Articles

They called it the Wild West for a reason. The frontier was a crazy place while America was moving west and settling the previously-untamed region. Gun battles were commonplace. Outlaws ruled in small towns and pop-up villages. Bank robberies, saloon brawls, and all kinds of crazy gambling issues (which we’ll get to in a minute!)

Video game makers leave little to chance; they have an intent behind everything they do. There is a reason for every level and every stage –this includes the appearance of video game characters and the first impression they project. The main motive of video game makers when creating monsters and dangerous-looking characters is aggression. When

Farming is one of humankind’s brightest ideas. By cultivating plants, we could settle in one place with a reliable source of food. However, humans aren’t the only bright sparks who had this idea. In fact, in the animal world, we are relatively new to the game. Here are 10 animals that could be argued to

The widespread myth is that the Middle Ages was a Dark Age for Europe when human progress was halted and the continent degenerated into violence, ignorance, and superstition for a thousand years. Science supposedly stagnated, and astronomer Carl Sagan characterized the period as a “millennium gap… a poignant lost opportunity for the human species.” But

We’ve all acquired possessions that mean a great deal to us throughout our lifetimes. Whether things are handed down from loved ones who have passed on before us, items we’ve earned through hard work, or even special and rare finds we’ve bought to enjoy and keep. By the time a long life ends, nearly everybody

For most of us, the word “garden” elicits an image of a blissful nature scene that enchants the senses with a wide array of flowers and plants, a beautiful fountain or statue, and a serene atmosphere. It does not typically call to mind an assortment of grotesque and frightening monsters, but that is exactly what

The 14th century was not an easy time. Among other hardships, the Black Death shook the world and killed approximately one-third to one-half of the population. Understandably, the Catholic Church was also a dominant force and comprised a substantial part of daily living. Most people were illiterate because books were exclusively for the wealthy. Given

Lights, camera, action—one take only! There’s something truly captivating about a movie filmed entirely in one shot, allowing viewers to experience the unfolding story in real time without interruption. From complex tracking shots to simpler, more intimate perspectives, these films are a true test of a director’s skill and a cinematographer’s vision. In this list,

Throughout human history, some very, very long prison sentences have been handed down. Mandatory sentencing guidelines, jury recommendations, victim statements, and judicial discretion combine to occasionally levy severe sentences on convicted felons. Take the case of Thailand’s Chamoy Thipyaso. The military wife ran an infamous pyramid scheme in that south Asian nation that drained hundreds

When most of us set out to learn a new language, our biggest worries are usually how to conjugate verbs and construct a proper sentence. The last concern on our mind is that the language will disappear entirely! However, perhaps that concern should be a bit higher up on our priorities list. Thanks to digitization,

Many graves have the message “Rest in Peace” carved on them. For most of us, this will probably come true as our dead bodies are unlikely to be disturbed before they have rotted to nothing. For famous people, however, there is a long history of their bodies being dug up, desecrated, or generally mishandled. Even

The kiss cam is a staple at modern sporting events. And if you don’t know what that is, the name says it all. The camera literally pans to couples in the audience and peer-pressures them to share a kiss. And the crowd eats it up! While most people find it a fun and harmless game,

Paleontologists typically study for years to get their master’s degree or Ph.D. in paleontology. This extensive academic background enables them to start a career searching for and studying ancient animal and plant fossils. It’s exciting work that also explores the relationship between ancient living things and their modern-day relatives. So it’s always big news when

We instantly recognize famous landmarks—the Great Pyramids, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Golden Gate Bridge, and other architectural and engineering marvels. They are images that come with easy familiarity. But imagine an alternate reality where the names are attached to structures that are bafflingly strange and unrecognizable. Well, let’s take a tour of such

At a staggering 200,000 acres (80,937 hectares), Shenandoah National Park in central and southern Virginia offers steep mountains that rise approximately 3,000 feet (914 meters). While the park appears subdued at first glance, it has the potential to be a place full of staggering peaks, deep gorges, wild rivers, and unexpected waterfalls. Cutting through the

There are many songs with deep lyrics that listeners can pore over and analyze; then there are songs with lyrics that are utter nonsense. For the purposes of this list, songs with non-lexical vocables, which in English are sounds like “la la la” or “na na na,” don’t count. Neither does scat singing or doo-wop,

Genocide is one of the most horrific acts of violence that can be perpetrated. It involves the systematic destruction of a particular ethnic, racial, or religious group. Its awful intention is to wipe out that minority group entirely. The scale of human suffering that results from genocide is unimaginable. As students of history know, it

In the course of our history, many different codes and ciphers have been discovered by humans. Many times these codes are cracked; other times, they are not. Our list today includes cases when our ingenuity has led us to amazing discoveries of wealth or in deceiving our enemies with hidden meanings behind secret codes. Unfortunately,

Welcome, fellow adventurers, to a journey through some of the world’s most fascinating sinkholes! Sinkholes are nature’s way of showing off, and these geological wonders never fail to impress. These mysterious openings in the ground have captured the imaginations of people around the world. Some sinkholes are filled with crystal-clear water, perfect for swimming or

Before we list some all-time great jingles, the question of what qualifies as a great jingle comes to the back of our minds. Great jingles are timeless, catchy, easy to recognize, and enjoyable to sing or hum along to. We hear them enough times, and every time we hear the jingle, the company or product