How A Family-Owned Japanese Hotel Survived for over 1,300 Years

Mark H. | Tuesday, Jan 13, 2015

The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, an inn outside of Hayakawa in the mountainous, picturesque countryside of Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture, wants to be known for its hot springs. A modern, four...

Boston's Great Molasses Flood of 1919

Josh H. | Monday, Jan 5, 2015

On January 15, 1919, the streets of Boston’s North End neighborhood were covered in over 2.3 million gallons of molasses after a holding tank at the Purity Distilling Company ruptured, un...

How the Terrifying Abduction of Sally Horner Became Nabakov's Lolita Inspiration

Stephanie W. | Monday, Jan 5, 2015

It took an eleven year old girl shoplifting a five cent notebook for Lolita, one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, to be written. The germs of Lolita were first written in...

The Man and His Secret Formula Behind the "Sleeping Beauty" Mummy

Jes G. | Friday, Jan 2, 2015

When two year old Rosalia Lombardo died of pneumonia during the Spanish Influenza Outbreak in 1920, her father was beyond devastated. Like many parents before who’d lost a child, Lombardo...

The Heartbreaking Story of JM Barrie's Real Life Peter Pan

Jes G. | Thursday, Jan 1, 2015

With anticipation already building for 2015’s Pan, there also comes renewed interest in J.M. Barrie, the man who introduced the world to Neverland. Peter was famously inspired by the Llew...

Mariya Oktyabrskaya, Russia's Craziest Tank Driver

Josh H. | Saturday, Dec 27, 2014

Mariya Oktyabrskaya was born in 1905 to a peasant family living on the Crimean peninsula. Before the war, Oktyabrskaya led a pretty normal life working in a cannery and as a telephone ope...

Krampus, the Terrifying Christmas Beast Who Whips Bad Children

Stephanie W. | Monday, Dec 22, 2014

Gather round, kiddies, and try not to fear the giant horned beast who comes to greet you on Christmas. Krampus is a straight up monster and beloved Christmas tradition to several Germanic...

In Iceland, You Feed the Christmas Yule Cat or It Will Feed On You

Stephanie W. | Thursday, Dec 18, 2014

In Iceland, jolly Christmas cheer is paired with terrifying folklore: the Christmas tale of Jólakötturinn, the fierce Yule Cat that turns into a carnivorous monster if you do not give him...

Why Does the Word "Dick" Have So Many Meanings?

Mark H. | Tuesday, Dec 16, 2014

The English language has a dick problem—namely the fact that the word “dick” has far too many meanings. Most of us just think of the term as a synonym for a jerk or a penis, but beyond th...

Sexism and Stolen Evidence: The Story Behind the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix

Stephanie W. | Thursday, Dec 4, 2014

Perhaps you’ve heard the story. James Watson and Francis Crick, two male scientists, cracked the DNA code with now famous double helix structure in 1953 with the help of Maurice Wilkins....

Marco Polo Thought Rhinos Were Unicorns

Josh H. | Tuesday, Dec 2, 2014

One day near the end of the 13th century while traveling through the kingdom of Basma, modern day Sumatra (an island in Indonesia), Marco Polo came upon a strange animal that he believed...

The Horrifying Sound of Aztec Death Whistles

Josh H. | Saturday, Nov 29, 2014

If you were to ever have the displeasure of going to war against the Aztecs, the Mesoamerican people who dominated much of central Mexico in the 14th century, your ears would be greeted b...