People Used to Obsess Over Pineapples Way More Than We Do Now

Emma B. | Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015

There is probably no fruit so beloved as the pineapple. Our desire for this tropical plant extends beyond its taste alone: Pineapples appear on our wallpaper, our clothes, on napkin rings...

The Real Animal That Inspired the Cyclops

Josh H. | Tuesday, Oct 20, 2015

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus sets out on a grand epic and comes in contact with many terrifying gods and monsters along his journey. One of the most fiercesome is a cyclops named Poly...

Fantasy Worlds Need Fantasy Languages, and This Man Builds Them

Kasia G. | Monday, Oct 19, 2015

If you’ve ever said the word “khaleesi,” you’ve spoken a word from a created language. Constructed languages—better known in their portmanteau form, conlangs—are more visible now than eve...

Kushtaka: The Alaskan Half-Otter Half-Man Bigfoot

Maddy S. | Friday, Oct 16, 2015

In Alaska dwells a tribe called the Tlingit tribe. The Tlingit live in the southeastern part of the state, and hunt, fish, gather and trade as a way of life. They live off the land, and t...

The Horrifyingly Evil Story of Irma Grese, the Craziest Nazi You've (Probably) Never Heard of

Josh H. | Friday, Oct 16, 2015

You don’t have to look too hard to find horrifying stories about Nazis. However, one of the craziest stories revolves around a woman that not many people are aware of: Irma Grese, an S.S....

All or Nothing: The Argument That Almost Tore the Women’s Suffrage Movement Apart

Erin B. | Thursday, Oct 15, 2015

With big names like Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan starring in the upcoming Suffragette, moviegoers are actually paying attention to the dramatic story of women’s voting rights, which in...

The Real 'Blob' That Freaked Out Philadelphians and Inspired the Horror Movie

Josh H. | Wednesday, Oct 14, 2015

If you’re a fan of crappy horror movies, you’re probably aware of Chuck Russell’s 1988 classic The Blob. For those who aren’t, the film, which is a remake of a 1958 film of the same name,...

Brooklyn’s Forgotten Hockey History and Why It Matters Today

Dustin N. | Friday, Oct 9, 2015

It’s a big year for hockey in Brooklyn. The borough is getting two professional hockey teams. The New York Islanders move to Barclays Center, and the New York Riveters of the newly formed...

Vietnam's Quest to Tame the Isolated Ruc People

Mark H. | Friday, Oct 2, 2015

The mountains of the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a UNESCO World Heirtage site which stretch across the Bố Trạch and Minh Hóa districts of Vietnam’s Quảng Bình province, are some of t...

Heads Up: They Still Perform Lobotomies

Maddy S. | Wednesday, Sep 30, 2015

Imagine this: a well-known surgeon in your area suggests slicing someone’s brain open, cutting some brain matter here, severing some connections there, and then sewing their brain back up...

Why Do We Say 'Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner'?

Emma B. | Tuesday, Sep 29, 2015

In almost every casino-themed gambling film, you’re bound to hear an obligatory phrase that makes next to no sense in the context of the glitzy casino surrounds. Just picture it: the main...

The Killer Was in the House: The Story of Germany's Most Disturbing Unsolved Murder Case

Stephanie W. | Wednesday, Sep 23, 2015

After checking in on the home of seven-year-old Cecilia Gabriel who had failed to show up to school, the small town of Hinterkaifeck, 60 miles outside of Munich, was shaken to its core wh...