But it was what came with the people to these islands that really decimated native species. Cows, goats, pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, stoats, weasels, fox, and worst of all, rats. Arriving on islands where most of their prey had no defenses against these new marauders, the native island species of birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles were doomed. Not only could they not fight back, in most cases they were unafraid of these interlopers....
10Peter Norman This Australian sprinter surprised many observers of the 1968 Olympics by taking the silver in the 200-meter dash. Norman finished second to American Tommie Smith and ahead of Smith’s teammate, John Carlos, setting the stage for what may be the most recognizable piece of sports photography ever. Smith and Carlos each wore black gloves and raised their fists in the air in the Black Power Salute. While Norman stands somewhat anonymously to the side, he actually played a significant role in the photo....
The Goliath Tigerfish is a creature so horrific that it makes the feared Piranha look like a pet goldfish. Reaching lengths of more than six feet, and weighing up to 70 pounds, these mega-fish stalk the waterways of central Africa in packs – shredding even large prey in a matter of seconds. The mouth of this yellow-eyed monster fish is studded with giant, dagger-like canine teeth – each more than two inches long....
10A Centuries-Old Law Squeezes Money Out Of Residents In 1982, UK couple Adrian and Gail Wallbank became the proprietors of an Aston Cantlow farm handed down to Gail by her late father. But thanks to a centuries-old legal obligation known as chancel repair liability, the Wallbanks also became financially beholden to the St. John the Baptist Church. And in 1990, that house of worship hit them a £96,000 (nearly $142,800) church repair bill....
Read on for some more things you never wanted to know… 10/span> “I’ll keep you safe in my people zoo.” Technology is the future, they say. It has been predicted that 5G will save lives as well as economies around the world and that improved diagnostics technology in healthcare will see the risk of cancer-related deaths decrease dramatically. And then, of course, there are robots. Some are very basic-looking, while others look so human you have to look closely to notice the blank expression in their lifeless eyes....
Bundling is the rather odd practice of a young courting couple being bound in two separate blankets and laid together on a bed for intimacy that does not involve sexual contact. The practice has died out in most of the world (it was practiced by some non-Amish too) but in the Pennsylvania Amish communities it is still to be found. In some cases in the past (though perhaps not now) the girl was tied into a sack and her potential husband would lie in bed with her....
Seemingly innocuous items like toothbrushes, headphones, and children’s toys can be turned into potent espionage devices. This really shouldn’t be a surprise, considering that every manufacturer wants to connect their products to the Internet these days. Big Brother (or at least big business) is watching . . . 10 Robot Vacuums Robot vacuums can be quite convenient, but they can also spy on you. The Roomba iRobot i7+, for example, has been caught spying, and so has the Dongguan Diqee 360....
See Also: 10 Tribes That Avoided Modern Civilization Nevertheless, Chau paid fishermen repeatedly to drop him off near the island. The inhabitants firmly repelled his first advance. On his second incursion, he even sang Christian hymns to the Sentinelese. After initial mixed reactions from the tribe, a boy shot an arrow into Chau’s bible. The missionary retreated again. On Chau’s third attempt, the islanders killed him and buried his body in the sand....
10 S1 E4 “The Alliance” When employees at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin find out that they might be facing downsizing, Dwight asks Jim to form an alliance to protect their jobs. While Dwight is genuinely concerned about losing his job, Jim accepts the offer to form an alliance without taking Dwight’s anxiety seriously. Jim even reveals to the camera that he will mess with Dwight and that his intentions when accepting Dwight’s offer are purely for his entertainment....
For example, American classics like peanut butter and root beer are considered odd and even disgusting outside the US. On the other hand, ice cream is one food that seems to enjoy worldwide popularity. Yet, so endless are its variations that there is always some new ingredient or flavor to discover. Internet lists abound featuring weird, attention-grabbing, and faddish ice cream flavors like lobster, squid ink, or horseradish. In contrast, this list presents weird and unique ice cream flavors that are decidedly not strange in their countries of origin....
Eva Braun usually gets nothing more than a passing mention treating her as little more than a mistress who happened to present at Hitler’s death. She has even been famously written off as a “great disappointment to historians“—as someone with no real importance to the history of the world. Regardless of her impact on politics, however, her story is fascinating. She was a woman who was truly and completely in love with the fascist leader of Nazi Germany and who suffered for that love over and over again....
10Constance Wilde Constance Mary Lloyd was born on January 2, 1859, in Dublin. In 1884, she married famed playwright Oscar Wilde, and the two of them became a celebrity couple, a 19th-century Irish Brangelina. “Mrs. Oscar,” as she was referred to in the papers, became an activist who argued for women’s rights to serve in parliament. This alone was enough to earn her the scorn of traditionalists, but Constance went even further when she involved herself in the Rational Dress Society....
Now it appears that the mystery has been solved, thanks to recently discovered evidence. But before we uncover the mystery, it’s worth exploring the history behind Hitler’s testicle. Skimming the surface, it appears to be a tragicomic spectacle. But on closer examination, it’s as intriguing as the best political thriller. Our tale of Hitler’s testicle is long and storied, and we begin with a song. 10 The British Military Song In World War II, there was a bawdy anthem sung by British soldiers: Hitler, he only has one ball....
However, as the next ten stories will show, putting over 100 people in a confined space for an extended period of time can sometimes lead to some truly strange and awful circumstances. Even as the experience of flying continues to decline, incidents like these stand out from the crowd. 10 More Than A Little Pissed Off In 2016, a man was taking a flight from Algiers to Paris, and he tried to smoke a cigarette on board....
Inventors have proposed traveling or sending payload into space with elevators, underwater space guns, catapults, and even balloons. While some of these could be unrealistic and will probably remain a pipe dream, others could appear within the next few decades. Only time will tell. 10 Space Elevators A space elevator is exactly what you think it is—an elevator that goes all the way from the ground into space. The idea was first proposed by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in 1895....
These Halloween traditions are not universal, though. Many countries have their own unique ways of celebrating this spine-tingling time of the year. From turnip jack-o’-lanterns to alcohol-filled pumpkins, the world has some truly surprising Halloween traditions to offer. Here are just a few of the best. 10 From Cabbage-Hurling To Devil’s Night Around 2,000 years ago, the Celts of Britain and France celebrated the New Year on November 1, marking the end of the harvest....
But then there are the universal myths—myths that crop up repeatedly in cultures separated by hundreds of miles and thousands of years. These myths are so near-universal that their prevalence is downright spooky. 10 The Great Flood The idea of a flood that drowns the entire world pops up in almost every single culture. Jews and Christians know it as the story of Noah, but other versions almost certainly predate the Genesis account....
This list collects some of the most interesting and rare things that have been washed ashore, including man-made curiosities as well as naturally occurring aquatic oddities. 109 Life-Size E.T. Replica In January 2012, police and coastguards turned up at the beach in Old Portsmouth, England, after a call came in about a body floating in the water and being pushed up the beach by the tide. The authorities quickly realized that the object was not a dead person but rather a life-size replica of the titular alien from Steven Spielberg’s E....
This week comes with a varied panoply of positive tales. There’s a lonely dog that finds a home, two teachers who encourage reading in their own ways, and four teens who help out a sickly neighbor. There is good news from Chichen Itza and a promising development regarding HIV. Two conjoined twins return home, while astronauts prepare for the first all-female spacewalk. 10 A Home For Hector A two-year-old pooch which was once billed as “Britain’s loneliest dog” has finally found a home....
This week is about extremes as we cover stories about people at the opposite ends of the age spectrum. One pensioner spends his days scouring the streets for coins to donate, and a centenarian grandmother goes skydiving. Meanwhile, a teenager becomes the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion, a record-breaking preemie goes home, and a 12-year-old budding reporter displays the kind of doggedness you want to see in that line of work....
