10 Mars Never Lost Its Magnetic Field Mars once had a promising atmosphere that was warm, wet, and dominated by carbon dioxide, which was destroyed when the red planet lost its magnetic field around 3.6 billion years ago, allowing the Sun’s punishing solar winds to strip away the atmosphere. This happened relatively quickly in cosmic terms, with most of the atmosphere lost within a few hundred million years of the magnetic field shutting down....
A lot of resources have been dedicated toward studying alcohol. This makes sense, as our fondness for mind-altering beverages extends for millennia. We want to learn its history, its effect on us, and any alternative uses we could possibly derive from it. In that regard, 2017 has been a significant year, and now, we take a look at some of the most notable developments. 10 Alcohol Makes Rats Turn To Cocaine The most common research involving alcohol typically concerns its effect on humans....
But perhaps their greatest achievements were in the area of mechanics. From the first computers to the first clock tower, the ancient Greeks built some truly amazing machines, some of which wouldn’t exist again for another 1,000 years. Some were practical, while others were simply for fun or to aid in scientific demonstrations. Let’s take a look at ten of the greatest examples of ancient Greek mechanical engineering. 10 The Antikythera Mechanism The Antikythera Mechanism is an analog computer that was discovered in an ancient Greek shipwreck in 1901....
We can track words back in time, reaching hundreds or thousands of years into history. However, communicating with the people of those times (ignoring the fact that they are dead) might prove difficult, as words evolve over time to have new meanings. 10 Hazard Have you ever played a game of dice? Maybe bet a couple of dollars on a game of bunco or a family game of Yahtzee? Most of us know that little rush of adrenaline when you let go of the small cubes, hoping that they will roll in your favor....
10 The Cintamani Stone Most people are familiar with the concept of the Philosopher’s Stone, but few have heard of the Cintamani Stone. Said to be lost somewhere in Southeast Asia, the stone is the Oriental equivalent of the Philosopher’s Stone. The stone is thought to be a relic of Buddha, and is able to grant wishes. Supernatural powers aside, the stone represents Buddhist values and teachings. It has never been found (of course), and there has never been any solid evidence of its existence....
The event flabbergasted the world, as many people initially believed the luxury liner was unsinkable. The tragedy continues to be a source of interest, with many wondering how the passengers and crew may have acted that fateful night. While we may know the fictional tale of Jack and Rose or are aware of “the Unsinkable Molly Brown,” there are some intriguing stories from the disaster that many do not know....
10 AeppelfealuOld English Aeppelfealu appears exactly once in the entire existing Old English canon, in Beowulf. The author of Beowulf, whose identity itself is a mystery, probably combined the words appel (meaning apple) and fealo (a word that refers to a variety of colors) to create the compound word aeppelfealu. In context, the word describes the color of horses, so we know it’s a very specific adjective. Because apples come in a spectrum of colors, from green to red to multi-hued, we can’t be sure what specific color the author meant with this word....
10 ‘Tribal Rites Of The New Saturday Night’ On June 1, 1976, New York Magazine published a fascinating expose on a mysterious new subculture among the disco generation. Nik Cohn’s article was called “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night,” and he focused on new rites of passage, fashion, jargon, and rituals of the 16- to 20-year-old crowd. Gone were the days of the ’60s rocker; in came disco with its flowered shirts and overcoats....
Contrary to popular belief, Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden not because they ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but in order to prevent them from eating from the tree of life (both forbidden trees are in Genesis 2:9) which would have made them eternal. God doesn’t like competition! Here is the verse (Genesis 3:22-23): “And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever....
While we might be able to get our heads around the idea of a miniature guide horse sitting on the floor of an aircraft beside its owner, are we really ready to accept the idea of an emotional support turkey? In 2016, an image of Easter the turkey went viral after she was spotted on a Delta flight with her owner, Jodie Smalley. It raised all kinds of questions about what actually should qualify as a helper animal....
Shockingly, some of the foods we eat every day have wildly bizarre origin stories that you would never guess. From the almost “Belgian fry” to a recipe brought to life by a spirit-walking nun, this list will have you thinking about the food you eat in a whole new light. 10 Ketchup Ketchup is perhaps the American standard in condiments. It is a highly popular topping for hot dogs and hamburgers and the dipping sauce of choice for most everything, especially for kids....
Instead, they used the method of trial by ordeal in which the accused had to do something life-threatening. If the person survived, then his innocence was proven. Here are some of the most bizarre trials by ordeal throughout history. 10 Ordeal By The Host If a priest was accused of a crime during medieval times, he could prove his innocence by going up to the altar and praying out loud that God would choke him....
For a city that’s known for its love of fashion, romance, and culture, Paris sure is hiding a dark secret under its streets. These little-known facts about the vast Catacombs of Paris will leave you absolutely bewildered. 10 They House the Remains oOf Over Six Million Dead Parisians In the 18th century, the cemeteries of the ever-growing city of Paris were running out of space. If that wasn’t bad enough, some bodies weren’t buried properly and were spreading disease....
They are in chronological order, not in order of any sort of significance or loss of life. There are bound to be some which I have not included which people feel deserve more attention- these are the ones which come most readily to my own memory. February 1958- The popular Manchester United team, nicknamed the “Busby Babes” for their youth and their manager Matt Busby, boarded a plane in Munich to return to England....
10 Brutal Numbers A newspaper article published in 1890 and titled “The Horrors of Siberian Prison Life” decided to cut to the chase and publish just the numbers coming from the Tomsk prison. It reported that the prison could hold 765 men, giving each of them 0.1 cubic meters (4.8 ft3) of air. However, overcrowding was forever a problem, and the prison held an average of 1,313 men in 1886, 1,120 men in 1887, and 1,380 men in 1888....
10History It is impossible to overstate how profound an impact the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had on the people of Japan. Within instants, whole cities were practically vaporized, with thousands succumbing to burns and radiation poisoning in the days and weeks to follow. This tragedy, along with the fate of the Lucky Dragon 5, a Japanese fishing vessel that unwittingly sailed into American nuclear testing grounds in the South Pacific, helped to inspire the creation of Godzilla....
10 Epicanthic Folds An epicanthic fold is skin from the upper eyelid covering the inner corner of the eye, most commonly seen in people of East Asian descent. The classic explanation for the fold was that it developed in tropical regions as protection from UV rays or in Arctic regions as insulation from the cold. But this doesn’t explain how it emerged and was maintained among Asian populations in regions that were neither tropical nor Arctic....
In fact, Christmas is blamed for such levels of conflict that it’s considered a contributing factor in divorce shortly after that. Whether you are part of a family that loves to bicker or spend Christmas with smiles and hugs, here are 10 fights and battles fought around the festive season that might make you rethink your hate for the silly season. 10 Jack Johnson Beats Tommy Burns in a Fight Leading up to the historic bout, Tommy Burns had defended his title against 12 men, no small feat....
10 It Used To Be Illegal In Japan To Eat Meat Starting in the mid-seventh century, the Japanese government placed a ban on eating meat which lasted on and off for over 1,200 years. Probably influenced by the Buddhist precept that forbids the taking of life, Emperor Tenmu issued an edict in 675 that banned the eating of beef, monkeys, and domestic animals under penalty of death. The original law was only meant to be observed between April and September, but later laws and religious practices essentially made eating most meat, especially beef, illegal or taboo....
In many silent films, lead actors performed their own stunts. Also, in these films, the stunts performed were batsh*t crazy. When you combine that with the stars’ personal lives, which seemed to be an epic mishmash of drama and scandal, you get an era full of stories that just get crazier and crazier. That’s where this list comes in: bringing together ten stories about silent film stars that nonetheless scream crazy....
