fairies
The Many Secrets of the World's Spookiest Trees
We still don't totally understand why dwarf beeches grow the way they do.
All Stories
tolkien
A Tolkien Truther From Colorado Says He's the Real King of England
He took out an ad in The Times of London to stake his claim.
youth
This Unborn Baby's Ultrasound Is Extremely Metal
The kid is throwing a sick set of devil horns.
linguistics
'Da Kine,' Hawaii's Fantastically Flexible All-Purpose Noun
It means everything and nothing at the same time.
anthropocene
Found: Hundreds of Minerals That Only Exist Because of Humans
Minerals are supposed to be "naturally occurring."
schools
Schoolchildren in Scotland Gave Their Goldfish a Viking Funeral
They are in Valhalla now.
espionage
The Tragedy of Newcomb Mott, Who Thought He Could Walk Into Soviet Russia
Young and naive, he just wanted his passport stamped.
insects
A Guy in Austria Tried to Enter a Court Building With a Jar of Roaches
He was turned away.
world war ii
The WWII Plan to Mess With the Japanese by Dyeing Mt. Fuji
It was certainly an ambitious proposal.
microbes
Found: Fossil Evidence of the Oldest Life on Earth
It is 3.7 BILLION years old.
globes
Behold the Erdapfel, the World's Oldest Surviving Globe
It's got the beauty, but not the brains.
muckrock
How the FBI Thwarted a Non-Existent Plot to Assassinate Margaret Thatcher
"This will even the score."
tourism
After a Heated Response, the City of Vancouver Is Reconsidering Its New Logo
"I can't imagine anyone getting [this logo] tattooed on their body," one designer fumed.
aviation
Meet Bessie Coleman, the First Black Woman to Get a Pilot's License
The fearless aviator was determined to fly.
treasure
Found: 47 Lumps of Orichalcum, an Ancient Alloy Attributed to Atlantis
Orichalcum!
thomas edison
Making Fun of Thomas Edison
At his peak, newspapers loved to tease the inventor. They also feared him.
signs
Boston's Beloved Citgo Sign Might Be Getting Priced Out of Its Home
This isn't the first time Bostonians have had to fight to keep it.
psychology
The Experimental Zoo Where Parrots Rollerskated and Chickens Played Baseball
It was run by a pair of psychologists under the principles of operant conditioning.
