inca royalty, Túpac Amaru II led one of the bloodiest revolutions against Spanish colonization until his brutal execution in 1781. Unknown/Wikimedia CommonsThe earliest known image of Túpac Amaru. Lima. C. 1784-1806. Until his gruesome execution in 1781, Indigenous Peruvian leader Túpac Amaru II led one of the bloodiest revolutions in American history. Fighting against Spanish colonization, Amaru and his legion of Indigenous rebels sought to overthrow the Spanish and reinstate himself as the supposed descendant of the last Inca king, Túpac Amaru....

There’s cold and then there’s Antarctica. Ted Scambos/NSIDC/CU BoulderThe East Antarctic Plateau. It’s the coldest place on Earth. And as it turns out, it’s even colder than we thought. In 2013, based on remote satellite data scientists announced that they had found surface temperatures of -135 degrees fahrenheit on a snowy plateau in East Antarctica, which is the coldest place on earth. However, a new study with updated data has found that the coldest site has actually reached an unbelievable -144 degrees fahrenheit....

Ever wondered where some ever-present idioms originated from in the English language? We’ve researched the interesting origins of common English idioms and traced back their fascinating and sometimes bizarre history: “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” Definition: Literally, always being a bridesmaid and never a bride. More figuratively, it is a forlorn saying for women when they can’t find love. Origin: This gem of an idiom was first recorded in a Victorian music hall tune, “Why Am I Always A Bridesmaid?...

In the mid-19th century, Mattie Blaylock left her farm life in Iowa behind and eloped with Wyatt Earp, but ended up abandoned by the lawman after the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Wikimedia CommonsMattie Blaylock ran away from home when she was 18. Mattie Blaylock spent her entire childhood learning scripture and attending church. Raised by devout parents on Iowa farmland, she yearned for freedom and a life of adventure. With no intentions to waste time and wait to be married off, Blaylock took destiny into her own hands and ran off — then met a man named Wyatt Earp....

Indigenous bow from the 16th century found in Alaska, ancient reindeer hunting tools unearthed in Norway, Anne Boleyn’s heraldic falcon discovered in England. 500-Year-Old Indigenous Hunting Bow Found In Near-Perfect Condition In An Alaskan Lake J. Rogers/NPSExperts believe that the cold waters of Lake Clark allowed this bow to survive some five centuries with almost no signs of decay. For thousands of years, the area surrounding Alaska’s Lake Clark has been home to the Dena’ina people....

Jack the Ripper possibly unmasked, theory about religion’s role in human development debunked, Hitler’s goddaughter laid to rest. Jack The Ripper Possibly Identified By DNA Tests As Polish Barber Aaron Kosminski Wikimedia CommonsCould Aaron Kosminski, a Polish barber, be responsible for the horrific crimes depicted here in 1888’s The Police Gazette? Jack the Ripper’s notorious legacy as the Victorian Era’s most infamous serial killer has captivated people for generations. His anonymous identity has certainly lent to his mystique, but a new study using DNA analysis claims to have just put a swift end to that....

Tom Otterness sculpted some of New York’s most famous subway art, but little do commuters know he has a sordid history. Flick/dancingdentist This Tom Otterness sculpture greets people waiting for a subway at New York City’s 8th Avenue and 14th Street station. Tom Otterness adopted a dog from a New York City shelter in 1977. Shortly afterward, he shot the killed the dog in the name of art. Aptly named Shot Dog Film, Otterness was 25 when he made it....