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After the beginning of the Gulf War, Sajida Talfah disappeared, never to be seen again. Wikimedia CommonsSajida Talfah and Saddam sit surrounded by their family. Very little is known about Saddam Hussein’s first marriage to Sajida Talfah. Given that, it is hard to separate the fact from the hearsay. Often, the little that is known concerning his wife is just as disturbing as the worst rumors. The Facts For starters, Saddam Hussein and Sajida Talfah’s marriage was an arranged one, negotiated by their parents when they were not yet ten years old....

The study looked at 1,241 venues in 78 countries on all continents. Seventy-five percent broke basic mistreatment rules. World Animal ProtectionZoo D’Amneville in France offers customers shows such as these, where once free-roaming tigersare made to mimic their trainer for an audience. A new investigative survey by the nonprofit group World Animal Protection (WAP) uncovered some disturbing realities of animal mistreatment in a wide swath of the 1,241 venues belonging to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)....

Many regard Sylvia Plath as one of the 20th century’s finest – and darkest – poets. Here are some aspects of her life you might not already know about. Maybe you read The Bell Jar in high school or college, the grim tale which chronicles a young woman’s coming of age and which author Jeanette Wilson has described as “a call to action because it is a diary of despair.”...

Researchers found the ancient star map in the medieval manuscript Codex Climaci Rescriptus where someone had scraped off the original ink in order to reuse the parchment. Museum of the BibleResearchers had to peer through layers of ancient text to find the star map. Around 129 B.C.E., someone — very likely the Greek astronomer Hipparchus — sat down and mapped out the stars for the first time. But this map of the cosmos was lost to history until modern-day technology revealed it hidden among the pages of a medieval manuscript....

“It illuminated the entire forest with a white light. The object itself had pulsing red light on top and a bank of blue lights underneath. The object was hovering or on legs.” FlickrThe chilling scene of the alleged Rendlesham Forest Incident. The Rendlesham Forest incident of December 1980 might be the strangest potential UFO sighting you’ve never heard of. Commonly referred to as “Britain’s Roswell,” it’s rather well known in England and ranks among the most head-scratching tales in ufology....

Marriages are first and foremost an economic arrangement, and the 19th century practice of wife selling only bolsters that argument. Wikimedia Commons A husband takes his wife and child to the local market, intending to sell them both to the highest bidder. Yes, this is the introduction to the 1886 Thomas Hardy novel The Mayor of Casterbridge, but it was also a commonly practiced custom among the poor of old England....

These Black Friday facts will have you staying home. As Thanksgiving approaches, so too does Black Friday, an annual reminder that as much as we like to give thanks, we absolutely love to consume goods. Whether you participate or not, the colossal shopping day has become firmly embedded within our cultural fabric. Here are some Black Friday facts you may find shocking: From 2006 to the present, there have been 7 known Black Friday-related deaths and 98 Black Friday-related injuries....

From a 40,000-year-old wolf head preserved in Siberian ice to the first black hole ever fully visualized, this year’s best science pictures left us astounded. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: From Black Holes To A Pregnant Newborn, These Were 2019’s Biggest Science News Stories 11 Astounding Science News Stories That Made Us See The World Differently In 2020...

While Ancient Romans were capable of actively affecting the climate, we’re far better at it than they were — and that should worry us all. Wikimedia CommonsWhile Ancient Roman climate change was minuscule in comparison to what we’ve wrought today, it’s a sobering reminder of how human activity has a direct impact. In terms of our contemporary climate crisis, looking to the future often seems to be the wisest course of action....

George Hodel was a notorious Los Angeles doctor whose sexual proclivities and surgical knowledge have led many to believe that he killed Elizabeth Short. On Jan. 15, 1947, residents of the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles called the police after discovering a body in an abandoned lot. Elizabeth Short – the Black Dahlia – had been gruesomely murdered and left there in pieces. In the decades since, the disturbing case has fascinated the public, though Short’s killer has never been caught....

Hugh Glass spent six weeks trekking over 200 miles back to his camp after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by his trapping party. Then, he began his revenge. Wikimedia CommonsHugh Glass escaping a grizzly bear. The two men who had been ordered to watch over Hugh Glass knew it was hopeless. After single-handedly fighting off a grizzly bear attack no one had expected him to last five minutes, let alone five days, but here he was, lying on the banks of the Grand River, still breathing....

When first discovered, the Armillaria gallica mushroom was thought to be about 110 tons, but new research estimates that it actually weighs roughly four times that much— and is a millennium older. Wikimedia CommonsHoney mushrooms of the gargantuan Armillaria gallica. When people think of the Earth’s largest organisms, they usually imagine whales, elephants, and dinosaurs. Turns out though that the largest organisms on Earth aren’t animals at all, but a species of humungous fungus that lives right beneath our feet....

On November 7, 1980, Steve McQueen died of a heart attack after undergoing surgery to remove numerous cancerous tumors in his abdomen and neck. John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty ImagesAfter the 1969 Manson Family murders, Steve McQueen didn’t go anywhere without a gun. Steve McQueen was the silent type for a modern era, capable of turning the tables against any threat on screen. But at home, his domestic abuses and addictions ruled....

During World War II, Japan fought with such brutality that even today Japanese scholars and diplomats have a hard time admitting these atrocities actually happened. Twitter/Modyelmagek World War II struck devastating blows everywhere it took place, but the Pacific Theater was where nations fought the longest campaigns of the war and witnessed some of the most gratuitous cruelty in history. Between 1937 and 1945, the Empire of Japan reached out into a dozen countries with what appeared at first to be an unstoppable military machine....

When American soldiers brought the modern world to remote islands in the Pacific, the cargo cults that worship John Frum were born. John Frum: The Bizarre Island Religion That Worships An American GI View Gallery Famed science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke once said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:...

According to an eyewitness who first found the bodies, four of the family members appeared to have been laid out in a pattern-like position on a rug on a Fiji cliff. Torika Tokalau/Stuff NZThe bodies of a dead family were discovered in the mountains of Fiji with a live infant among them. An ongoing investigation hopes to unravel the mysterious and tragic death of a family in Fiji, and many suspect it may have to do with witchcraft....

Martha Swope wanted to be a dancer. So in 1957, she packed her bags and left her Texas hometown for New York City, where she would attend New York’s famous School of American Ballet. Share Flipboard Email One of Swope’s classmates, Jerome Robbins, asked her to photograph a new show he was working on called West Side Story. Swope gladly took on the project, which became an instant classic and saw her photos appear in LIFE magazine....

From fierce female warriors to brave political activists, take a look at some of the most powerful and influential Native American women throughout history. Stories about Native American women have long lingered in the shadows. Even accounts of well-known figures like Pocahontas are misunderstood. In fact, “Pocahontas” wasn’t even her real name. Lesser known to history are women like Susan La Flesche Picotte, who went to medical school to treat her people, Buffalo Calf Road Woman, who knocked George Armstrong Custer off his horse, and Wilma Mankiller, who became the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation....

The British royals have tons of strict rules they must follow — but that doesn’t mean they don’t goof off every once in a while. Like this gallery?Share it: Share Flipboard Email And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts: The Lineage Of The British Royal Family Meet Princess Michael Of Kent: The British Royal Family’s Nazi Connection The West Africa Squadron: The British Royal Navy’s Deadly Battle To End The Slave Trade...

In 1968, the Manson Family moved into George Spahn’s dilapidated Southern California ranch. The next year, they committed mass murder. It was the perfect place to get away. Nestled in the mountains with the remains of a western-themed movie set and boulder-strewn pathways perfect for horseback riding, Spahn Ranch was an idyllic retreat. Visitors also enjoyed the isolation the ranch provided. In Chatsworth, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the ranch provided people with a sense of removal, especially since the views gave way to scenic mountain landscapes and sprawling, rolling fields....