A 1993 study showed that just shy of half of the members of the yakuza had been ritualistically deprived of a portion of their finger, and that 15% of those had undergone the procedure more than once. The practice is called "yubitsume," or "finger shortening," and it goes back over a hundred years.
Read MoreHygiene is your friend in the best of times. However, now that the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world into the blurst of times, sanitizing surfaces seems more paramount than ever. But what about the surfaces that go in your mouth?
Read MoreIt's a frog-eat-frog world, and it's only getting hungrier. However, the award for the most WTF defense goes to the aptly named "horror" frog, which freaking breaks its own toes and turns them into weapons.
Read MoreHe was named Johnny Cash (except when he wasn't). He always wore black (except when he didn't). Complicated? Of course he was. Everyone is. For instance, it's worth examining his famous song "Folsom Prison Blues," and what inspired it ...
Read MoreHere's how one town avoided the initial onset of the pandemic.
Read MoreWith "social distancing" expertly positioning itself as 2020's Word of the Year, companies and schools have turned to teleconferencing with unprecedented interest. At the forefront of this movement has been Zoom, the video calling service which has experienced a meteoric rise to the top.
Read MoreTimes of crisis can realign society's priorities. What do people turn to for comfort as the seas of upheaval threaten to crash them against rocks of despair?
Read MoreWhile there are Founding Fathers like Washington and Benjamin Franklin, there were others. This is the truth about the Founding Fathers you don't know about.
Read MoreHow can a country not exist? In most cases, it's because other countries tell them they don't. Here are countries that don't actually exist.
Read MoreMata Hari has gone down in history as the femme fatale du jour of World War I. Mata Hari is the classic archetype. She was exotic and alluring, a promiscuous dancer, a courtesan, a divorcee, and a seductive spy. But that isn't Hari's whole story. This is the crazy real-life story of Mata Hari.
Read MoreJoan of Arc had visions of God, prompting her to lead a religious rebellion. She was a martyr who was burned at the stake.
Read MoreJohn Wayne was famous for delivering a fairly predictable cinematic product: manly men of few words and much action. But his real name wasn't so manly.
Read MoreIt would be easy to assume that Ringo Starr decided to leave the Beatles due to ego. Shockingly, it wasn't ego that drove Ringo to leave the Fab Four mid-recording session on August 22nd, 1968. To hear it described by those involved, it was the opposite: he didn't feel good enough.
Read MoreOn March 31, Deutsche Welle reported that scientists recorded the first known heat wave in Antarctica's history.
Read MoreThe fiery disintegration of Columbia ultimately led to the loss of lives and the retirement of NASA's shuttle fleet. But as it turns out, there's more to the story that makes it so much worse. As you'll find out, the worst part of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster might not be what you think.
Read MoreA three hundred year-old 'possessed' nun's cryptic, Satanic messaged has finally been decoded.
Read MoreBenjamin Franklin is generally considered a somewhat eccentric genius. The man's accomplishments span several different fields... including music.
Read MoreYou like cats, but don't necessarily want one glued to you -- one that doesn't require your constant loving attention and affection; what some might call an "independent" cat. So which breed is right for you?
Read MoreIf you only know Marcus Crassus as the man who killed Spartacus, there's much to learn about him and the odd and crooked ways he made his money, as well as his almost comically tragic end. Here are some of the strangest details in the bizarre life of the richest man in Rome.
Read More"Is Walt Disney's body/head/still conscious brain cryogenically frozen under the eerily clean streets of Disneyworld?" Here's the truth.
Read MoreHere's why you don't see him as much now.
Read MoreIf you're trying to hunt bears, guns help, of course, but what you need is a good dog. Especially a bear dog. You'll want the Blue Ribbon Champion of bear annihilation: the Caucasian mountain dog, bred specifically to help take down Mr. Bruin in the Caucasus region of Russia.
Read MoreShaolin monk warriors seem to defy gravity and bend the laws of physics. This is the truth about the legendary Shaolin monk warriors.
Read MoreHave you ever dreamed one of those dreams where you're flying? The liberating feeling of being able to take it to the skies. The wonderful experience of actually feeling in control of the dream. You can handily escape whatever ogres or bloodthirsty were-kittens your subconscious throws at you ...
Read MoreAs the nation is captivated with the Netflix docuseries Tiger King and its eccentric and, uh, less than law-abiding central character, Joe Exotic, many aspects of the world's most famous mullet-wearer have been made public. But his net worth is a little tougher to unravel.
Read MoreThe sudden urge to "nibble" an adorable baby or "dropkick that puppy" because "he's so cute," demonstrates a phenomenon that scientists call cute aggression. Apparently, a person or pet can be so aww-inspiring that you feel the spontaneous urge to eat or beat it.
Read MoreSince the release of "The Conjuring," audiences have been hungry for more about Ed and Lorraine Warren, the paranormal investigators the movie is based on.
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