Her exploits in entertainment are legendary. However, she is not only famous for her staying power and charming personality. White will also be remembered as a kind of renegade who did her own thing. It is hard to find someone who doesn’t like Betty White! Join us as we outline some things that make Betty White not only America’s sweetheart but also America’s Grandma! Don’t love Betty White? I bet you will by the time you read through our list!...
10 The Columbian Exchange The arrival of Europeans in the Americas caused widespread epidemics in native tribes. This first contact tragedy is called the “Columbian Exchange.” Everything started in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World. Before that, pathogens existed in America, including tuberculosis. But none were as devastating as those that arrived by ship—smallpox, measles, yellow fever, and flu. In theory, this vulnerability was pinned on Native Americans evolving in isolation for thousands of years....
10 Toxic Water Bottles Not all recreations are whimsical experiments. Sometimes, when scientists copy ancient technology, they do so out of real concern. In this case, researchers wondered if the bitumen used by ancient Californian Indians to seal water bottles had a negative impact on their health. Bitumen is a byproduct of petroleum that’s packed with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogenic that can also damage organs and impair development. During the test, the team created two different types of water bottles with traditional methods....
Construction of the opulent “Eighth Wonder of the World” began at the command of the king of Prussia in 1701. Although estimates of its size vary, the Amber Room was believed to span about 55 square meters (592 ft2) after 18th-century renovations. It contained over six tons of amber backed by glittering gold and set with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. As a peace symbol between allies, the Amber Room was moved from its place in Charlottenburg Palace twice—once to Winter House in St....
10 Secret Room At Coughton Court Coughton Court belonged to a Catholic family when King James I outlawed priests. During the persecution, which lasted through the 16th and 17th centuries, supporters of the Catholic faith built hiding places known as priest holes. During the 1850s, the resident owners of the Tudor mansion discovered a secret room in one of the watchtowers. But the priest hole’s ingenuity did not come to light until 2017....
Aerial technologies have crossed a threshold of functionality, affordability, and near-instant data processing. Recent discoveries prove that drones are the future of archaeology. The only remaining question: Who will embrace the technology, and who will get left behind? 10 House Of The Dead In July 2017, researchers discovered a 5,600-year-old “House of the Dead” on England’s Salisbury Plain. Located halfway between Avebury and Stonehenge, the site had been plowed flat....
10Teens Cover Stop Sign, Kill Two Seniors Two Ohio teens, Seth Stonerock and Derek Greenlee, loved to pull pranks. They would often post about them on Facebook. In August 2011, the duo posted about their latest prank: covering a stop sign in plastic wrap so it was barely visible. That afternoon, two sisters, 80-year-old Jeanne Shea and 85-year-old Mary Sprangler were out for a drive, heading north on Huber-Hitler Road. Not seeing the covered stop sign, Shea drove straight through and got hit by an SUV that had the right of way....
10 Bram Stoker Was A Crazy Conspiracy Theorist While Bram Stoker is best known for writing Dracula, the Irish author penned several other novels that had nothing to do with blood, bats, or the undead. In fact, he even wrote several non-fiction works, including one called Famous Impostors. Published in 1910, the book is dedicated to exposing con artists and hoaxes. At least it does so until the last chapter, when it veers off into crazy land....
10Genghis Khan’s Adviser Yelu Chucai is the unknown figure behind the great success of Genghis Khan’s Mongolian empire. Not a Mongol himself, he had nomadic Khitan ancestry, but grew up in China. Captured by the Mongols, he met the Khan at 28 and quickly impressed him with his vast knowledge and administrative talent. Nicknamed “Urtu Saqal” for his long beard, he soon became one of Genghis’s most important advisers. Chucai was most notable for convincing the Mongols to tax conquered cities instead of destroying them, arguing that the money and manpower gained from the cities could fund future conquests....
There were many reasons for modification. Often, it was associated with nobility, beauty, and intelligence. Given the practice’s prevalence, it’s strange that it has become almost unknown in the modern world. Tastes change; it may only be a matter of time before people start deforming their skulls in the name of fashion once more. 10 The Woman Of Tlailotlacan In the shadow of Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Sun, archaeologists unearthed a curious skull....
10The Invisible Shield Surrounding Earth In 1958, James Van Allen from the University of Iowa discovered a pair of radiation belts, an inner and an outer doughnut-shaped ring up to 40,000 kilometers (25,000 mi) above Earth containing high-energy electrons and protons. Earth’s magnetic field holds these radiation belts in place, but they shrink and swell as needed to respond to the Sun’s ejections of energy in our direction. In 2013, Daniel Baker of the University of Colorado discovered a third structure between the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts....
For the millions who heard his voice, this was a profound moment. For some, it was a relief after a long, painful war. For others, it was a betrayal. Some refused to believe it. Some refused to accept it. And some feared what would happen next. 10There Were Mass Suicides In Manchuria The Japanese were already in a panic when the first atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima. The Soviet Army was attacking from the north, storming their way through the part of China the Japanese called Manchuria....
However, birds have taken song and movement to the next level—from mimicking a car horn to walking on water. Their fascinating courtship and mating rituals make our own dating attempts seem futile and boring. 10 The Red-Capped Manakin Who did it first? The red-capped manakin or Michael Jackson? At breeding time, the red-capped manakin chooses a branch as its dance floor and suddenly breaks out in a “moonwalk.” He and other males will stake out a branch called a lek where they’ll put on their performance....
10There Are Many Arsonist Firefighters In the US, an estimated 100 firefighters per year are arrested for setting fires, and the evidence suggests that those firefighters are serial arsonists. One fire chief in Minnesota confessed to setting nine fires, but there were 39 suspicious ones in his area during a two-year period and zero after he was arrested. Fire chief John Orr killed four people doing this and caused millions of dollars worth of damage....
With some bridges, however, terror seems to be the only sensible response. Here, we look at ten bridges that would turn anyone’s legs to jelly. Read on, but don’t look down. 10 Royal Gorge BridgeColorado The Royal Gorge Bridge, the world’s highest bridge until 2001, was built in 1929 for a paltry $350,000. The bridge spans 384 meters (1,260 ft) across Colorado’s magnificent Royal Gorge. The Arkansas River thunders by 291 meters (955 ft) below, occasionally carrying white-water rafters battling against the elements....
We’ve talked about sleep paralysis before, a condition that subjects victims to horrifying hallucinations. And today, we’re looking at 10 more terrifying ways that you can become trapped in your own body. 10 Periodic Paralysis Periodic paralyses are genetic disorders characterized by episodes of sudden muscular paralysis. These frightening attacks are caused by abnormal ion channels in muscle tissue. Due to these malfunctioning channels, potassium is unable to flow into or out of cells, leading to low (hypokalemic) or high (hyperkalemic) blood levels....
10 Nudity In A Group Bathroom Out of all the jokes about prison, rape is the most frequent punchline. The sad thing is that the “don’t drop the soap” jokes are not pure comical speculation. Rapes are perpetrated in prisons, even women’s facilities. The government officially stepped in to stop the prison rape culture a mere 11 years ago when the US Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act and required wardens to adopt a no-tolerance policy for any type of physical violation....
These are the things that you wouldn’t expect to simultaneously develop in different parts of the world, especially if the cultures had no extensive contact with each other. They prove that even if humans are divided by so many things, there are still some things that we all share as a species. 10 Flutes People who’ve professionally studied music know that various musical schools and styles around the world are vastly different from each other....
10They Refuse To Go To War Or Bear Arms In Conflict When it comes to war, Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to bear arms or engage in war or conflict of any kind—even when refusing means imprisonment or execution. Claiming to be a continuation of a first-century Christian congregation, they cite the ancient faith’s refusal to participate in war as one reason for their own refusal. Confirming this historical fact, The Encyclopedia of Religion and War states that the first disciples felt that war and political conflict were “incompatible with the love ethic of Jesus and the injunction to love one’s enemies....
10 Gone With The Wind Was Written To Kill Time While Healing An Ankle Injury Now considered one of the greatest books and movies of all time, Gone with the Wind is an American classic. Historians believe that it has literally changed how we view antebellum history. However, it would not exist if Margaret Mitchell had never developed arthritis in her ankle. Unable to move, she became an insatiable reader. Her husband had to drag all of her library requests home every day....
