Opium dens first sprung up in the Chinatown district of San Francisco in the 19th century. While they were eventually outlawed, these lounge-like establishments flourished across the West for close to a century.

Jeff Lowe used to work alongside "Tiger King" Joe Exotic at the G.W. Zoo, but then he took it over — and helped land Exotic in prison.

On May 3, 2007, three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared from her family's hotel room while on vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal — and the case remains unsolved to this day.

As the house band at Andy Warhol's Factory, The Velvet Underground played at some of New York City's wildest and most debauched parties, all while changing the sound of rock forever.

Fire tornadoes can reach up to 400 feet high, and even though they usually last only a few minutes, can be utterly devastating.

After 23 years on the payroll of Christchurch, New Zealand, the city council has fired Ian Brackenbury Channell — ending the unprecedented reign of the world's only state-appointed wizard.

When "Mama" Cass Elliot died on July 29, 1974, rumors spread that she had choked on a ham sandwich. But it was later revealed that the singer had died in her sleep.

From "Scream" to "Friday the 13th," some of the most famous horror movies of all time have inspired people to commit heinous real-life crimes.

Tired of caring for his disabled wife and plotting to find a new one, Sooraj Kumar found himself a snake handler and unleashed a deadly serpent on his slumbering wife — twice.

Installed at the top of Blarney Castle in County Cork, Ireland, the Blarney Stone can only be kissed while hanging upside down and suspended over thin air — yet countless people line up to do it each year.

In July 2019, rangers in Colorado spotted a bull elk with a car tire stuck around its neck. After two long years of trying to relocate it, wildlife officials finally managed to liberate it.