curiosities

In The Wake Of Nuclear Disaster, Animals Are Thriving In The Red Forest Of Chernobyl

From elk to boars to dogs, Chernobyl's animals have found an unexpected haven for wildlife in the Red Forest of the Exclusion Zone.

By Erin Kelly • Feb 18, 2022

In The Wake Of Nuclear Disaster, Animals Are Thriving In The Red Forest Of Chernobyl

From elk to boars to dogs, Chernobyl's animals have found an unexpected haven for wildlife in the Red Forest of the Exclusion Zone.

By Erin Kelly • February 18, 2022

Grisly 18th-Century Love Note Sewn With Human Hair To Be Displayed At London Museum

Anna Maria Radclyffe likely embroidered the message with the hair of her husband, James Radclyffe, who was executed in 1716 for rebelling against the King of England.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 16, 2022

Weird News

Grisly 18th-Century Love Note Sewn With Human Hair To Be Displayed At London Museum

Anna Maria Radclyffe likely embroidered the message with the hair of her husband, James Radclyffe, who was executed in 1716 for rebelling against the King of England.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 16, 2022

Discover The Manchineel Tree, The Plant So Toxic That Its Nickname Is The ‘Tree Of Death’

Found in tropical places like the Florida Everglades, the manchineel tree is a flowering spurge plant that is packed with poison — from its fruit to its bark and sap.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Feb 15, 2022

Discover The Manchineel Tree, The Plant So Toxic That Its Nickname Is The ‘Tree Of Death’

Found in tropical places like the Florida Everglades, the manchineel tree is a flowering spurge plant that is packed with poison — from its fruit to its bark and sap.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • February 15, 2022

This Spanish Ghost Town Just Reappeared After 30 Years At The Bottom Of A Reservoir

When the creation of a new reservoir in 1992 forced residents of Aceredo to evacuate, they thought they would never see their homes again. Now, due to a major drought, they can.

By Cara Johnson • Feb 15, 2022

News

This Spanish Ghost Town Just Reappeared After 30 Years At The Bottom Of A Reservoir

When the creation of a new reservoir in 1992 forced residents of Aceredo to evacuate, they thought they would never see their homes again. Now, due to a major drought, they can.

By Cara Johnson • February 15, 2022

How The Cardiff Giant Became Perhaps The Greatest Hoax In American History

Uncovered in New York in 1869, the Cardiff Giant was a 10-foot-tall "petrified man" that countless Christians believed was proof of the existence of Biblical giants.

By Genevieve Carlton • Feb 11, 2022

How The Cardiff Giant Became Perhaps The Greatest Hoax In American History

Uncovered in New York in 1869, the Cardiff Giant was a 10-foot-tall "petrified man" that countless Christians believed was proof of the existence of Biblical giants.

By Genevieve Carlton • February 11, 2022

A Tiny Island Off The Coast Of England Just Put Out An Open Call For A New Monarch

Piel Island spans just 50 acres and is home to a crumbling castle as well as a 300-year-old pub — and now it's in need of a new "monarch."

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 9, 2022

News

A Tiny Island Off The Coast Of England Just Put Out An Open Call For A New Monarch

Piel Island spans just 50 acres and is home to a crumbling castle as well as a 300-year-old pub — and now it's in need of a new "monarch."

By Kaleena Fraga • February 9, 2022

Scientists Observe Chimps Treating Their Wounds With Bugs In Historic First

"Chimpanzees eat insects, but we did not know that they catch and use them to treat their wounds."

By Marco Margaritoff • Feb 8, 2022

News

Scientists Observe Chimps Treating Their Wounds With Bugs In Historic First

"Chimpanzees eat insects, but we did not know that they catch and use them to treat their wounds."

By Marco Margaritoff • February 8, 2022

Inside The Eerie ‘Lead Masks Case’ That’s Gone Unsolved For More Than 50 Years

In 1966, Brazilian UFO hunters Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana were found dead on a hilltop overlooking Rio de Janeiro — with bizarre lead masks covering their eyes.

By Kaleena Fraga • Feb 7, 2022

Inside The Eerie ‘Lead Masks Case’ That’s Gone Unsolved For More Than 50 Years

In 1966, Brazilian UFO hunters Manoel Pereira da Cruz and Miguel José Viana were found dead on a hilltop overlooking Rio de Janeiro — with bizarre lead masks covering their eyes.

By Kaleena Fraga • February 7, 2022

Being Pressed To Death Was One Of The Grisliest Execution Methods In History

For thousands of years, accused criminals were subjected to being pressed or crushed to death, most famously during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Feb 1, 2022

Being Pressed To Death Was One Of The Grisliest Execution Methods In History

For thousands of years, accused criminals were subjected to being pressed or crushed to death, most famously during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • February 1, 2022

Anonymous Cleaner Accidentally Destroys Ancient Scottish Pilgrimage Site

People have hung rags in the trees at a "clootie well" near Munlochy for hundreds of years in an ancient healing ritual.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jan 31, 2022

Anonymous Cleaner Accidentally Destroys Ancient Scottish Pilgrimage Site

People have hung rags in the trees at a "clootie well" near Munlochy for hundreds of years in an ancient healing ritual.

By Kaleena Fraga • January 31, 2022