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Ever since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, thousands of 9/11 first responders have fallen victim to cancer and other terminal illnesses. BETH A. KEISER/AFP/Getty Images 9/11 first responders search through the rubble of the World Trade Center on September 13, 2001. On September 11, 2001, American life changed forever. Nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.S. passenger planes and launched attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. As the disaster unfolded, thousands of 9/11 first responders rushed to help the survivors....

Identity politics can lead to some truly violent outcomes. Case in point: the Aryan Brotherhood. The 1950s and 60s Civil Rights movement brought about sweeping changes — including some in prisons. Desegregation extended behind bars as well, and as inmates of all races started mixing on the yards and in the showers, the violence got to be more than prison guards could control. In self-defense, prisoners began forming racially exclusive gangs that still occupy every prison block in the country to this day....

British tracker and naturalist Edward James Corbett was commissioned by the Indian government to kill some 30 leopards, panthers, and tigers in the early 20th century. Wikimedia CommonsJim Corbett and the slain “Bachelor of Powalgarh” in 1930. Jim Corbett was a man of many talents. Born in British India in the late 1800s, his versatility was seemingly a prerequisite for survival. A child of the Kumaon region, its forests inspired his lifelong effort to protect animals and people alike....

These eye-popping images from Kumbh Mela reveal what it’s like when 100 million people come together for this one-of-a-kind event. Daniel Berehulak/Getty ImagesNaga Sadhus, naked Hindu holy men, walk in procession after having bathed on the banks of the holy rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, during the Maha Kumbh Mela on February 10, 2013 in Allahabad, India. LEGEND HOLDS THAT KUMBH MELA originated in an ancient battle between gods and demons for the elixir of immortality....

Noor Khan may have been born royal, but she proved herself an invaluable asset to the Allies during World War II. Noor Khan in her army uniform. Noor Khan was a poet and children’s book author. She was also a princess and Britain’s first Muslim war heroine. The Shy, Quiet Child Who Grew Up To Be A War Hero Noor Inayat Khan was born in Moscow in 1914 to remarkable parents....

Found on remote New Zealand islands, the kakapo is a giant flightless parrot that has become critically endangered because of predation and human encroachment. Kakapo birds are one of the most interesting creatures in the world. They are the heaviest parrot species on Earth, and their almost prehistoric look makes them stand out like a sore feather. Andrew Digby/TwitterKakapo birds, also known as owl parrots, are a species of large parrots indigenous to the islands of New Zealand....

Tex Watson was just a young guy from Texas in 1969 when he came under the spell of drugs and Charles Manson — and helped kill seven people. Wikimedia Commons Tex Watson’s mugshot from prison in California, 1971. Tex Watson, known as Charles Watson to his family, was a normal kid — an exceptional one, even. In his hometown of Farmersville, Texas, about an hour northeast of Dallas, he attended church and became a youth group leader in his home state of Texas, was an A student, and a star athlete in football, basketball, and track....

On November 24, 1971, a man known as D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane headed from Portland to Seattle, collected an enormous ransom, and then simply vanished into thin air. Fifty years ago, a mystery man known as Dan Cooper, a.k.a. D.B. Cooper, pulled off one of the most jaw-dropping heists in recorded history. Over the course of a few hours on November 24, 1971, he hijacked a plane, stole $200,000, and then escaped via parachute — never to be seen again....

After hanging himself in his Detroit hotel room on May 18, 2017, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell was found dead at the age of just 52. Buda Mendes/Getty Images As the lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave, Chris Cornell was a living legend of the grunge era. Here, the singer performs at Lollapalooza Brazil in 2014. Chris Cornell’s death was shocking — but it wasn’t a complete surprise. After all, the Soundgarden frontman had a long history of drug addiction and depression before his apparent suicide in Detroit on May 18, 2017....

The Warren Commission concluded in 1964 that the same “magic bullet” that struck President Kennedy proceeded to slice through multiple layers of skin, bone, clothing, and muscle tissue. The crazy thing is, it’s not as crazy as it sounds. On Nov. 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald fired off a shot with enormous repercussions. The bullets that left his bolt-action Carcano M 91/38 rifle from a sixth-floor window of the Texas School Book Depository in downtown Dallas killed the president of the United States, and — depending on who you ask — one of them defied the laws of physics as we know them....

The original Ronald McDonald looked nothing like he does today. Here’s the strange tale of America’s most famous obesity-themed clown. The original Ronald McDonald. You probably don’t want fries with that. McDonald’s has had some memorable fiascos in their 60-plus-year reign as fast food king, but it seems the people behind the Golden Arches always find a way to regroup and return even stronger than before. And this is especially true of the face of the business himself: Ronald McDonald....

Cold War radioactivity discovered in today’s honey, ancient warriors may be cloned in Russia, victim of prehistoric cannibal slaughter identified. American Honey Is Riddled With Radioactivity From Nuclear Tests Conducted During The Cold War Library of CongressThe mushroom cloud resulting from an underwater U.S. nuclear test at Bikini Atoll in July 1946. Since 1945, the U.S. has tested more than 1,000 nuclear bombs, unleashing some 27,000 times the atomic yield that devastated Hiroshima....

Galilee’s storied Church of the Apostles uncovered, gangster John Dillinger’s body to be exhumed, Iron Age woman buried in tree trunk unearthed. Archaeologists Discover Early Christian “Church Of The Apostles” In Galilee Zachary WongThe Beit Habek excavations in have uncovered a Byzantine-era church believed to have been built over the home of Jesus’ earliest disciples, Peter and Andrew. Archaeologists digging along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee believe they’ve found the storied Church of the Apostles, supposedly built atop the former home of two of Jesus’ earliest disciples, Peter and Andrew....

Located in the Moc Chau Island park in the northwestern province of Son La, the Back Long pedestrian bridge spans over 2,000 feet above a 490-foot-deep gorge. NHAC NGUYEN/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Bach Long bridge opened on April 29, 2022, to coincide with the 47th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Two long years after closing its borders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam ended its travel restrictions and reopened to visitors in March 2022....

In an attempt to understand a non-white life in America, John Griffin dyed his skin “black” and set off to the South. His experience, recounted in Black Like Me was, as you might expect, painful. In November 1959, John Griffin set out on one of the most challenging experiences of his life. Previously, the 39-year-old had served in the U.S. military, where shrapnel caused him to go temporarily blind. But this year, Griffin would do something even more trying: He would live for six weeks as a black man in the American South....

Mx, a new entry on Dictionary.com, reflects evolving understandings of gender and identity in the 21st century Caitlyn Jenner has brought much popular attention to trans issues. Image Source: Flickr “Hello, Mx. Smith.” That’s not a typo in the above prefix — it represents one way to appropriately address an individual whose gender doesn’t fit the binary man/woman bill, and it’s just appeared on Dictionary.com. The online dictionary defines the prefix as “a title of respect prefixed to a person’s surname: unlike Mr....

Abandoned for three decades, the mansion’s new owner launched renovation work in January. It only took a month for workers to find the cut and broken bones of a father missing for 30 years. TwitterThe abandoned mansion in Paris’ 7th Arrondissement sold for nearly six times its reserve price in January. Renovation work at an abandoned mansion in Paris ground to an unexpected halt after workers discovered a corpse that had been decomposing in the basement for 30 years....

James Dean was just 24 when he died in a car crash back in 1955, but his legacy lives on forever. These iconic photos are all the proof you need. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: 1 of 34By the time of his death, James Dean had only one major motion picture under his belt, East Of Eden....

From a monk who mummified himself inside a statue to a tower made of human skulls, discover some of the most chilling artifacts ever unearthed. History is full of astonishing discoveries — some of which are downright disturbing. There’s no question that this Earth has seen its fair share of real-life horror stories throughout the millennia. From bloody wars to human sacrifices to gruesome executions, it’s little wonder why creepy artifacts keep popping up all over the world....

Humans take 93 million selfies per day. And if that number disturbs you, just wait until you see this infographic breakdown of selfie deaths. Russian daredevil Instagrammer Kirill Oreshkin (top). Image Source: Kirill Oreshkin / Instagram Even if you’re not among the 95% of millennials that take selfies, you know that the selfie is the reigning king of amateur photography. According to a wave of recent reporting, the prevalence of selfies is utterly staggering: the average millennial will take 25,700 in their lifetime; it is claimed that females aged 16 to 25 spend five hours taking selfies per week; and on average, 93 million selfies are taken worldwide each day....