World’s Strangest

In honor of the founding of the Red Cross on October 29, 1863, here’s a closer look at the organization, how it works, and its greatest triumphs. How It Works There is no international Red Cross. Instead, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) oversees and approves national Red Cross organizations, ensuring those local organizations always [...]

Despite being creatures of the night bats appear to have a strong aversion to being in direct moonlight. Scientists in Mexico have determined that bat…

Photo: Shutterstock A large study by Johns Hopkins University confirmed what many of us have known for a long time: children who immigrate the United States with their families tend to do better in [...]

After we posted 13 Disturbing Pieces of Art from History, several readers pointed out that none of the works were created by female artists. So, here are 13 more disturbing pieces of art, and they’re all created by women. 1. Artemesia Gentileschi – Judith and her Maidservant The most remarked-upon absence from the previous list was [...]

If you can do it on land, someone will find a way to do it underwater. And then they’ll find a way to get others to do it, too! 1. Listen to Music The Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce and US-1 Radio 104.1FM presents an annual Underwater Music Festival just off Big Pine Key in Florida. The [...]

There’s more to the common parking lot than broken beer bottles and fender benders from that guy who was texting. Oceans of asphalt, it seems, are hiding an astonishing trove of archeological treasures. 1. The King of England DARREN STAPLES/Reuters/Landov In 1485, King Richard III of England was killed during the Battle of Bosworth Field, the last major [...]

Getty Images This morning Mitt Romney tapped Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. John Nance Garner, FDR’s first vice president, either said the VP position wasn’t worth “a warm pitcher of piss” or “a warm bucket of spit.” Whatever body fluid and receptacle he really used, you get the idea. But that doesn’t mean [...]

Getty Images For some athletes, the Olympics aren’t just a competition: they’re a chance to escape oppression. Earlier this week, seven of Cameroon’s athletes disappeared from London’s Olympic Village. The week before, three runners from Sudan’s Olympic training squad filed for asylum in Britain. Here’s a look at some other Olympic defections. 1948 Summer Olympics: London Marie Provaznikova, [...]

“Write what you know,” they say. So it makes sense that many authors take a good look around at friends and family when creating characters for their books. 1. Mark Twain once admitted that he wasn’t terribly creative in creating Huckleberry Finn – he based the character almost precisely on his childhood friend Tom Blankenship. From [...]

Medicines and medical practices have come a long way. Here are some items that have vanished from medicine cabinets in the last few decades. 1. Mercurochrome Most folks over the age of 30 have never heard of this topical antiseptic. But many of us Boomers begged mom to daub our cuts and scrapes with the relatively painless [...]