curiosities

Irish Farmer Digs Up 50-Pound Slab Of Centuries-Old Bog Butter

For thousands of years, people in Ireland deposited these butter slabs in peat bogs as a way to preserve them — and sometimes even buried them as offerings to the gods.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 20, 2024

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Irish Farmer Digs Up 50-Pound Slab Of Centuries-Old Bog Butter

For thousands of years, people in Ireland deposited these butter slabs in peat bogs as a way to preserve them — and sometimes even buried them as offerings to the gods.

By Austin Harvey • September 20, 2024

44 Images From Bestiaries That Show Just How Strange These Medieval Animal Encyclopedias Were

A medieval bestiary is a vibrantly illustrated compendium of both real and mythical animals — and the comically bizarre way scholars drew these beasts has baffled historians for centuries.

By Amber Morgan • Sep 18, 2024

44 Images From Bestiaries That Show Just How Strange These Medieval Animal Encyclopedias Were

A medieval bestiary is a vibrantly illustrated compendium of both real and mythical animals — and the comically bizarre way scholars drew these beasts has baffled historians for centuries.

By Amber Morgan • September 18, 2024

Fossil Hunter In Texas Unearths The Fossilized Jaw Of A Prehistoric ‘Sea Monster’

Globidens alabamaensis had unique, globular teeth that were perfectly suited for crushing the shells of turtles and mollusks.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 18, 2024

News

Fossil Hunter In Texas Unearths The Fossilized Jaw Of A Prehistoric ‘Sea Monster’

Globidens alabamaensis had unique, globular teeth that were perfectly suited for crushing the shells of turtles and mollusks.

By Austin Harvey • September 18, 2024

Hidden Sketch Found Underneath Da Vinci’s 500-Year-Old Masterpiece ‘Virgin Of The Rocks’

Advanced technology has detected the sketch of a Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece hidden beneath the finished product as well as the artist's own handprints.

By Marco Margaritoff • Sep 14, 2024

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Hidden Sketch Found Underneath Da Vinci’s 500-Year-Old Masterpiece ‘Virgin Of The Rocks’

Advanced technology has detected the sketch of a Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece hidden beneath the finished product as well as the artist's own handprints.

By Marco Margaritoff • September 14, 2024

More Than 1,000 Unexploded 18th-Century Rockets Were Just Discovered In India

The rockets are believed to have belonged to the 18th-century warrior king Tipu Sultan, who used them to fight the British East India Company.

By Bernadette Deron • Sep 14, 2024

News

More Than 1,000 Unexploded 18th-Century Rockets Were Just Discovered In India

The rockets are believed to have belonged to the 18th-century warrior king Tipu Sultan, who used them to fight the British East India Company.

By Bernadette Deron • September 14, 2024

How Did Robert Wadlow Die? Inside His Tragic Cause Of Death At The Age Of Just 22

Robert Wadlow was the tallest person in recorded history at 8 feet, 11 inches tall — but on July 15, 1940, he was killed by a tiny septic blister on his right ankle at the age of 22.

By Kaleena Fraga • Sep 10, 2024

How Did Robert Wadlow Die? Inside His Tragic Cause Of Death At The Age Of Just 22

Robert Wadlow was the tallest person in recorded history at 8 feet, 11 inches tall — but on July 15, 1940, he was killed by a tiny septic blister on his right ankle at the age of 22.

By Kaleena Fraga • September 10, 2024

An Underground Chamber Has Been Discovered Beneath The National Mall In Washington, D.C.

Found just below Smithsonian Castle, the chamber appears to be a 19th-century cistern meant to collect rainwater that had been forgotten for more than a century.

By Kaleena Fraga • Sep 6, 2024

News

An Underground Chamber Has Been Discovered Beneath The National Mall In Washington, D.C.

Found just below Smithsonian Castle, the chamber appears to be a 19th-century cistern meant to collect rainwater that had been forgotten for more than a century.

By Kaleena Fraga • September 6, 2024

The Story Of Anansi, West Africa’s Legendary Spider-Man

A beloved figure of Ghanaian folklore, Anansi is a charming trickster who triumphs over larger and more powerful adversaries by using his wits.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Sep 5, 2024

The Story Of Anansi, West Africa’s Legendary Spider-Man

A beloved figure of Ghanaian folklore, Anansi is a charming trickster who triumphs over larger and more powerful adversaries by using his wits.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • September 5, 2024

The History Of The Asmat Tribe Of New Guinea And Their Alleged Role In The Disappearance Of Michael Rockefeller

While they’re infamously known for allegedly killing and eating the American heir Michael Rockefeller in 1961, the Asmat tribe has a rich culture that extends beyond its history of headhunting and cannibalism.

By Amber Morgan • Aug 28, 2024

The History Of The Asmat Tribe Of New Guinea And Their Alleged Role In The Disappearance Of Michael Rockefeller

While they’re infamously known for allegedly killing and eating the American heir Michael Rockefeller in 1961, the Asmat tribe has a rich culture that extends beyond its history of headhunting and cannibalism.

By Amber Morgan • August 28, 2024

A New Study May Change Everything Experts Thought They Knew About One Of History’s Oldest Board Games

The ancient board game known as "Hounds and Jackals" or the "Game of 58 Holes" was long thought to have originated in Egypt, but game boards found in Azerbaijan suggest that may not be the case.

By Kaleena Fraga • Aug 28, 2024

News

A New Study May Change Everything Experts Thought They Knew About One Of History’s Oldest Board Games

The ancient board game known as "Hounds and Jackals" or the "Game of 58 Holes" was long thought to have originated in Egypt, but game boards found in Azerbaijan suggest that may not be the case.

By Kaleena Fraga • August 28, 2024