It takes a lot of time and money to be this petty, but that’s no problem for the people who build “spite houses”. “A spite house is a building constructed or substantially modified to irritate neighbors or any party with land stakes. Because long-term occupation is not the primary purpose […]
The world was a grim place before the advent of the flush toilet. “On 26 July 1184, in the German city of Erfurt, approximately sixty local nobles died when the floor of a building collapsed through the ground floor and into the latrine cesspit below. They were attending a Hoftag […]
This is a book even the library doesn’t want you reading – because it’s bad for your health. “Shadows from the Walls of Death: Facts and Inferences Prefacing a Book of Specimens of Arsenical Wall Papers is an 1874 book by Dr. Robert C. Kedzie (1823–1902) of Michigan. The book […]
If you’re having a scan done on your brain, you might already be in a scary situation, but it doesn’t get much scarier than the scan showing a massive hole in your grey matter. “Hydrocephalus is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within and/or around the brain, […]
Rather paradoxically, this coffin was designed to save your life. So why aren’t they popular anymore? “A safety coffin or security coffin is a coffin fitted with a mechanism to prevent premature burial or allow the occupant to signal that they have been buried alive. A large number of designs […]
Back when men were rarely bareheaded, making sure you had not just a hat, but the *right* hat could be of crucial importance. “The Straw Hat Riot of 1922 was a riot that occurred in New York City at the end of summer as a result of unwritten rules in […]
For hundreds of years, animals were seen as valid defendants in court trials, leading to some hilarious documented cases. “In legal history, an animal trial is a trial of a non-human animal. These trials were conducted in both secular and ecclesiastic courts. Records of such trials show that they took […]
‘Tales From the Bottle’ gets in the Halloween spirit and looks at the spooky and terrifying story of Michael Taylor, the demoniac. “Michael Taylor, born circa 1944, became notable in 1974 as a result of Ossett murder case and his alleged demonic possession in England.” More on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Taylor_(demoniac)
‘Tales From the Bottle’ goes back to the days of the Holy Roman Empire to take a look at some of the Catholic Church’s shenanigans. “The Cadaver Synod (also called the Cadaver Trial; Latin: Synodus Horrenda) is the name commonly given to the posthumous ecclesiastical trial of Pope Formosus, held […]
‘Tales From the Bottle’ returns to bring you the tragic tale of the Weaver family and the siege of Ruby Ridge. “Ruby Ridge was the site of an eleven-day siege near Naples, Idaho, U.S., beginning on August 21, 1992, when Randy Weaver, members of his immediate family, and family friend […]
