Author: Evan Andrews

Most books are intended to be easily read and understood, and the oldest ones can often serve as windows into long-extinct cultures and ways of life. But others, either because of intentional obfuscation by the author or by virtue of being written in dead languages, remain mysterious to the scholars that study them. From obscure…

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February means the awards show season is in full swing, as accolades are handed out for the best movies, television shows, and records of the year. But this time of the year is also when a lot of the best joke awards come to pass. While the Oscars are busy honoring the best acting performances…

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When people think of tiny countries, places like Andorra, Monaco, and Luxembourg often come to mind. But these places are huge compared to some of the more obscure “micronations” scattered across the globe. These mini-states, which are often as small as a single acre, are formed for a variety of reasons: from artistic and political…

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In today’s ultra-competitive world of professional athletics, it’s extremely difficult to go pro. Still, there have been a number of physically gifted, insanely versatile athletes who’ve managed to make a name for themselves in multiple, often surprisingly different, competitions. In many cases, these “multi-sport” athletes have managed to rise to the top of the class…

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No matter what their supposed purpose, there’s something inherently sinister about a secret society. Though most are formed with relatively realistic political and religious goals in mind, their focus on mystery and secrecy has made them the target of countless criticisms and conspiracy theories involving everything from aliens and the occult to world domination. Of…

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The world is filled with ancient monuments built by master craftsmen in order to honor everything from kings and presidents to religious figures. And although most of these landmarks have been carefully studied and researched by scientists and historians, some are simply so old, incomplete, or obscure that we still don’t know very much about…

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They say truth is stranger than fiction, and in most cases it’s also more interesting. With this in mind, it seems a shame that Hollywood producers don’t pull from the great lives and stories of history more often. There are plenty of fascinating and absolutely true tales out there that are just waiting to be…

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Thanks to modern technology and air travel, the world is forever becoming a smaller place. Where journeys from one continent to another once took months, they now take hours, and sometimes it seems like there is nowhere left for a would-be adventurer to really get away from it all. Still, if you have the time,…

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While there might be more statistically treacherous sports, auto racing, particularly the less mainstream brands of rallying and motocross, still remains the most prominent—and often deadly—daredevil sport in the world. Drivers often reach speeds of over 250 mph, and that kind of pace, while exciting, has often been a recipe for disaster. Even with today’s…

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Musicians often get laughed at for having aspirations to act in film, and usually it’s pretty easy to see why. After all, no one’s basing acting classes around Britney Spears’ performance in Crossroads or Mariah Carey’s turn in Glitter, and even most of Elvis Presley’s movies are best forgotten. Still, there have been a number…

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While some celebrities and artists embrace the attention their fame brings them, others shy away from the spotlight and choose to lead lives of solitude away from the constant examination of the press. Ironically, this often only inspires an evidaen more cultist devotion from their fans, and encourages the media to speculate about their whereabouts…

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Internet radio shows, or podcasts, are one of the fastest growing forms of new media. With modern technology, anyone with a computer and an internet connection can become an amateur radio host and start producing a program on any subject they please, and websites like i-tunes and podcast alley now host thousands of different shows.…

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Over the years, the American Central Intelligence Agency has gained a reputation for being the most far-reaching, sophisticated, and effective government intelligence agency on the planet. At the same time, the CIA has also become known for its incredible paranoia and propensity to undertake costly, sometimes illegal, and often downright absurd projects in the name…

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Ghost ships, or phantom ships, make up a big part of the seafaring lore that has been passed down by sailors and fisherman throughout the years. The ships are said to be spectral apparitions that materialize on the horizon before quickly disappearing, and they are believed to be a sign of bad things to come.…

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Ever since the 1940s, British film studios have been consistently making great crime and gangster films with a singular style and feel to them. Whether it’s the black comedies of the 1950s, the realistic, hard-boiled thrillers of the 1970s, or the flashy, fast-paced work of recent directors like Guy Ritchie, the following are ten of…

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For every great work of art, literature, or architecture that gets completed, there are probably just as many that are abandoned and left unfinished because of wars, political strife, lack of funding, or the death of the artist. Most of these works are lost and forgotten, but some, by masters like Da Vinci and Mozart,…

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Unlike most kinds of petty crime, a confidence game, or con, takes an enormous amount of skill and forethought to pull off. When done right, in many cases the grifters who perpetrate them have not actually done anything overtly illegal–they’ve simply used lies and manipulation to get their victim, or “mark,” to willingly hand over…

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There’s no more iconic scene in Western movies than the good old-fashioned pistol duel, where the lawman and the outlaw meet at high noon to see who’s faster on the draw. In actuality, this kind of thing very rarely occurred, and the true life Western stories—like Wild Bill Hickok being shot in the back while…

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Every year, thousands of inmates escape from prisons around the world. Of these, most just walk away from minimum-security corrections facilities, but other inmates implement complex, ingenious, and often violent schemes in order to make their getaway. Whether the work of notorious outlaws, WWII G.I.s, or 18th century writers, the following are the top 10…

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Some people call them crazy, while others consider them heroes, but there’s no denying that daredevils and stunt performers continue to command a huge amount of public fascination thanks to their death-defying acts of courage and outright lunacy. From skydivers and wirewalkers to magicians and flight-obsessed truck drivers, here are the top ten stunt men…

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A recent rumor that started on Twitter had people believing actor Jeff Goldblum had fallen off a cliff to his death while shooting a movie. The story was quickly revealed to be a hoax, but it wasn’t the first time the web has been used to spread misinformation, and well before the dawn of the…

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Frivolous lawsuits waste billions of dollars in civil courts, but they show no signs of slowing down, and every year they seem to get more ridiculous. We’ve all heard about the woman who sued McDonald’s (and won!) after she spilled coffee on herself, or the thief who sued a family after injuring himself while trying…

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