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Source: Wikipedia Children are a blessing, so says the sage, but you’d never know that by watching the way adults have treated kids for centuries. Because of their small size and lack of development, children are uniquely vulnerable to mistreatment at the hands of the larger, allegedly more sophisticated, grown-ups. In most contexts, this intrinsic helplessness motivates the protective instincts even of adults who aren’t related to the child. Unfortunately, that very helplessness has historically encouraged some people to take advantage of children....

Before Black History Month is over, take some time to learn about these relatively unknown black leaders throughout American history. Fifty years ago the United States Congress passed the historic Voting Rights Act, which formally ended racial discrimination in voting. While a landmark achievement in its own right, the legislation would not have been possible had it not been for the decades of backbreaking work on behalf of civil rights activists around the country....

From singing trees to laser harps to vegetable clarinets, these weird musical instruments are as spectacular as they are strange. Source: Deviant Art Weird Musical Instruments: The Majestic Bellowphone Source: VICE Known as the Dr. Seuss of music, Leonard Solomon is the proud creator of the Majestic Bellowphone. While it looks like something that the Grinch might find underneath Whoville’s Christmas tree, don’t be fooled by its odd appearance. Handcrafted from the likes of train whistles, coat hangers, toasters, bike horns and bits of brass, the Bellowphone can hold a rather decent tune and has tackled everything from Mozart to Brahms....

From the full-sized weaponry to their personal items, the grave notably differs from all other burials found from the ancient Tagar culture. Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of SciencesThe grave contained a couple in their 30s or 40s, an older women in her 60s, and a month-old infant. Archaeologists in Siberia have discovered a 2,500-year-old grave containing the remains of four people from the ancient Tagar culture. The burial was littered with weapons and artifacts and held the skeletons of two warriors, one older woman — and a month-old infant....

The three human skulls from the Congo had once belonged to Belgian King Leopold II and bear inscriptions and jewels. Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and/or images of violent, disturbing, or otherwise potentially distressing events. Drouot and VanderkindereTwo of the skulls, which were estimated to sell for between €750 and €1,000. The Vanderkindere Auction House in Brussels, Belgium, routinely auctions off paintings, jewels, and fur coats. But they recently offered up a gruesome artifact for sale — three skulls from the Congo that dated back to Belgium’s colonial past....

When police started receiving calls about leopard sightings in the area, the Hangzhou Safari Park denied any involvement for over two weeks, fearing lost revenue during a holiday weekend. Feature China/Barcroft Media/Getty ImagesA manned drone combing the Hangzhou search area for a third escaped leopard on May 9, 2021. When residents of the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou were recently given strict orders to remain indoors, the news actually had nothing to do with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic....

Adam Castillejo was tragically diagnosed with both HIV and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In a miraculous twist, a stem cell treatment for the latter has cured him of the former. FacebookThe 40-year-old Londoner decided to reveal his identity and serve as an inspirational figure for those similarly afflicted. In 2011, Timothy Ray Brown was known to the world as the “Berlin patient,” the only person in history functionally cured of HIV/AIDS. Now, according to a new case report published in The Lancet HIV journal, Brown is no longer alone....

Between 2005 and 2008, Gary Hilton stalked hiking trails across the American South, searching for people to mutilate. He took at least four victims before he was finally caught. Cobb County Sheriff’s OfficeGary Hilton robbed people on remote hiking trails — and then dismembered them. Meredith Emerson was the epitome of an all-American girl. The 24-year-old had recently graduated from the University of Georgia with honors and had a bright future ahead of her — until she met Gary Hilton....

Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz was a German attaché serving in Copenhagen who sprang into action in 1943 to warn the country’s 7,800 Jews of the Nazis’ imminent plans to ship them off to concentration camps. Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance CenterGeorg Ferdinand Duckwitz, in an undated photo. He started as a member of the Nazi party. Yet, Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz chose to warn occupied Denmark about the impending transfer of Jews to concentration camps by the Germans....

Stuart Diver survived a landslide that killed everyone else involved. He just has to wait over two days to be saved. Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesRescue workers pull survivor Stuart Diver from the wreckage of the Carinya and Bimbadeem lodges, following the Thredbo Landslide in the Kosciuoszko National Park. On July 30, 1997, over 1,000 tons of debris came crashing down a slope in an Australian ski resort. The Thredbo Landslide took out two ski lodges and buried 19 people....

During the Nanking Massacre and the Japanese invasion of China, Nazis like John Rabe and Alexander von Falkenhausen saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 1 of 39German war correspondent Walter Bosshard helps a wounded Chinese man into his car to take him to safety. Beijing, China. 1937.Walter Bosshard/ullstein bild via Getty Images 2 of 39Japanese soldiers advance on a German-designed fortification....

105 years ago, an American explorer “discovered” Machu Picchu. Just what do we know about this world wonder? Discover historical Machu Picchu Facts, and the future of the legendary site. Photo courtesy of Teresa Cantero. Use by permission. All rights reserved. It was July 24th, 1911. Hiram Bingham, an American explorer, arrived at Machu Picchu after a local farmer told him about some ruins on top of a mountain. The farmer’s 11 year old son joined Bingham to show him the route....

The man behind the bomb threat is now in police custody and scheduled to appear at a mental competency hearing before being put on trial. Orleans Justice Center JailArthur Posey’s mug shot. Employees at a restaurant in Louisiana got the scare of a lifetime when a man entered their workplace and threatened to blow it up — but the man behind the alleged threat is telling police that there was simply a miscommunication....

There are actually thousands of sites like Stonehenge across Europe. And one of them may have just unlocked the mysteries of the iconic megalith’s origins. Wikimedia Commons Stonehenge is undoubtedly iconic, though as it turns out, it’s far from unique. There are, in fact, thousands of similar sites that feature gargantuan rocks spread across Europe — and a new study suggests that this may be because this sort of thing was simply fashionable....

Poachers have killed ten elephants in Zimbabwe using cyanide poison. The increasingly popular killing method is said to be slow and painful. EIA InternationalAn elephant poisoned with cyanide. As animal rights activists work to protect Africa’s most beautiful and endangered animals, poachers continue to find sneakier and more horrific ways to kill them. Last week, ten elephants were found dead in and around Zimbabwe’s premier game reserve. A bucket of poison was found nearby....

A Texas couple called the police to report stolen tires. It backfired when the cops found a massive amount of meth in their tractor-trailer. Chambers County Sheriff’s OfficeDan and Bianca Roba. Deputies in Texas have made a massive drug bust, leading to first-degree felony charges. And it was all thanks to the two people who were arrested in connection with it. The married couple, Dan Roba and Bianca Roba, notified the police at around 7:15 a....

The very first movie sequel, remake, and reboot are all much older than you think. Most may not realize it, but Hollywood has been cashing in on all three for a long, long time. Everyone has either heard complaints or complained themselves about Hollywood’s seemingly overwhelming wave of sequels, remakes, and reboots. And that complaint is almost always informed by the notion that Hollywood is running out of creative fuel....

Turns out the winter sculpture has served more than just aesthetic purposes. If there’s a white, fluffy layer of snow on the ground, odds are you’re itching to play in it. And if you’re playing in the snow, what else would you do but roll it into a ball? And then another, slightly smaller one. And then a third. Stick on some arms, a face and maybe some accessories, and voila: You’ve become a part of a millennia-long tradition....

Mystery of Mayan collapse uncovered, builders and purpose of Stonehenge revealed, thousands of WWII weapons found under Japanese school. Researchers Finally Uncover What Wiped Out The Mayan Civilization Laslovarga/Wikimedia CommonsTikal, an ancient Mayan city that dates from 800 B.C. to 900 A.D. Many theories have been explored to try and explain the collapse of the Maya civilization. For years, evidence trying to prove these theories had been inconclusive – until now....

Nazi camp guard on trial at age 94, mystery of Earth’s oldest natural mummy finally solved, dirty joke found on 2,000-year-old bathroom mosaic. 94-Year-Old Former Nazi Concentration Camp Guard Goes On Trial In Germany Getty ImagesJohann Rehbogen, whose face is obscured on court order, attends his trial in Germany on Nov. 6, 2018. A former Nazi SS guard at a concentration camp during the Holocaust is now on trial for his alleged role in hundreds of murders that happened on his watch....