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Everyone loves a good tale of murder. From “Stagger Lee” to “John Hardy” the American songbook is full of scoundrels, cheaters and unrepentant murderers. Quite often the origin of these songs is pretty hard to track. As most songs are decades, if not centuries old, and passed down in the oral tradition, the murderers’ boasts [...]

The image of the knight holds a particular fascination in the modern imagination as the embodiment of the independent warrior, privileged member of society, romantic adventurer, backbone of medieval armies, and a station notionally accessible by the lowest classes through dutiful service and hard work. He is at once the hero and the underdog, with [...]

December 25th is almost universally celebrated as Christmas, the holiday when Christians celebrate the birth of their savior Jesus Christ. However, Christ’s birth is not the only important event to fall on December 25th. Many momentous things have happened on December 25th throughout the ages. Here are 10 of the most significant historical events to take place [...]

Of course, coincidences happen all the time: we were just thinking of someone when they call us on the phone, or we have this song in mind when it suddenly plays on the radio. Most of the time they don’t mean much, but every once in awhile there is a coincidence that’s outright spooky, or [...]

In this list we approach some of the most interesting areas and facts relating to chess which makes it one of the most popular games.  Its long history and dynamic nature have produced many chess players around the world – according to The Chess in the Olympics Campaign, “605 million people worldwide know how to [...]

The development of spoken languages is probably the most significant development in communications in the history of the world.  Since mankind first developed language, languages have developed into a multitude of varieties, a diversity which endures to this day.  Here is a list of the top ten languages, grouped by the number of native speakers. [...]

The world is full of unique objects, creatures, and world events.  Many foods are naturally radioactive and bananas contain a particularly high dose of radiation.  The banana equivalent dose is a scale used to measure radiation exposure.  The scale is based on the radiation levels humans receive by eating a single banana.  In fact, bananas [...]

World War I will be remembered as one of the bloodiest wars in human history.  Millions of soldiers died on both sides, and whole generations of young men were wiped out.  Armies were bogged down in impenetrable trenches, resulting in thousands dying in futile assaults against fortified enemies.  The war also introduced new and terrible [...]

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 [...]