Lists and Stories

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  8 Hollywood Haunts That Are Seriously Haunted Most people think of Hollywood as a place full of glitz and glamour--and don’t get us wrong, there’s plenty of that--but it has its share of sordid secrets, as well. It turns out some of your favorite Hollywood haunts might just be…well…haunted. In a town where most of the citizenry yearn to live...
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  8 Hotly Disputed Borders of the World Some borders, like that between the United States and Canada, are peaceful ones. Others are places of conflict caused by rivalries between countries or peoples, disputes over national resources, or disagreements about the past. Eight of the most contentious borders in the world are described in...
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  8 Incredible Swimming Feats What are the qualities of a great swimmer? Discipline, toughness, perfect technique, a nutty compulsion to conquer the world’s most inhospitable bodies of water? In this list, we explore eight amazing swimming achievements to keep in mind as you head off to the pool or beach. list, encyclopedia,...
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  8 Influential Abolitionist Texts One of the most important and useful means that has been employed by abolitionists is the written word. Freepersons across the globe advocated for the abolition of slavery, but perhaps the most inspiring stories have come from enslaved people themselves, who were self-taught or abounding with...
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  8 Interesting Facts About Rats Those who suffer from musophobia might want to stop reading. This list is about rats! We’ve come up with eight facts that you might not know—or want to know—about the rodent everyone loves to hate. list, rat, rodent, Black Death, gerbil, reproduction, Chicago, Bosavi woolly rat, house rat, Taxi!...
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  8 Masterpieces of Islamic Architecture The architectural heritage of the Islamic world is staggeringly rich. Here’s a list of a few of the most iconic mosques, palaces, tombs, and fortresses. list, Islamic architecture, mosques, Middle East, Islam, Ottoman Empire, architecture, islamic, alhambra, taj mahal In 1631 Mumtaz Mahal, the...
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  8 Music Festivals Not to Miss Music festivals loom large in rock history, but it took organizers several decades to iron out the kinks. Woodstock gave its name to a generation, but the concert itself was a debacle that nearly bankrupted its promoters. The tragic events at Altamont, held just months later, were immortalized in...
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  8 Must-See Paintings at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Andrew Mellon donated more than 150 artworks that would become the core of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.; he also donated money that would be used to build the museum’s first home, today called the West Building. The formal acceptance of his gifts by the U.S....
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  8 Mythological Monsters You Should Be Glad Aren’t Real From towering heights to closed spaces, taxes, and giant insects, the real world offers more than enough things to cause a fright. Why not enter the realm of the fantastic and explore some of the terrifying creatures that roam the wilds of the imagination? Count your blessings—these eight...
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  8 Nonhuman Casualties of Hurricanes Even if you’ve never lived through one, you’ve seen the devastation a hurricane can cause to human settlements. News photos document in harrowing detail the loss of life and property that almost inevitably results when one of those storms passes through an inhabited area. Seemingly endless scenes...
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  8 Notable Buildings in Moscow The site now occupied by Moscow was likely inhabited in Neolithic times, though 1147 is typically considered the year of the city’s founding. It has remained at the center of Russian life, and its architecture is a unique reflection of the country’s history. Earlier versions of the descriptions of...
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  8 of History’s Most Famous Charlatans, Con Artists, and Tricksters From alchemists to false princesses, sorcerers to political imposters, tricksters have played an eminent role in history. The outlandish schemes of these wily characters have never failed to attract public attention. Here are eight charlatans, con artists, and other tricksters who left legacies of...
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  8 of History’s Most Famous Vegetarians Vegetarianism (following a meatless diet) and veganism (the avoidance of all animal products) are becoming more and more visible and popular dietary choices. But the idea of skipping meat isn’t new by any means—people have done it since ancient times. Here are a few of history’s most famous...
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  8 of Nellie Bly’s Most Sensational Stories Nellie Bly, the renowned investigative journalist, was a force to be reckoned with. Born Elizabeth Cochran in 1864, she adopted the pen name Nellie Bly and went to extraordinary lengths to write impactful stories exposing poverty, corruption, and injustice. Here are 8 of the most sensational...
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  8 of the Largest Empires in History Some empires didn’t just make history—they dominated it. Until they didn’t. Here are eight of the largest empires the world has ever seen. list, empires, empire, history, imperial, biggest, largest Also known as the Achaemenian Empire, the kingdom created under Cyrus the Great stretched from Iran...
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  8 of the World’s Most-Remote Islands Even in the 21st century, there are places on the planet where few people tread. Lonely mountain tops, desert interiors, Arctic ice floes, or the vast frozen ice sheets of Antarctica are remote places that come to mind immediately. But what about faraway islands of adventure? Are there any that...
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  8 Olympic Cheating Scandals While the Olympics have numerous traditions, perhaps one of its most enduring is cheating. Since ancient times, athletes have often ignored the rules in their quest for glory. Below are just a few of the cheating scandals that have tarnished the Olympics. list, Olympics, cheating, doping, Marion...
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  Brain Games: 8 Philosophical Puzzles and Paradoxes Plato and Aristotle both held that philosophy begins in wonder, by which they meant puzzlement or perplexity, and many philosophers after them have agreed. Ludwig Wittgenstein considered the aim of philosophy to be “to show the fly the way out of the fly bottle”—to liberate ourselves from the...
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  8 Questions About Democracy Answered The origins of the word democracy reveal its meaning: it comes from the Greek word dēmokratia, which was derived from dēmos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”). In other words: rule by the people. The questions and answers in this list are taken from the Top Questions sections of the articles on...
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  8 Questions About the Moon Answered The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite, and it’s been a source of human fascination since prehistoric times. In fact, during nine Apollo missions, 24 astronauts (all Americans) have gone to the Moon, and 12 of them walked on it. As part of the Artemis space program, launched in 2017, NASA aims...