Sweden is a well known country today, but they are not particularly well known for their military prowess. Most people today known Sweden for Ikea, pop music, and for being a very successful and rich, but relatively small country. However, many people outside of Sweden and the nearby countries do not realize that just a…
Author: Gregory Myers
Today, climate change is seen by many scientists and world leaders as the biggest issue facing the globe. Whether you believe that it’s caused by man, natural cycles, or some combination of both, more and more people have accepted at this point that the environment is continuing on a path that is going to make…
Today, Americans have a view of the Founding Fathers, and of the founding and evolution of young America, that is highly idealized and mythologized. The Founding Fathers themselves have reached an almost deified status and many people think of changing anything regarding the structure of our government as tantamount to blasphemy. However, much of what…
World War I is one of the most famous wars in history, but despite its significance, it often gets overlooked in favor of its more recent cousin, World War II. The Great War is especially less remembered as clearly by Americans, even though they played a large enough role that they should have felt more…
Not many people today know a lot about the Incas, which is unfortunate. They had one of the most incredible ancient societies in human history. Their kingdom was based in the city of Cusco, which is now in modern day Peru. While the Inca society started quite small, they managed to amass an empire that…
In the United States, Christmas is celebrated in ways that are, at least to Americans, fairly banal by now. America and a lot of Western countries with extremely similar traditions (many of which are provide the origin of US traditions) have a Santa Claus figure who brings gifts to the good children, many people go…
Maybe it’s because people watch too many superhero movies, or just want to spice up their lives, but some like to imagine they have all kinds of powers. Powers that others–or at least most–simply lack. Whether it’s a 9 to 5 commuter who thinks they’re far better than most drivers who have ever lived, a…
The 18th century — the Colonial era of America — was a fascinating time for cooking. While most people didn’t yet have their own ovens, and often had to improvise, many people actually had a pretty decent knowledge of various cooking methods and would use as complicated a spicing regimen as their means would allow.…
Popular culture is one of those subjects, much like politics, that everyone thinks they’re an expert in. After all, most people consume a lot of popular culture on a regular basis, so they assume that they have a good understanding of it. However, unless you’re a really big fan of one small piece of popular…
Back in the day, it was fashionable and considered perfectly normal to believe a theory or two about the JFK assassination. It could be said the initial investigation was a bit botched, and naturally, imaginations went wild. However, since those days, theories like 9/11 “truths” have created a sense of paranoia, fear and far-reaching power…
While scientists aren’t quite sure how the moon got here, most theories they have are pretty vanilla in terms of what we know of the formation of celestial bodies. However, theorists who have always been fascinated by the moon think that such explanations are far too boring. As far as they’re concerned, something absolutely crazy…
Today, Teddy Roosevelt is one of the least criticized presidents in US history. In fact, many people have lionized him and made him an ideal of what a good politician and a leader should be. They talk about Teddy as the trustbuster, the humanitarian, the nature lover, and the incredibly charismatic orator, whose speeches could…
Today, climate change is seen by many scientists and world leaders as the biggest issue facing the globe. Whether you believe that it’s caused by man, natural cycles, or some combination of both, more and more people have accepted at this point that the environment is continuing on a path that is going to make…
We all know about the Fukushima disaster that occurred in 2011, but many people today have forgotten about it, and don’t consider it much more than a footnote at this point — just another Chernobyl or Three Mile Island. Unfortunately, this viewpoint belies the real truth — particularly when it comes to the water around…
Today, Russia is arguably one of the most controversial countries on the planet. Much is said about them one way or the other (primarily due to Vladimir Putin), and very few countries have as many stereotypes (especially negative ones) floating around about them. While it’s understandable for many Westerners to be worried about Russian influence…
People watch sci-fi movies and get excited by the crazy ideas presented. Some of them even go on to become scientists or inventors, and many have helped bring the world inventions that mimic what they once saw in movies. In a way, these people are making a specific vision of the future happen, but some…
After the fact, people often wonder how dictators like Stalin or Hitler come to power, or how cult leaders like Jim Jones manage to gain influence over so many people. We want to believe most people are reasonable and think logically and critically, but both of these things can easily be overridden by a clever,…
Infrasound — sounds below audible human hearing, especially those close enough to still affect us on some level due to the vibrations — have recently started to become of great interest to researchers. The world has changed and now there are many artificial sources of infrasound, which gives much greater need to understand the phenomenon…
Many Americans are incredibly fond of Japanese culture, and dream one day of living and working in Japan. However, the truth is that what many of them think of as “Japanese culture” may not be an entirely accurate picture. Now, this doesn’t mean someone who has learned a lot of the language and customs and…
As the old saying goes, history is written by the winners. That’s as true today as ever. Despite the fact that the media has been much more comprehensive in the past 100 years or so, many people are unaware of abuses committed by the groups that most people consider to be the “good guys.” Much…
Aliens from outer space have long captured our imaginations, and there are countless conspiracy theorists with wild ideas, as well as countless History Channel theories that range from interesting to completely ridiculous. However, some theorists are convinced that we are looking in the wrong place for aliens. They don’t think that we’re likely to find…
When it comes to technology, we are living in amazing times. We have practically instant communication with people all over the globe, anyone can record anything with a device in their pocket and play it back later, we have a wealth of high tech entertainment options, transportation is a breeze compared to the days of…
The internet is chock full of articles telling you how you can “hack” your brain, or unlock your mind with one or two simple tricks, and suddenly be like a savant character from a movie. These articles do most people a disservice as they dangle a shiny object in front of them that sounds really…
The Ancient Aztecs — although they called themselves the Mexica — were renowned for their vast stores of gold, their advanced society, their military skill and brutality, and also their incredibly bloodthirsty and regular mass sacrifices to their vicious gods. They were known for enslaving vast quantities of people and sacrificing most of them. However,…