curiosities

Meet The Real Persian Royals Behind The Viral ‘Princess Qajar’ Memes

The legendary "Princess Qajar” is actually a conflation of two 19th-century Persian royals — Fatemeh Khanum "Esmat al-Dowleh" and Zahra Khanum "Taj al-Saltaneh.”

By Kaleena Fraga • Jan 22, 2026

Meet The Real Persian Royals Behind The Viral ‘Princess Qajar’ Memes

The legendary "Princess Qajar” is actually a conflation of two 19th-century Persian royals — Fatemeh Khanum "Esmat al-Dowleh" and Zahra Khanum "Taj al-Saltaneh.”

By Kaleena Fraga • January 22, 2026

The Peculiar Story Of Anatoli Bugorski, The Scientist Who Stuck His Head In A Proton Accelerator And Lived To Tell The Tale

Soviet physicist Anatoli Bugorski is the only person known to have been directly exposed to a nuclear particle accelerator beam and survive.

By Kara Goldfarb • Jan 20, 2026

The Peculiar Story Of Anatoli Bugorski, The Scientist Who Stuck His Head In A Proton Accelerator And Lived To Tell The Tale

Soviet physicist Anatoli Bugorski is the only person known to have been directly exposed to a nuclear particle accelerator beam and survive.

By Kara Goldfarb • January 20, 2026

A Prohibition-Era Gun Was Just Uncovered In A Distillery Once Controlled By Al Capone

The weapon, a Colt Model 1908 pistol, was still loaded and stashed away in the wall of a catacomb beneath Thornton Distilling Co. in the Chicago suburb of Thornton, Illinois.

By Austin Harvey • Jan 20, 2026

News

A Prohibition-Era Gun Was Just Uncovered In A Distillery Once Controlled By Al Capone

The weapon, a Colt Model 1908 pistol, was still loaded and stashed away in the wall of a catacomb beneath Thornton Distilling Co. in the Chicago suburb of Thornton, Illinois.

By Austin Harvey • January 20, 2026

The Shocking History Of Aqua Tofana, The 17th-Century ‘Blemish Serum’ That Killed Hundreds Of Unwanted Husbands

In the 1600s, many Italian housewives had no hope of escaping bad marriages. So hundreds of them turned to poison to kill their husbands — and collect their inheritance.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jan 18, 2026

The Shocking History Of Aqua Tofana, The 17th-Century ‘Blemish Serum’ That Killed Hundreds Of Unwanted Husbands

In the 1600s, many Italian housewives had no hope of escaping bad marriages. So hundreds of them turned to poison to kill their husbands — and collect their inheritance.

By Kaleena Fraga • January 18, 2026

New Analysis Has Revealed The Water Of Pompeii Was Dense In Heavy Metals — And May Have Foretold Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption

Before the construction of a Roman aqueduct around 20 B.C.E. the hygienic conditions of baths in Pompeii were "far from ideal."

By Kaleena Fraga • Jan 16, 2026

News

New Analysis Has Revealed The Water Of Pompeii Was Dense In Heavy Metals — And May Have Foretold Mount Vesuvius’ Eruption

Before the construction of a Roman aqueduct around 20 B.C.E. the hygienic conditions of baths in Pompeii were "far from ideal."

By Kaleena Fraga • January 16, 2026

Archaeologists In Siberia Have Discovered Medieval Child Graves Filled With Treasures

The grave goods from the fifth to eighth centuries C.E. include ornate belts, silver jewelry, and even gems.

By Austin Harvey • Jan 14, 2026

News

Archaeologists In Siberia Have Discovered Medieval Child Graves Filled With Treasures

The grave goods from the fifth to eighth centuries C.E. include ornate belts, silver jewelry, and even gems.

By Austin Harvey • January 14, 2026

The Tragic Story Of Jacob Stockdale, The Former ‘Wife Swap’ Contestant Who Killed His Mother And Brother

Nine years after his conservative family was featured on the ABC show "Wife Swap," Jacob Stockdale fatally shot his mother and brother before attempting to take his own life.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jan 14, 2026

The Tragic Story Of Jacob Stockdale, The Former ‘Wife Swap’ Contestant Who Killed His Mother And Brother

Nine years after his conservative family was featured on the ABC show "Wife Swap," Jacob Stockdale fatally shot his mother and brother before attempting to take his own life.

By Kaleena Fraga • January 14, 2026

Kate Morgan, The Young Woman Who Died By Suicide At The Hotel Del Coronado — And Has Allegedly Haunted It Ever Since

The most famous ghost at the Hotel del Coronado in California is Kate Morgan, a 24-year-old who died by suicide on the hotel grounds in 1892.

By Aimee Lamoureux • Jan 11, 2026

Kate Morgan, The Young Woman Who Died By Suicide At The Hotel Del Coronado — And Has Allegedly Haunted It Ever Since

The most famous ghost at the Hotel del Coronado in California is Kate Morgan, a 24-year-old who died by suicide on the hotel grounds in 1892.

By Aimee Lamoureux • January 11, 2026

Inside California’s Slab City, Where People Go To Live Way Off The Grid

The makeshift town of Slab City in the Colorado Desert might not be glamorous, but thousands of nomads call it home during the winter.

By Wyatt Redd • Jan 11, 2026

Inside California’s Slab City, Where People Go To Live Way Off The Grid

The makeshift town of Slab City in the Colorado Desert might not be glamorous, but thousands of nomads call it home during the winter.

By Wyatt Redd • January 11, 2026

How Legendary Mobster Lucky Luciano’s Ring Allegedly Ended Up On The Show ‘Pawn Stars’

A gold signet ring purportedly owned by Lucky Luciano surfaced in 2012 with a price tag of $100,000 — even though the seller had no papers to authenticate it.

By Marco Margaritoff • Jan 10, 2026

How Legendary Mobster Lucky Luciano’s Ring Allegedly Ended Up On The Show ‘Pawn Stars’

A gold signet ring purportedly owned by Lucky Luciano surfaced in 2012 with a price tag of $100,000 — even though the seller had no papers to authenticate it.

By Marco Margaritoff • January 10, 2026