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The first ichthyosaur fossil was discovered around 1818 and was thought lost after World War II, but researchers have found two casts in the United States and Germany. The University of ManchesterDean Lomax, the lead author of the recent study, with the ichthyosaur cast found in Berlin, Germany. Shortly after midnight on May 11, 1941, a Nazi bomb hit the Royal College of Surgeons in London, England. The explosion severely damaged the building and destroyed thousands of specimens it held in its collection, including the first complete fossil of the extinct ichthyosaur....

You could never accuse Spain of being dull. Every January on Saint Sebastian Day in the city of Piornal, a man dons the colorful armor of the devil-like folk character Jarramplas, grabs a drum, and walks down the city’s cobblestone alleys as residents pelt him with turnips. The turnip storm continues until the masked man gives up – but that could take a while. It’s a point of pride to see how long someone can last as Jarramplas, so much so that parents in Spain’s Cáceres province sign their children up at birth for a spot on the 20-year-long waiting list....

Also known as the wooden horse or the chevalet, variations of the Spanish donkey were used from the Middle Ages all the way up until the American Civil War in the 1860s. Wikimedia CommonsA Spanish donkey (left) in the Inquisitor’s Palace in Birgu, Malta. The Spanish donkey might sound like an overpriced cocktail, but the pain it delivered was far worse than a hangover. Otherwise known as the wooden horse or chevalet, it was a torture device utilized by Jesuits, Civil War soldiers, and even Paul Revere himself....

On February 16, 1981, Arne Cheyenne Johnson fatally stabbed his landlord Alan Bono — and then said the Devil made him do it. At first, the 1981 murder of Alan Bono appeared to be an open-and-shut case in Brookfield, Connecticut. To the police, it was clear that the 40-year-old landlord had been killed by his tenant Arne Cheyenne Johnson during a violent argument. But after his arrest, Johnson made an incredible claim: The Devil made him do it....

This is some next-level wine thievery. It’s a scene that seems ripped right from the Ocean’s Eleven trilogy. Burglars in Paris use a high-powered drill to bore through tough terrain to earn a big score. Except this one is all too real. According to The Local, thieves descended into the city’s Catacombs on Monday night beneath the upscale sixth arrondissement. There, in the expansive series of underground tunnels housing scores of human remains, the thieves drilled a into the wine cellar of an adjacent home....

Ancient Chinese couples’ remains found locked in an eternal embrace, perfectly-preserved bodies discovered at Pompeii, prehistoric turtle egg unearthed with an embryo inside. Remains Of Chinese Couple Found In An Embrace 6,000 Years After They Were Buried XinhuaThe man had his arms wrapped around the woman’s waist while she had her head nestled against his chest. Some 6,000 years ago, scores of people living under China’s Northern Wei dynasty became absorbed in one of the latest trends in storytelling: tales of lovers who committed suicide in order to be together forever in the afterlife....

A Kentucky hunter received backlash after she posted photos of her smiling over the black giraffe that she shot and killed. In a TV interview, she argued that she was contributing to conservation efforts. Tess Thompson Talley/FacebookTrophy hunter Tess Talley hugs the body of the dead black giraffe she killed and thanks the Lord during a hunt in South Africa. In 2018, South African news outlet Africland Post tweeted side-by-side photos of a woman posing with a dead black giraffe and a rifle in her left arm....

Was Wayne Williams a police scapegoat in the Atlanta Child Murders, or was he a hardened serial killer who’s still denying his crimes four decades later? From 1979 to 1981, there were about 29 murders in the Atlanta area that appeared to be linked. Most of the victims were boys, and all of them were black. The majority were young — and some were even children. The community thus dubbed the killing spree the Atlanta Child Murders....

Bringing in the world’s best and brightest innovators, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair transformed the way we look at exhibitions forever. A ticket to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Source: Blogspot Up to the moment that the Chicago World’s Fair opened to the public on May 1, 1893, crews scrambled to replant landscaping that had been washed away in a torrential rain storm. Puddles drowned the newly sodded lawns and some paint was still wet, but to the eyes of that day’s fairgoers, it was nothing short of a photo finish....

Amethyst Realm is a 27-year-old “spiritual guidance counselor” who claims that, after having sex with ghosts, she’ll never go back to men. YoutubeAmethyst Realm, the girl who sleeps with ghosts. A woman in Bristol, England claims that she’s had sex with at least 20 different ghosts in the past 12 years — and that she prefers them to men. Amethyst Realm, a 27-year-old “spiritual guidance counselor” appeared on the British morning show ITV This Morning to discuss her various encounters:...

These bizarre and seemingly unbelievable coincidences in history will leave you wondering “what were the chances?” Coincidences that seem too strange to be true happen more than we think. The Law of Large Numbers dictates that random events like the following are bound to happen — but that doesn’t make it any less amazing when they do. Here are eighteen real historical coincidences that seem too crazy to be true:...

These Muammar Gaddafi facts illustrate that this controversial Libyan leader is marked by both unparalleled successes and dramatic failures. Muammar Gaddafi came out of the Libyan hinterlands in the 1960s to overtake the oil-rich and underdeveloped country. Over more than 40 years in power, his bizarre personal style and boundless ambition created a Libyan state that seemed to have one part in a well-funded future utopia and another part in a regressive despotism....

Between 1919 and 1947, William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan constructed a sprawling palace in San Simeon, California complete with 165 rooms, elaborate swimming pools, and even a private zoo. Nestled in the Santa Lucia Mountains of California’s central coast is a lavish estate called Hearst Castle. Also known as “La Cuesta Encantada” or “Enchanted Hill,” the expansive home was built by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst between 1919 and 1947....

Kodak moments were born toward the end of the 19th century, ushering in an age of populist art and memory via snapshots. The Kodak Company, founded by Robert Eastman in 1888, is widely credited for bringing photography to the masses. Eastman pioneered the use of photographic film and ‘film rolls’ that would quickly take the place of collodion and gelatin dry plates. With the advent of photographic film, and the release of his $25 camera (valued at $600 today) simply known as the Kodak No....

Over the last 20 years, the American bumblebee has seen a staggering decline in population due to habitat loss, disease, and pesticides. Wikimedia CommonsThe American bumblebee is an essential pollinator for crops like tomatoes, melons, peppers, and strawberries. Though their importance may be lost on many of us, American bumblebees are in fact a crucial part of the country’s ecosystem, pollinating a wide range of flowers and crops. However, their numbers have been dwindling over the years due to threats to their habitat such as the overuse of pesticides — and now things are looking even more dire than expected....

Betty Reid Soskin endured segregation, contributed to civilian efforts during World War II, and founded one of the first Black-owned record stores — all before becoming the oldest park ranger in America. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesNational Park Service Ranger Betty Reid Soskin retired after nearly 16 years of service. When the National Park Service hired Betty Reid Soskin in 2006, they found a treasure trove of Black American history. She had endured segregation, worked as a wartime file clerk, and participated in activism during the civil rights era....

The contents of six mortuary chests in Winchester Cathedral have finally been analyzed and radiocarbon-dated. As it stands, all signs point toward Queen Emma of Normandy being one of the 23 individuals. Winchester CathedralThe six chests were though to contain the remains of 12-15 people, with latest analysis showing at least 23 sets of remains. When anthropologists from the University of Bristol found six mortuary chests in Winchester Cathedral, they carefully analyzed and radiocarbon-dated its contents....

Researchers dated a set of animal bones found in Coxcatlán Cave to around 30,000 years ago — completely upending previous estimates of when humans first arrived in the Americas. Page MuseumRadiocarbon-dating of a set of bones found in a cave used by early man might suggest humans arrived in America 20,000 years earlier than believed, long before the migration across the Bering Land Bridge. Until recently, it was widely believed that the first humans settled in America after crossing the Bering Land Bridge from Asia about 10,000 years ago....

Under Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela’s leadership, the Colombian Cali Cartel became a cocaine trafficking empire that outlasted even Pablo Escobar’s cartel. DEAGilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and his brother Miguel helped build the powerful Cali Cartel. When it comes to Colombian drug lords, Pablo Escobar is undoubtedly the most well-known, notorious for his violence and intimidation. But Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela used a different strategy — based on discretion and strategic alliances — to build his Cali Cartel into an international powerhouse that outlived even Escobar’s....

These fascinating hip-hop origins photos show how the music and the culture that sprang up around it were first born. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 1 of 28The Eastwood Rockers breakdancing on the sidewalk. 1984.Eddie Barford/Mirrorpix/Getty Images 2 of 28Breakdancers and b-boys on the street. 1981.PYMCA/UIG via Getty Images 3 of 28The Sugar Hill Gang performs on stage....