The Crazy True Story Behind Animal Magnetism
The year was 1774, and German physician Franz Anton Mesmer had done the impossible: he had cured Francisca Österlin's hysteria. Supposedly
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Here's How To Survive An Encounter With A Rattlesnake
If you're being charitable, it'd be fair to characterize some people as having more enthusiasm than common sense. For instance, Rachel Levin wrote about the one the guy who decided it'd be cool to pick up the rattlesnake he found on the trail, and hold it in a pose. You know, for Instagram.
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The Truth About The Most Remote Island In The World
If you ever want to get away from it all (and not just go to that one town where cell phones are illegal), you should consider looking into moving to one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. Unfortunately, it's not one of those remote places that'll pay you to live there, but hey.
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This Easter Egg Proves That Star Trek And Star Wars Take Place In The Same Universe
Too often in life, people are divided into socially reinforced groups, diametrically opposed to one another on principle. Jets versus Sharks. Montagues versus Capulets. Contemporary versus classical theater nerds. And, for a time, Star Wars fans were often pitted against Star Trek fans.
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The Real Reason Roger Waters Tried To Sue Pink Floyd
In 1985, founding member Roger Waters came to the conclusion that he had a viable solo career ahead of him, if he just made the leap. And leap he did. A lawsuit was soon to follow.
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The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Jackie Robinson
In the face of both entrenched racism and death threats, Jackie Robinson smashed baseball's color barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. This is the tragic real-life story of Jackie Robinson.
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The Reason Jeff Bezos Banned Powerpoint At Amazon
Jeff Bezos, whose time is very valuable indeed, reached the conclusion that PowerPoint is a waste of his time.
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Here's Why Aerosmith's Drummer Tried To Sue The Band
American rock band Aerosmith has been playing together for 50 years. But they're still prone to feuds.
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The Truth About The Ancient Board Games You Never Knew About
One weird truth of ancient board games is that they offer a candid view into how people from a different age approached the game of life — like a quick 'n sneaky casual snapshot taken when the subjects weren't deliberately composing themselves to look good.
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Animals That Give Birth To The Most Babies At The Same Time
In terms of sheer numbers, Octomom wouldn't have been difficult to beat in the field of spawning. The animal kingdom has plenty of big birthers.
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The Real Reason People Used To Think Banshees Existed
The banshee is a female spirit; a sort of bridge between this world and the next, fairy folk, "linked to the realm of the dead." But their origin is a real hoot.
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We Finally Understand The Ending Of Interstellar
Years after people started debating whether the final, top-spinning scene in Inception was all in Dom's head, Interstellar had fans and critics scratching their heads at not only some of the inner logic of the film, but its final sequence, as well
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What Life Was Like For Black People During The Civil War
History forgets the role Black Americans had in their own liberation during the Civil War. This is what life was like for Black people during the Civil War.
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The Hidden Meaning Of John Lennon's Imagine
It's been almost half a century since its release and we're still seeing John Lennon's "Imagine" seeping into the headlines. Here's what it really means.
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The Truth About The Lost Army Of The Persian Empire
Archaeological digs can shed some light on long-held theories, even ancient ones. So when archaeologists discovered human bones in the Sahara desert, they thought they had finally found a Persian army lost to the sands centuries ago, ultimately solving an ancient mystery.
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Here's Why Your Hand Sanitizer Suddenly Smells So Bad
Odds are your hand sanitizer stinks. No, not the situation (though that's true, if you equate "this stinks" with "this is inconvenient") -- the product. And yes, there's a reason.
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The Hidden Meaning Of The Eagles' Hotel California
"Hotel California" by the Eagles has inspired more than its fair share of theories and discussion since its release in 1976. But what's it really mean?
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How The Oldest Civilization In Europe Was Destroyed
Perhaps the oldest known civilization in Europe is that of the Minoans on the island of Crete.
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Here's How Joining The Military Ruined Elvis' Life
Lots of people will say that the military gave them a sense of purpose, discipline, an ability to follow directions, even physical health. By the time he was drafted, Elvis Presley already had several of those qualities down...
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What Happens To Your Body When You Get Knocked Out
You'll often see knock outs in films, but what you see in movies isn't an accurate representation of what happens when someone's knocked unconscious.
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Sea Serpents Might Actually Have Existed. Here's Why
Kraken. "Nessy," the Loch Ness Monster. Soe Orm from Scandinavia. The Great American Sea Serpent. That shark from Jaws. Ancient myths and modern stories of water-bound monsters abound in human consciousness and across cultures.
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Mythological Amazon Women Might Actually Have Existed. Here's Why
Story after story is told of the Amazons (a word which isn't Greek; it's probably from a Persian word for "warrior"), in many different cultures and societies. The stories are good. The history is better.
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The Messed Up Truth About The Reconstruction Era
Reconstruction after the Civil War was an attempt to reconstruct everything about Southern life and politics. But after an auspicious start, Reconstruction slowly collapsed under the weight of political reality and short-sighted decisions. Here's the messed-up truth about the Reconstruction era.
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This Is Why The Airport Forces You To Remove Your Laptop
If you've flown in the last 20 years, you'll no doubt recollect, you will have been reminded in monotonous tones and relentless cadence that laptops must be removed from bags.
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The Real Reason Steven Adler Was Kicked Out Of Guns N' Roses
By 1990, Steven Adler was a bit of a mess, even by rockstar standards.
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Here's What Abraham Lincoln Initially Wanted Freed Slaves To Do
As Union forces captured Confederate territory, the slaves they encountered would be freed. Which raised the next question: If slavery is finally abolished everywhere, what happens to all of these thousands of people, formerly enslaved, but now free?
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The Untold Truth Of The Mandela Effect
Have you ever known for sure something happened but when you look it up, you find out that you were wrong? Say, for example, thinking the children's book was called Berenstein Bears and not Berenstain Bears? If you have, then you've fallen victim to the Mandela Effect.
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