Martin Scorsese’s period epic Gangs of New York took up residence in the chaos-ridden New York City neighborhoods of the mid-1800s, populated by eccentric characters and vicious acts of aggression. Its depiction wasn’t entirely accurate, but it was based on a very real neighborhood and the very real misery it […]
Jason Statham’s 2018 movie may be a work of fiction, but there is a real-life monster behind The Meg: the 60-foot-long prehistoric sea creature known as the Megalodon. The movie paints the shark-like monster as something that still lives in the ocean, but this apex predator likely died out millions […]
As a relative novice to politics and the labor landscape in the United States, Robert F. Kennedy worked as a lawyer for several Senate committees before being appointed chief counsel of the US Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in Labor and Management in 1957. More commonly referred to as […]
Nowadays, the ambitious and wild Biosphere 2 experiment is only remembered as a footnote to the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome, which is a shame. The Biosphere 2 project was ambitious, idealistic, and apocalyptic; it was some pretty crazy science wrought with drama, intrigue, cults, and billionaires. There are many wild […]
Creatures like the narwhal, okapi, and Komodo dragon are on the short list of mythical creatures proven real. Yet, while scientifically interesting, these examples aren’t in the realm of more fanciful and legendary animals like unicorns, Bigfoot, or the more hilarious mythical creatures that cryptozoologists fawn over. Mythical creatures in […]
Much like the tide, historical trends and taboos ebb and flow. Some of them, like fashion throughout the centuries and the most common ways to die, are solid and almost definitive indicators of the cultural zeitgeist. Others, like hair trends throughout history, may seem inconsequential in comparison. However, like the […]
When it comes to cutting-edge athletic footwear, Reebok and its competitors – Nike being the most prominent among them – have been at the forefront of industry-shaking innovations that literally change the way people wear (and buy) sneakers. But few innovations have caused a stir quite like the Reebok Pump. […]
The opening words to the national anthem are familiar to anyone who watches or attends a sporting event in the United States. But why is the national anthem played at games to begin with? Depending on one’s point of view, you can blame – or thank – World War I […]
In 1994, Nicholas Barclay vanished from his neighborhood in San Antonio. Three years later, he was found in Spain, having allegedly escaped from a military child sex ring. When he returned home to Texas, he appeared physically different and spoke with a French accent. The family excused all of this […]
Anyone who considers themselves a Disney Parks fan is familiar with the spectral entities that lurk in the Haunted Mansion. These semi-transparent ghouls dance, dine, and even play organ in the classic Disneyland ride. Invented before modern holograms and other high-tech optical tricks, the Imagineers had to use a technique […]
