In the early 1800s, John Bell and his family were reportedly haunted by a malevolent spirit dubbed the Bell Witch — an ordeal that ultimately ended in murder. For centuries, the legend of an evil entity called the Bell Witch has made waves in rural Robertson County, Tennessee. The spirit allegedly appeared in the early 1800s to haunt farmer John Bell and his family — but she remains a part of American folklore to this day....
The rate of modern slavery is highest in Africa, with 7.6 victims for every 1,000 people in the region. In what resembles a slave market of the United States in the 1800s, a video was recently released of a slave auction held in Libya. In cell phone video obtained and verified by CNN, young men, most of them migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, are actioned off as slaves to be used for farm work....
The untouched Bronze Age tomb and the skeletons inside will hopefully provide archaeologists with information about the mysterious Minoan civilization. Greek Ministry of CultureA covered coffin from the Minoan times found in Ierapetra, Crete, Greece. In an extraordinary example of being in the wrong place at the right time, a Greek farmer just made a startling archaeological discovery. A 3,400-year-old Minoan tomb was uncovered in an unnamed farmer’s olive grove near the city of Ierapetra on the Greek island of Crete....
Gwen Shamblin Lara rose to fame thanks to her Christian diet program Weigh Down Workshop — then transformed it into a religion that many have described as a cult. For Gwen Shamblin, dieting was divine. The weight-loss guru turned church leader grew to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s by encouraging people to “transfer over their love of food to a love of God.” But many of Shamblin’s former followers say that her sermons had a dark side....
Michelle McNamara died in 2016 before she finished her book on the Golden State Killer. But her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, made sure his wife’s work wasn’t forgotten. Though author Michelle McNamara died at just 46 in 2016, her death only elevated interest in her work. Her primary mission was finding the Golden State Killer who raped more than 50 women and murdered more than a dozen people across California. The crime sprees that terrorized the state in the 1970s and 1980s bewildered officials — but this true-crime author was able to make progress that the authorities never had....
Christopher Scarver didn’t like Jeffrey Dahmer’s crimes. So on November 28, 1994, in Columbia Correctional Institution, he did something about it. On November 28, 1994, Christopher Scarver, an inmate at Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, was assigned to clean the prison’s gymnasium with two other inmates. One inmate was named Jesse Anderson. The other was the infamous cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer. It was then that Christopher Scarver killed Dahmer by beating him to death, leaving him battered and bloody on the floor....
Hernán Cortés almost lost his hold on the Aztec capital when the natives revolted. Wikimedia CommonsA depiction of La Noche Triste. Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés wanted it all: glory for Spain, personal recognition from the king and queen, fame, and fortune. Instead, he almost lost everything in one dramatic night on June 30, 1520, known as La Noche Triste or “Night of Sadness.” Cortés and his troops had beat a hasty retreat from central Mexico’s Aztec capital after supposedly killing their emperor — and the Aztecs were pretty miffed about it....
Lee Morgan’s wife saved his jazz career and his life. And then she ended it. Wikimedia CommonsLee Morgan in 1959. Lee Morgan was a brilliant trumpet star and was recognized for his talents by the time he was a teenager. By 1960, he had recorded with legendary jazz musicians like John Coltrane, Tina Brooks, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. But the downside to a rising artist’s life is the drugs and alcohol that are so easily accessible....
Registered sex offender Robert McCoy offered officers a strange explanation for his behavior at a Louisville park last week. Louisville Metro CorrectionsRobert McCoy Kentucky police have arrested a man accused of masturbating in a public park before blaming the incident on a groundhog. An unidentified victim told police that, on the evening of August 10, Robert McCoy followed her and another person around Louisville’s Lannan Memorial Park with his genitals exposed as he pleasured himself, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal....
Its name translates to “a giant thunderclap at dawn” — and it’s easy to see why. Viktor Radermacher, University of the WitwatersrandAn artist’s rendering of Ledumahadi mafube. Some 200 million years ago, a 12-ton dinosaur that was double the size of an African elephant stomped around South Africa. In a study just published in Current Biology, a team of researchers revealed that a recently unearthed fossil led them to the discovery of a new dinosaur species that they’ve named Ledumahadi mafube....
The cocoa snorting trend has made its way from Europe to the US, where one company has just released their new “Coco Loko” powder. An Orlando-based company has just released a snortable chocolate compound called “Coco Loko” that is being marketed as a drug-free high, reports The Washington Post. This new product is just the latest development in a larger trend, which began in Europe, of snorting cocoa powder. The trend started in up-scale, experimental restaurants, where chefs were experimenting with new ways to derive pleasure from foods....
With a simple letter, American schoolgirl Samantha Smith sparked peace and friendship between two nations during one of the tensest periods in modern history. Samantha Smith chats with Tonight Show host Johnny Carson after her trip to the Soviet Union in 1983. “Now I am certain the Russians, like the Americans, do not want war,” said Samantha Smith. Samantha Smith chats with Tonight Show host Johnny Carson after her trip to the Soviet Union in 1983....
Fortunately, no humans or animals were injured in the car accident. Kilgore Police DepartmentThe dog apparently became “antsy” and set the truck in motion when his leash caught on the emergency brake. On December 1, a “reckless driver” struck two vehicles in a Walmart parking lot in Kilgore, Texas — and according to the police, the driver in question was a dog. In a statement on Facebook, Kilgore Police reported, “One of the victims saw the suspect barrelling down on him but couldn’t get out of the way....
The Er Wang Dong cave system is really huge. Like 500,000 square feet of huge. So huge it has its own weather system huge. The Er Wang Dong cave system is huge. Really, really huge. And until recently, the massive system of caves had yet to be discovered. A group of expert cavers and professional photographers recently explored the Er Wang Dong cave system for the first time during a month-long expedition to the Chongquing province in China....
Alexander Selkirk was a Scottish sailor and Royal Navy officer who many people believe to be the real-life inspiration for the novel by Daniel Defoe. Wikimedia CommonsA statue in memory to Alexander Selkirk. A tale of a castaway, shipwrecked and marooned on an island, facing natives, cannibals, and pirates to survive. Literary fans might recognize the story as the plot of the famous English novel Robinson Crusoe, written by Daniel Defoe in 1719....
Written by a Hungarian composer in 1933, “Gloomy Sunday” has been blamed for over 200 suicides.This is the fascinating story of history’s most depressing song. Every person has their own opinion on what is the most depressing song ever, as listeners form links in their mind to personal experiences based on lyrics or melody, and this in turn creates an incredibly long list of sad songs. However, not every song has fascinating urban legends attached to them like “Gloomy Sunday” does, dubbed the most depressing song of all time:...
The contraceptive called RISUG — reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance — is currently pending approval in India. The product is injected near the testicles and lasts up to 13 years. MaxPixelThe clinical trials showed that the product had more than a 97 percent success rate at preventing pregnancy. It’s been a long time coming, but approval for the world’s first injectable male birth control is around the corner. According to Live Science, researchers in India just announced that the clinical trials for RISUG (reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance) have been completed....
Megalodon’s extinction solved, Holocaust escapee takes on Jewish sexism, medieval sword unearthed, search for Amelia Earhart’s body to begin, Salvador Dalí’s body exhumed. Scientists Finally Figure Out What Killed Off History’s Most Terrifying Shark Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesEnya Kim from the Natural History department at auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields stands inside an authentic set of megalodon jaws comprised of about 180 teeth in Las Vegas on September 30, 2009. If you thought Jaws was scary, be grateful that you weren’t alive 2 million years ago, back when the megalodon shark ruled Earth’s waters....
These Winston Churchill quotes will dazzle you with their wit and shock you with their hate. You only thought you knew this man. “If you have an important point to make,” Winston Churchill once said, “don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver.” Well, Churchill had the rare ability to do both, delivering everything from historic pronouncements to pithy maxims with both pile driver strength and playful wit....
Likely created as a way for crafty taxidermists to make money off of gullible tourists, the wolpertinger is a mythical hare-deer hybrid that can supposedly be found in the forests of Germany. From werewolves to dragons, mythical creatures have piqued human interest since ancient times. Stories of these fictitious animals have continued to gain popularity across the world through books and movies. But here’s one you may not have heard of: the wolpertinger....
