The Untold Story Of Heroic Frontier Peace Officer Elfego Baca
All by his lonesome, Elfego Baca took on over 80 outlaws and dodged hundreds of bullets in a clash that lasted more than 33 hours.
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Why This Is The Most Unusual Flag In The World
While every other nation in the world has a rectangular or square flag, Nepal's flag instead follows a double-pennant design, and has done so for centuries. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, this makes Nepal the only modern country with a non-quadrilateral flag.
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How Ancient Is The Safety Pin?
The very first pins for clothing showed up around the 14th century BCE. It was called a fibula (plural: fibulae) and was mostly used by the Mycenaeans. The Fashion Institute of Technology explained fibulae functioned like a clasp to fasten garments.
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How The 1936 Olympics Made Two Countries Realize They Had The Same Flag
At the 1936 Olympics, Haiti competed under its civil flag, a horizontal blue stripe on top of an equal-width red stripe. In contrast, Haiti's national flag includes a coat of arms in the center, per CRW Flags, but the civil flag was more commonly used for non-governmental affairs like the Olympics.
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These Are The Oldest Human Remains Ever Discovered
In 2017, a team of paleoanthropologists in Morocco made a discovery that would fundamentally alter our understanding of the origin of our species. Their findings, published in Nature, push back the oldest known beginnings of Homo sapiens another 100,000 years.
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This Is When Mar-A-Lago Was Designated As A National Landmark
The heiress and businesswoman Marjorie Merriweather Post (basically, she built General Foods Corporation) purchased an unkempt patch of palm trees and vegetation off the coast of Palm Beach Island in 1923. Four years later, the brush had been transformed into a million-dollar beachfront property.
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Here's How Presidential Pardons Really Work
They're not just for Thanksgiving turkeys: presidential pardons have long been a contentious practice, seeming to give a green light for close allies of a sitting President to engage in nefarious dealings with the knowledge that a get-out-of-jail-free card will be waiting for them.
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The Mysterious Deaths At Dyatlov Pass
In January 1959, Igor Dyatlov, a college student, and his cadre of nine fellow hikers set out to cross Russia's Ural mountains in the coldest part of the year.
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This Is How The Legend Of Lawrence Of Arabia Was Born
Lawrence's notoriety was thanks to the influence of one man: Lowell Thomas, an American journalist who saw something in Lawrence that he knew audiences the world over would just eat right up.
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Why Do People Break Up During The Holidays?
It sucks to end a relationship during or near the holidays, because it's a time when people want to be around their loved ones. So, why is it that someone is willing to break up during this time? Every relationship is different, but it could be because of a few things.
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The True Origin Of Christmas Crackers
The colorful tissue paper hats are found inside the Christmas Cracker, a festive cardboard tube that, when pulled, emits a bang and dispenses the hats, along with a small gift and a slip of paper containing a joke or funny motto. Christmas Crackers are a delightful part of the holidays in Britain.
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Here's Why Holiday Decorations Are Selling Out Early This Year
Even Christmas has fallen prey to 2020. No, Christmas isn't canceled, but it may be a little less bright. Christmas decorations have sold out faster than expected, and retail stores have a harder time restocking their shelves. Several stores have said they were caught short in their supplies.
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Groups Of People Who Live Their Lives Almost Entirely At Sea
These people live almost their entire lives at sea, because who needs land?
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Rules That Friends Of The American President Have To Follow
There are a few rules that even close friends are subject to when a buddy gets elected president, and it really is a life-changing deal — which means there's stipulations that continue even after their term ends. Here are some rules that friends of the American president have to follow.
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The Untold Truth Of The Nativity Of Jesus
What does the Bible actually say about the events of the birth of Jesus? Surprisingly little: the narrative only appears in one Gospel. But tradition, archeology, and science have helped to fill in some of the gaps left in the biblical narrative. This is the untold truth of the nativity of Jesus.
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Why John DeLorean Went Bankrupt
The DeLorean wowed movie audiences in 1985, as the futuristic, spaceship-looking thing streaked across the screen, reached 88 miles per hour, and flashed back to the 1950s in Back to the Future. And as you might expect, the creator of such a unique car was himself unique.
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The Time Surfer Duke Kahanamoku Rescued People From A Sinking Ship
After becoming a world champion, Kahanamoku moved to Hollywood for a time and worked as an actor. It was during his time in California -- June 1925 -- that his skills would end up serving a purpose more vital than sport when he saved the lives of eight people who were caught on a sinking ship.
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How 19th-Century Paleontologist Mary Anning's Name Ended Up On Mars
Anning, without formal education or training, was integral to the early days of "natural science." She not only transcended class barriers to eventually catch the attention of prominent individuals such as English geologist Adam Sedgwick, but also gender barriers that deemed her ventures unheard of.
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The Surprising Amount Of Maintenance Needed For Canadian Mountie Uniforms
The Mounties have instantly recognizable dress uniforms, made up of distinctive red jackets, or tunics, known as the Red Serge, paired with matching breeches, and accessorized with snappy brown leather Sam Browne belts, Stetson hats, and high leather Stracona boots.
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The Surprising Number Of Presidents Mathew Brady Photographed
Today, nearly everyone has a smartphone with a camera. You've probably taken hundreds of photos in your lifetime, if not thousands. But, in the 19th century, photography was a difficult art that required patience and expertise. Few early photographers were as successful as Mathew Brady.
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The Surprising Origin Of Acrylic Nails
Acrylic nails are very common these days, and celebrities can often be seen sporting some insanely long ones that make you wonder how they go about their day. And there's a pretty unexpected person to thank for the long nails that complete a woman's look.
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The Tragic Story Of The Babylonian Captivity
One of the most critical events in Jewish history, especially as a defining moment for Jewish culture, is also one of the Bible's lesser known epochs: The Babylonian Exile, from 586–538 BCE. The Babylonian Exile is the reason why Judaism cohered into a canonical religion at all.
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This Is What It Was Like To Feast In Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome has became known as the seat of opulence and luxury. It was the place where people gave up on stretchy pants and went right to togas, and those expanding waistlines might have had something to do with their love of feasting. This is what it was like to feast in Ancient Rome.
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The True Origin Of Gift Cards
When do you think gift card first appeared? 1950? 1970? Actually, these plastic presents entered the gift-giving industry relatively recently -- in 1994, initially from retailer Neiman Marcus as the NM Express card, and later by Blockbuster Video, the onetime king of video, DVD and game rentals.
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The Accident That Nearly Cost Stephen King His Life
Now 73 years old, King is still writing -- he published If It Bleeds and The Institute just last year. While his literary output is indeed impressive, he's as mortal as the rest of us. And back in 1999, King suffered a near-fatal accident that almost deprived the world of his extraordinary mind.
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This Is Where The Royal Family's Christmas Takes Place
The holidays offer a time to enjoy family, celebrate the beauty of the season, and engage in festive traditions like tree-trimming, drinking eggnog, and singing carols. While the British Royal Family also does such yearly rituals, their Christmastime is also filled with certain obligations.
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Why The Canadian Mounties Were Originally Formed
Sir John Macdonald wasn't worried about murderers, trespassers, or even infighting between the Natives and the large influx of new settlers. The Mounties were first formed to deal with the problem of the illegal whiskey trade.
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