On January 28, 1671, Captain Henry Morgan led a daring raid on Panama City, which at that time was the richest city in the Americas. In the process, he escaped with one of the greatest hauls in history. What happened to the lost treasure of the Incas? And what does a recently-discovered shipwreck have to…
The Statue of Liberty, complete with pedestal, stands about 305 feet tall. It resides on Liberty Island in New York City. However, it wasn’t always that way. What did the Statue of Liberty look like before completion? The Statue of Liberty? The Statue of Liberty was conceived by Frédéric Bartholdi in 1867. Construction started in late…
On August 2, 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was playing poker in Deadwood, South Dakota. Suddenly, a pistol fired. Hickok died instantly. His hand at the time, “aces and eights,” has become known as the Dead Man’s Hand. But is that a legend? Or is it real? Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok was originally known as…
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. It declared the 13 original colonies were no longer part of the British Empire. The original Declaration is probably the most important document in U.S. history. And amazingly enough, no one knows where it is. The Declaration of Independence: The Official Story On…
On December 21, 2012, the Maya Long Count Calendar will reach an end. What happens next? The 2012 Doomsday? Or will it be just another day? The 2012 Doomsday Phenomenon We’ve talked about the 2012 Doomsday phenomenon before, but here’s a quick background. According to the Maya codice Popol Vuh, we’re currently living in the fourth…
On August 25, 1977, Dr. Jerry Ehman detected an odd radio signal that appeared to be of alien origin. He circled the signal and wrote “Wow!” next to it. Now, almost 35 years later, mankind is finally preparing a definitive response to the Wow Signal. Replying to the Wow Signal? National Geographic has a new…
Over the past few months, reports of a “student loan crisis” have erupted throughout the United States. But is this really a crisis? Or a student loan conspiracy of epic proportions? The Student Loan Conspiracy? We first visited the student loan issue back in October 2011. To put it simply, the high cost of college…
Vampires might be mythological beings. But for centuries, people from across the world have feared them. So, how did ancient people deal with suspected vampires? How did Ancient People deal with Suspected Vampires? Generally speaking, vampires are mythological creatures who feed on the blood (the essence of life) of living individuals. They’ve been scaring people for…