Histories, Mysteries, and Strangeness

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Interesting news and articles - May 19th, 2013

Archaeology

Ancient Mayan pyramid destroyed for road fill -- Really? What is wrong with these people?

Cryptozoology

Proof of Bigfoot's existence? Hunt is on in New Mexico after thermal imaging reveals mysterious 7-foot tall figure in mountainous woods

Ghosts

Graveyard's ghosts stir pet walkers -- Maybe they should just stick to walking through there during the daytime?

More than ghosts in this haunted house

History

A Final Effort to Find Nazi War Criminals

That prehistoric Marija l-Għawdxija -- This article points out something I've said before...our prehistoric ancestors were probably not as dimwitted as they are typically portrayed to be.

Mysterious Minoans Were European, DNA Finds

History's Mysteries

Have scientists found the lost 'white city of gold'? Radar scans taken from the air reveal mysterious ancient city in dense Central American jungle

Mysterious

Alien Nation: Have humans been abducted by extraterrestrials?

NDE Research

Why so many people–including scientists–suddenly believe in an afterlife

Science

World's 'Most Beautiful' Eternal Flame Reveals New Gas Source

UFOs

The Black Knight Returns: Space Junk or Alien Eavesdropper?

Other topics of interest...

Psychiatrists under fire in mental health battle -- Psychology vs. Psychiatry? Psychologists cast doubt on bio-medical model of mental illness.

Humans of New York in Tehran -- New York City photo blogger Brandon Stanton tells of his visit to Iran and how different his experience was from the American media portrayal of the country. See more of his pictures here. I was surprised at how "Western" a lot of the people looked.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Interesting news and articles - May 12, 2013

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Archaeology

Stunning Astronomical Alignment Found at Peru Pyramid

Hanging Gardens Of Babylon Discovered 300 Miles Away In Nineveh -- One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but they didn't find it where they expected to find it (in Babylon). But I wonder if there could have been more than on Hanging Garden in ancient times in different locations?

Cryptozoology

Van Meter remembers 1903 visit from winged monster

Littlefoot in Australia?

Ghosts

Paranormal Activity Scared Miley Cyrus And Family Away From London Pad

History

Ancient Languages Research Finds 23 Words Still Used 15,000 Years Later -- Also see this.

History's Mysteries

Mystery Solved? A New Theory About Why Egypt Stopped Building Pyramids

Science

Nano-scientists develop new kind of portable water purification system

How plants respond to positive vibes: 'Talking' mechanism is a mystery

Space

Weird Geological Features Spied on Mars

Could flickering stars be messages from ET?

UFOs

Video footage shows UFO in sky over Tannum Sands

Witnesses 1,200 Miles Apart Describe Same Giant Triangle UFO

UFOs and Out-of-Body Experiences

Other topics of interest...

Creepy or Cool? Portraits Derived From the DNA in Hair and Gum Found in Public Places -- Kind of creepy and cool at the same time. I think they should experiment with how accurate the portraits are by creating one using a known subject instead of anonymous subjects.

What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

Terrafugia Unveils Futuristic TF-X Flying Car Concept

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Random Facts from History

I may make this Random Facts from History a series, but I'm not sure yet. It definitely won't be a weekly series though.

- The famous "I Love NY" logo was created by Milton Glaser for free. He expected the ad campaign to only last a couple of months, but it has since become a recognized symbol of New York City. The torn envelope with his original doodle on it now resides in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. (Read more.)

- Honey does not rot or spoil if stored properly. A jar of honey can remain edible for 1000s of years. (Read more. Also this.)

- William Franklin, son of of American patriot Benjamin Franklin, remained loyal to the British crown throughout the American Revolutionary War. He and his father never reconciled. (Read more.)

- In the 1960s, the CIA created a cyborg cat that it intended to use as a spy in an operation known as Acoustic Kitty. Unfortunately, the cat was not very trainable and after being driven to a park to listen in on a conversation between two men as a test, the cat instead wandered into the street and was killed by a taxi. The project was abandoned after that. (Read more.)

-Famed 19th century wild west show performer Annie Oakley was falsely reported to have been arrested for cocaine use in 1903. Her "highest ambition" was "to be considered a lady," so she filed 55 lawsuits against newspapers that had libeled her. She won or settled 54 or the 55 lawsuits. (Read more.)

-The Dutch East India Company is considered to be the most valuable company in history. In 1637, the company was valued at 78 million Dutch Guilders, which when adjusted to 2012 dollars would be 7.4 trillion dollars. The company was in business from 1602 to 1800. (Read more.)

-Nineteenth century Texas politician and cattle rancher Samuel A. Maverick refused to brand his cattle and, ironically, his own surname became a term for independent people who refuse to follow the precepts of social order. (Read more.)

-US President Lyndon Johnson owned an amphibious car known as the Amphicar and enjoyed surprising unsuspecting guests when taking them for a ride in it. (Read more.)

-Spiked dog collars were invented in ancient Greece to protect dogs throats from attacks by wolves. (Read more.)

-The act of performing a "toast" to the health of friends was started in ancient Greece when a host would pour wine from a common pitcher and drink it before his guests, who, when satisfied it was good, would raise his glass to his friends to do likewise. This showed that the wine was not poisoned. The Romans later adapted the custom and would also drop a piece of burnt bread into the wine, hence the term "toast." (Read more.)