World’s Strangest

Today’s “Feel Art Again” is a double-header. First up is this post on Johann Zoffany, followed by a post delving into his painting “The Tribuna of the Uffizi.” Read both to get the full story on this talented artist. Johann Zoffany (1733-1810) was a German-born English painter and favored portraitist of King George III and Queen [...]

If democracy is rule by the people (from the Greek words “demos” for people and “kratos” for power), and theocracy is rule by religious body, then what about pornocracy? Yes it’s real and no, it’s not what you’re thinking of. In the tenth century, the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church fell under the influence of [...]

Limousines into windows, helicopter getaways, and diamonds hidden in face cream sound more like an elaborate movie plot and less like real life crime. However, this is not Oceans 11, and the “Pink Panthers” are a very real group of highly organized diamond thieves know for some of the most elaborate and expensive heists across [...]

One of the most glorious sites in France is the Les Invalides, a complex of buildings featuring a hospital, museum, and mausoleum where the spirits of soldiers and the turbulent past of France make this site a memorable experience. The Église St. Louis des Invalides was the grand initiative of Bruant and his successor Mansart. On [...]

• While love may be the international language, the international love is the chickpea, or the Bengal gram (India), Chickpea (English), Garbanzo (Latin America), Hommes, Hamaz (Arab world), Nohud, Lablabi (Turkey), and Shimbra (Ethiopia), as its sometimes known. • Chickpeas are a high-protein legume, as well as providers of slow burning complex carbohydrates. They can also replenish [...]

by Elizabeth Lunday If you want to paint a saint, it’s best to hire a sinner. Artist: Caravaggio Sins: murder; punching a monk in the gut Religious art in the late 16th century had become pretty standard stuff, full of beautiful Madonnas, chubby cherubs, and handsome saints. But Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio changed all that by painting what [...]

Most people are familiar with the Chanukah menorah’s nine branches—one for each night, plus the tall, center branch for the shamash (literally “the attendant”). But have you ever wondered why these menorahs don’t look the same as the famous menorah on the Arch of Titus in Rome, or like the one on the official emblem [...]

By Erika Janik Forget the juice; we’re talking about the hard stuff. Here are 11 facts everyone should know about good old-fashioned apple cider. 1. Back in the 14th century, it is believed that kids were baptized in cider since it was often more sanitary than water. 2. An apple beverage a day? President John Adams drank a [...]

Sure, the boring facts about states have been drilled into you by teachers and history books over the years. You might even remember all of the state capitals. But here are 50 trivia tidbits that you probably didn’t learn in second grade. 1. Alabama. New Orleans might be the hot spot for Mardi Gras these days, [...]

Earlier this year the Vatican issued a statement acknowledging that Darwin’s theory of evolution was compatible with Christian theology. Now the Vatican’s chief astronomer has postulated that extraterrestrial life is possible. Writing in the Vatican newspaper, the astronomer, Father Gabriel Funes, said intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space. Father Funes, director of [...]