World’s Strangest

Read about four different sightings of wild kangaroos in the United States. Not surprisingly, some people believe that the mystery animals of North America are paranormal manifestations of some kind. But that might be jumping to conclusions. Various theories have been put forward in an attempt to explain the bizarre phenomenon, but to date no satisfactory [...]

Amidst all the heartbreaking stories out of Haiti these past two weeks, I was impressed to see that Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) was deploying an inflatable hospital. An inflatable hospital? What a great idea! Here’s how it works. Air is pumped into the columns and beams that support the structure, which are made of [...]

You’d have to look far and wide to find a child who doesn’t like elephants! An animal so big, so extreme, and which comes with a nose that can do things was destined to be a pop culture favorite. Here are some the “biggest” elephant characters, past and present. 10. Elmer Elmer the Patchwork Elephant is the [...]

Imagine being on the archaeological dig of a lifetime, searching for dinosaur bones or ancient Egyptian treasures, when you finally find something embedded in centuries-old rock or sealed in a tomb that you know hasn’t been opened in thousands of years. But it’s not a bone or a gem – it’s… a Game Boy? How [...]

Thanksgiving is over, and the other holidays aren’t quite here yet, so that can only mean one thing: it’s shopping season. At least, it is for me. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all of the sales and “deals” that will take us through December 26th or so – it’s awfully tempting for someone who likes [...]

You know the toys. You’ve seen the commercials. But you definitely haven’t heard these stories.* Listen up as game inventor Tim Moodie reveals the glorious, bizarre and scandalous back stories of 7 classic toys. 1. How the Slinky got stuck between a cult and a mid-life crisis In 1943, Richard James, a naval engineer, invented the Slinky. [...]

I can’t wait for Thanksgiving. It’s one day where you don’t have to worry about the calorie content of what you’re eating (maybe you should, but most of us probably don’t) – the gorge-fest is encouraged and expected. But what I might be looking forward to stuffing my face with isn’t the same thing you [...]

Tonight’s event is predicted to be “strong” with a couple dozen meteors per hour visible in the United States, several hundred per hour in Asia. This pales in comparison to some historic Leonid displays - The meteor storm of 1833 was of truly superlative strength. One estimate is over one hundred thousand meteors an hour, but [...]

Long before our modern industries developed the cleaning products, industrial solvents, and drugs that can kill when misused, people used simple plants to murder each other. Some plants were especially effective. 1. Nightshade Atropa Belladonna is also known as deadly nightshade. The flowering plant is native to Europe and can grow up to ten feet tall if [...]

The friendly Swedish Fish are a staple of the US candy scene, a denizen of nearly every movie theater counter and convenience store. But where did they come from? And why fish? Why not Swedish Reindeer? Or Geese? There isn’t a lot of research on Swedish Fish out there, but here’s what we got: In the [...]