curiosities

The Earth Strikes Back: Five Places Reclaimed by Nature

The world is brimming with more than seven billion people. As the human population continues to rise, land and resources are increasingly engorged and it’s starting to look as if nature has a grim future. But, even on a planet blanketed by concrete and steel, plants and animals still find...

By All That's Interesting • Sep 2, 2015

The Earth Strikes Back: Five Places Reclaimed by Nature

The world is brimming with more than seven billion people. As the human population continues to rise, land and resources are increasingly engorged and it’s starting to look as if nature has a grim future. But, even on a planet blanketed by concrete and steel, plants and animals still find...

By All That's Interesting • September 2, 2015

Sexy Books: A Brief History Of The Harlequin Romance

E-books and the internet might spell the end of the Harlequin romance, but that doesn't make its history any less interesting.

By Abby Norman • Aug 29, 2015

Sexy Books: A Brief History Of The Harlequin Romance

E-books and the internet might spell the end of the Harlequin romance, but that doesn't make its history any less interesting.

By Abby Norman • August 29, 2015

Adolf Hitler Had This Photo Of Himself Banned

Even génocidaires have standards, apparently. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler had publication of this photo (and others like it) banned because he considered it “beneath one’s dignity.” How did these photos surface, then? In 1945, an Allied soldier named Alf Robinson found a tattered, coverless book in a bomb-blasted house...

By Savannah Cox • Aug 24, 2015

Adolf Hitler Had This Photo Of Himself Banned

Even génocidaires have standards, apparently. In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler had publication of this photo (and others like it) banned because he considered it “beneath one’s dignity.” How did these photos surface, then? In 1945, an Allied soldier named Alf Robinson found a tattered, coverless book in a bomb-blasted house...

By Savannah Cox • August 24, 2015

How North Korean Propaganda Depicts, And Distorts, America

North Korean propaganda: outlandish glimpses at what one of the most dangerous countries on earth thinks about us--and claims to have in store for us.

By John Kuroski • Aug 19, 2015

Politics News On All That Is Interesting

How North Korean Propaganda Depicts, And Distorts, America

North Korean propaganda: outlandish glimpses at what one of the most dangerous countries on earth thinks about us--and claims to have in store for us.

By John Kuroski • August 19, 2015

How Muzak Shaped A Conformist America

While Muzak's background music was easy to ignore, the company's surprising story says a lot about postwar America.

By John Kuroski • Aug 18, 2015

How Muzak Shaped A Conformist America

While Muzak's background music was easy to ignore, the company's surprising story says a lot about postwar America.

By John Kuroski • August 18, 2015

7 Of The Most Spectacular Churches In Russia

As these Russian churches show, Italy doesn't have a monopoly on ornate devotional spaces.

By John Schellhase • Aug 17, 2015

7 Of The Most Spectacular Churches In Russia

As these Russian churches show, Italy doesn't have a monopoly on ornate devotional spaces.

By John Schellhase • August 17, 2015

California Throws Shade (Balls) To Help Solve Its Drought

The remedy to California's drought-stricken lands or just the world's biggest ball pit? See for yourself how shade balls are making a huge impact.

By Kiri Picone • Aug 13, 2015

News

California Throws Shade (Balls) To Help Solve Its Drought

The remedy to California's drought-stricken lands or just the world's biggest ball pit? See for yourself how shade balls are making a huge impact.

By Kiri Picone • August 13, 2015

A People Without a Country: The Gypsies

Persecuted around the world and still subject to discrimination in modern day Europe, we look into the fascinating history of the Gypsy people.

By Richard Stockton • Aug 12, 2015

A People Without a Country: The Gypsies

Persecuted around the world and still subject to discrimination in modern day Europe, we look into the fascinating history of the Gypsy people.

By Richard Stockton • August 12, 2015

To Hell And Back: Ethiopia’s Jews In Israel

Tucked away in northwest Ethiopia, along a line roughly stretching from Lake Tana to the border of Eritrea, lies the land of Beta Israel. This ancient region was once home to over 150,000 observant Jews, though only around 4,000 remain in the area today, most residents having relocated to Israel...

By Richard Stockton • Aug 2, 2015

To Hell And Back: Ethiopia’s Jews In Israel

Tucked away in northwest Ethiopia, along a line roughly stretching from Lake Tana to the border of Eritrea, lies the land of Beta Israel. This ancient region was once home to over 150,000 observant Jews, though only around 4,000 remain in the area today, most residents having relocated to Israel...

By Richard Stockton • August 2, 2015

When Cleveland, Ohio Decided To Launch 1.5 Million Balloons At Once

Surely someone could have seen this one coming. In one helluva poorly conceived–if not momentarily pretty–publicity stunt, Los Angeles-based company Treb decided to promote its services by releasing nearly 1.5 million balloons into the skies of Cleveland, Ohio. In spite of wasting vast amounts of helium for a single, fleeting...

By Savannah Cox • Jul 30, 2015

When Cleveland, Ohio Decided To Launch 1.5 Million Balloons At Once

Surely someone could have seen this one coming. In one helluva poorly conceived–if not momentarily pretty–publicity stunt, Los Angeles-based company Treb decided to promote its services by releasing nearly 1.5 million balloons into the skies of Cleveland, Ohio. In spite of wasting vast amounts of helium for a single, fleeting...

By Savannah Cox • July 30, 2015