• Nativity Scenes Are Older Than You Think

    If you've ever seen a nativity scene outside of a church during Christmas service, then you no doubt know what it looks like, but nativity scenes are actually much older than you may think. The first-ever nativity scene was put together by St. Francis of Assisi in 1233.

    By Emilia David November 30th, 2020 Read More
  • The Surprising Connection Between Oz And Santa

    We all know that Santa Claus has supernatural abilities, and the origin of Santa Claus' powers are explained by the Wonderful Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum in his story The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. This is the surprising connection between Oz and Santa.

    By Cody Copeland November 30th, 2020 Read More
  • Rare Genetic Quirks You May Have Thought Were Normal

    Genes are complex and responsible for such things as health and susceptibility to certain diseases, body type, height, eye color, intelligence, and more. Genes can also cause quirks among us. Here's a look at some of the genetic quirks that are perceived to be normal occurrences but aren't.

    By Boshika Gupta November 30th, 2020 Read More
  • Invasions That Went Horribly Wrong

    Whether it be at the dawn of the Roman empire in the B.C. era or the heights of the Cold War a few generations back, powerful states have attempted and failed many times to conquer land. The reasons vary on why these invasions may have failed. Here is a list of invasions that went horribly wrong.

    By Daniel Johnson November 30th, 2020 Read More
  • The Tragic Death Of Dennis Frederiksen From Toto

    Dennis Frederiksen served as the lead singer for acts such as Trillion, Angel, LeRoux, and Toto, and provided backing vocals for Survivor. Occasionally credited as Fergie Frederiksen or just Fergie, the Michigan native was credited with three big hit singles in three consecutive years.

    By Nicole Rosenthal November 28th, 2020 Read More
  • How Mitch Hedberg Predicted His Death

    Huge crowds gathered through the late '90s and early 2000s to listen to Hedberg's signature comedy style, which could be described as a stoner Jerry Seinfield calmly blasting the audience with disconnected one-liners without ever removing his shades.

    By Nick Vrchoticky November 28th, 2020 Read More
  • What Happened To Franz Stahl From The Foo Fighters?

    For all the Foo Fighters' success, they've had some troubles as well, particularly in the guitar department. The lineage is a little hard to follow, but coming in second was lead guitarist Franz Stahl, a man who seemed to disappear as just quickly as he appeared.

    By Nick Vrchoticky November 28th, 2020 Read More
  • The Dark History Of How Nutmeg Became The Smell Of Christmas

    The history of how nutmeg came to be a staple in our kitchens is not really in line with the whole "Peace on Earth, good will to men" business we like to tell ourselves. The notions of reunion, comfort, and human connection we now get from a hint of nutmeg actually came at a terrible human cost.

    By Cody Copeland November 27th, 2020 Read More
  • The Truth About Eddie Vedder's Brush With Death

    Being a rockstar, it would make sense to most of us if Eddie Vedder's brush with death was the result of a drug overdose or something, but Vedder has never had a known drug problem. No, Vedder's near-death incident was a terrifying close call that had nothing to do with the rock and roll lifestyle.

    By Nick Vrchoticky November 27th, 2020 Read More
  • The Incident That Cost Lucille Ball's Family Everything

    Lucille Ball's life was filled with tragedy. Her father died when she was young, she was abused by her mother, her marriage to Desi Arnaz was frequently difficult -- the list goes on. But, there was one incident in particular that tragically changed young Lucille's family forever.

    By Nick Vrchoticky November 27th, 2020 Read More
  • This Is The Reason Former Presidents Can't Drive

    All in all, being a president has to be rough, and some of the rules surrounding the job make it even more so. At least the silly rules end when a president's time in office is up, right? Actually, only some of them do.

    By Nick Vrchoticky November 27th, 2020 Read More
  • Why Mary Would Have Been Stoned To Death Without Joseph

    it makes sense why a teenage, Jewish Mary who visited her cousin and husband-to-be Joseph for a few months, and then became pregnant, would have been in quite a lot of trouble. In fact, Jewish law was quite brutal and strict in this regard.

    By Richard Milner November 27th, 2020 Read More
  • The Legend Of The Yule Goat

    The Yule Goat can fly, and it often carries Santa on his yearly journey to deliver his sack of goodies around the world.

    By Nick Vrchoticky November 26th, 2020 Read More
  • What Makes Greece's Second-Biggest City So Special

    The city, founded in 315 BCE and named after Alexander the Great's half-sister Thessaloniki, was a major thoroughfare in the Macedonian Empire, and became a center of trade between east and west under the Byzantine Empire.

    By Richard Milner November 26th, 2020 Read More
  • How Marilyn Monroe Helped Ella Fitzgerald's Career

    Everyone needs a little help from their friends. Even a legend like Ella Fitzgerald. The singer gained popularity in the 1940s, performing jazz and classics in small clubs. But despite her talent, racial barriers and her looks held back her career. Until she became friends with Marilyn Monroe.

    By Sandra Mardenfeld November 26th, 2020 Read More
  • Why Historians Can't Stand The Last Samurai

    On the way to becoming Japan's true White Savior and its final, bestest samurai ever, Tom Cruise gets dressed by a Japanese widow who develops feelings for him, teaches some lessons about never giving up to other Japanese people, and leads a rebellion of samurai against some guys with cannons.

    By Richard Milner November 26th, 2020 Read More
  • The History Of Yule Logs Explained

    Despite its long affiliation with the Christian holiday of Christmas, the Yule log actually has its roots in pagan Norse mythology. The tradition originated in Scandinavia, then spread to the Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans, who believed that burning a yule log would bring good luck.

    By Aimee Lamoureux November 26th, 2020 Read More