You don’t need to go to a desert island and find the “X” on a map to discover hidden treasure these days. As it happens, hundreds of homeowners and businesses are routinely discovering things hidden in their walls. Sometimes they’re treasures, and sometimes they are decidedly not. 10. The First Appearance of Superman In the…
Author: Ian Fortey
The human mind loves a good mystery. It’s almost impossible to resist the urge of a puzzle, if only for a moment. Where it’s a Rubik’s cube, a riddle, or if reality TV is any indication, an unsolved murder, we want to know what the answer is. Unfortunately, sometimes the mystery proves to be far…
Modern medicine is about as close to a miracle as you’re likely to see in your lifetime. The number of lives saved each and every year thanks to everything from penicillin to cancer treatments to insulin is staggering. It’s very likely utterly incalculable. But it does come with a price that most of us are…
There are 118 chemical elements that run from gases to liquids to solids. Some of them we’ll never run across in our lives because of how rare or dangerous they are. Others are so common we barely give them a second thought. But some of the elements that make up our world have far more…
America’s Most Wanted debuted on FOX back in 1987. Since its inception it has proven to be incredibly popular, even surviving a cancelation and a network move before ultimately being canceled again in 2011. That was until 2021, when it was revived yet again. Over the years, the show has been directly responsible for tips…
DNA has been the single most valuable tool in solving crimes in the last century. Genetic evidence has proven capable of solving crimes that have been unsolved for decades but the problem is often how to get the DNA needed to solve those crimes. It’s not enough for a criminal to leave evidence at a…
They say crime doesn’t pay, but that statement seems to be only true for those who get caught. Fortunately for the justice system there are a lot of criminals out there making it far too easy to round them up through some of the most ridiculous mistakes imaginable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTQ8LALy2a8 This is an encore of one…
They say necessity is the mother of invention, but sometimes technology just doesn’t line up and make everything practical. Some ideas that are common in the present were thought up in a bygone era that just wasn’t ready for such innovation. It just goes to show a good idea is a good idea, it just…
As we’ve mentioned in the (very recent) past, they say that sometimes crime doesn’t pay. But that statement seems to be only true for those who get caught. Fortunately for the justice system there are a lot of criminals out there making it far too easy to round them up through some of the most…
George S. Patton once said “Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.” That may have been a quote about the honor, skill, and mettle of soldiers. But it also can apply to the use of these impractical weapons, which seem more likely to help you lose a fight than win…
There’s an old adage that says “crime doesn’t pay.” Unfortunately, a lot of criminals steal things to make money precisely to ensure that crime does pay them. Now for some criminals this doesn’t pan out at all. But for others, it actually works out much better than you’d think. Sometimes the difference between crime failing…
The universe is full of millions of tons of debris of all shapes and sizes. Out in space these are meteoroids. The moment it hits our atmosphere, it becomes a meteor. And if it actually makes it through the atmosphere and hits pay dirt, we call it a meteorite. Literal tons of this stuff hits…
The word “mutation” tends to have a negative connotation, in no small part thanks to science fiction. We think of mutations as something gone wrong. But mutation is also how things improve. Throughout human history, there had been some remarkable mutations with some incredible side effects. 10. Shovel Teeth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_KmR5Si-7U Mutation is what has allowed…
In the United States there is only one Supermax prison currently still in operation: ADX Florence in Colorado. This is where the worst inmates in the country are held, especially terrorists and those that have made a habit of escaping from other facilities. The Unabomber is there, as well as El Chapo, the Boston Marathon…
For a family that lives its life on public display, the Royals have an uncanny knack for getting embroiled in scandal and intrigue. Some of this plays out publicly, but some of it seems to be hidden away in some dark places. Every family has their secrets, but not every family ruled over nations and…
Terraforming is the process of modifying things like atmosphere, ecology, even surface topography of another world to make it hospital for life as we know it. Think of it like buying a run-down house with no insulation and holes in the floors then fixing it up so you can live in it. Except, you know,…
They say crime doesn’t pay, but that statement seems to be only true for those who get caught. Fortunately for the justice system there are a lot of criminals out there making it far too easy to round them up through some of the most ridiculous mistakes imaginable. 10. The Door Pusher Who among us…
Technology is ever moving forward, but its acceptance is a fickle thing. We are almost cursed with abundance these days, so consumers are able to be discerning about which technology they want to spend time and money on. Even a good idea may have to fall by the wayside if it’s marketed incorrectly or its…
Science is a helpful tool to explain the world around us. Observation, experimentation and some intuition go into determining how things work and why. One of the best things about science is that it’s malleable. Science isn’t trying to be a religion, it’s just trying to explain things. If we learn something new, science changes…
The human mind loves a good mystery. It’s almost impossible to resist the urge of a puzzle, if only for a moment. Where it’s a Rubik’s cube, a riddle, or if reality TV is any indication, an unsolved murder, we want to know what the answer is. Unfortunately, sometimes the mystery proves to be far…
Sometimes history has a way of twisting a story to make villains into heroes or heroes into villains. Someone in the right place at the right time can be credited with an amazing invention, or maybe they just stole it and said it was theirs. In any event, there are plenty of people who have…
There are 118 chemical elements that run from gases to liquids to solids. Some of them we’ll never run across in our lives because of how rare or dangerous they are. Others are so common we barely give them a second thought. But some of the elements that make up our world have far more…
Back in 1910, Eugene Burton Ely became the first pilot to successfully take off in a plane from the deck of a Navy ship. Other ships were soon adapted for launching planes, and by 1927 the US Navy had built two Lexington-class aircraft carriers which became the foundation for the future fleet. The US still…
Queen Victoria’s reign extended from 1837 all the way until 1901. It was one of the longest in British royal history, and it was characterized by a lot of change and upheaval for the country. She was so influential they named the entire time period after her and to this day the word Victorian brings…