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A 1927 Map Reveals the Hide-Outs of Chicago's Most Notorious Gangsters
In the 1920s, the streets of Chicago were home to hundreds of secret clubhouses and hideouts—home bases to thieving, violent gangsters. Between 1923 and 1926, one sociologist at the University of...
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Found: A Man Buried With a Stone in Place of His Tongue
In the 3rd or 4th century A.D., in a farming community near the river Nene, in what’s now Stanwick, England, a man was buried in an unusual fashion—face down, with a stone in his mouth where his tongue...
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The True History of the Umbrella Gun, a Surprisingly Serious Weapon
In 1978, Georgi Markov was on his way to work at the BBC in London when he felt a sharp sting on his thigh. Behind him, he saw a man picking up an umbrella. The man, who spoke with a foreign accent,...
View ArticleWatch This Irresponsible Raven Eat a Parking Ticket
Ravens like to hang out in the parking lots of Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territories, perching on cars and foraging for snacks. Last Thursday, one of them made its opinions on government...
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The Immaculate Reception Monument in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Before 1972, the Pittsburgh Steelers hadn't won an NFL championship for 40 years. But on December 23, 1972, the team had its first playoff game in franchise history. Down by one point against the...
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Druzhba in Yalta, Russia
This space age building overlooking the Black Sea would be the perfect hideout out for a villain on vacation. Indeed, when Druzhba was built in 1986, designed by famous Soviet architect Igor...
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National Archives Vault in Washington, D.C.
The National Archives building in Washington, D.C. houses some of the United States' most foundational texts, including the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. These...
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The Mistaken Case of the Killer Cornbread
In 1908, the U.S. suffered its first outbreak of a horrendous disease called pellagra. The nation’s first response? Arguing about cornbread recipes.The pellagra outbreak was confined to the South,...
View ArticleWatch a Man Turn a Lump of Hot Sugar Into a Bunny
On a street in Beijing, an elderly Chinese man blows into a hollow lump of hot, melted sugar. A minute or two later, he holds a bunny. Or a giraffe. Or a goldfish. All are shaped via the traditional...
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Attrap’Rêves Bubble Hotel in Allauch, France
“Living in a bubble” is typically associated with people sheltered from the perils of society, but in southeastern France, the concept is taken to a new, literal level. Every night, tourists in the...
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The Curious Curriculum of the 1950s Red Cross 'Bride Schools'
In the 1950s, Japanese women seeking a new life in America had to learn about more than just visa requirements. They also had to learn how to cook hamburgers, entertain neighbors, and confidently walk...
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The 'Death Hand' of One of Canada's First Nationalists Lives On in an Ottawa Bar
It's easy to miss the ghost-white plaster hand that rests under a plexi-glass box at D’Arcy McGee’s in Ottawa, Canada, where it sits at the top of a small flight of stairs that constitutes the bar’s...
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The Scarpetta House in Baltimore, Maryland
In the Baltimore Chief Medical Examiner's Office, the largest of its kind in the United States, one room has seen more violence than any other room in the city.The Medical Examiner's Office is best...
View ArticleWatch a Hong Kong 'Villain-Hitter' Beat Away Foes With a Shoe
In the Wan Chai District of Hong Kong Island, a chorus of smacking shoes reverberates against the underpass of the Canal Road Flyover. Here, people take vengeance on their villains by seeking a group...
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The Criminal History of Fantomas, France's Favorite Fictional Villain
As villains go, Fantômas is a nasty one. Created in 1911, he is a gentleman criminal who perpetrates gruesome, elaborate crimes with no clear motivation. He hangs a victim inside a church bell so that...
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Found: A Giant Crack in the Arizona Desert
In Arizona’s Tator Hills, the Arizona Geological Survey has located a giant fissure in the earth. It’s two miles long; according to a local news station, that’s a half mile longer than any other...
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The Kamera (The Chamber) in Moscow, Russia
It’s no secret that the KGB used assassination, often by poison, to silence political dissidents that spoke out against the Soviet regime (known within the agency as "liquid affairs"). What remains...
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Why Are Rats Always the Bad Guys?
In 1972, the graphic novelist Art Spiegelman was asked to draw something for an animal-themed comic book. As he brainstormed his submission, he recalled in a 2011 interview, he searched for a way to...
View ArticleA Rescued Surfer Who Got Lost on Purpose
Over a week ago, a surfer later identified as a Japanese man named Toru was plucked from the ocean by a cargo ship, having spent 16 hours alone on his surfboard some three-and-a-half miles off the...
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Sun City Resort in Sun City, South Africa
Just a two-hour drive from Johannesburg towers a giant castle, accessible through a path lined with a herd of elephant statues. This castle's main fountain spouts water out of the horns of sable...
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