Archaeological anomalies were often explained in supernatural terms. In the absence of scientific explanation, it is easy to see why so many sites were considered to be entrances to Hell itself. 10 St. Patrick’s Purgatory Station Island in County Donegal is the setting for St. Patrick’s Purgatory, a pilgrimage that sees the faithful spending three days without food or sleep and standing on specially sharpened stones in veneration of their patron saint....

Hollywood, of course, is to blame for this. The real-world equivalent is less dramatic and a rare occurrence. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a frantic event for the men and women working to publish your paper. The deadline for all New York Times articles is 11:00 PM. Every weeknight, the plant will print more than 300,000 copies, double that on weekends, just for New York alone....

Those, however, are just the religions that caught on. There have been other things through history that people have decided to kneel down and pray to that never really made the same splash—and they might not be the things you’d expect. 10 Big Butts If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a woman’s behind and thinking that you’re having a spiritual experience, we have the religion for you: Adonitology is a church dedicated to the worship of fat-bottomed girls....

10Spitting There is a good chance our parents scolded us as teens when we spit on the sidewalk. In general, spitting is usually frowned upon. Spitting on or at someone is seen as one of the greatest insults one can give. It’s even considered assault by the police. Members of the Maasai tribe in eastern central Africa, however, have a completely different way of seeing things. They spit at each other the same way we shake hands....

A few, though, suffered an even stranger fate: They disappeared from the face of the Earth entirely. Some have since been discovered—often centuries later—but others remain missing. The mysterious disappearance of Percy Fawcett, for example, has led as many as 100 other explorers to their deaths and still hasn’t been solved.[1] Here are ten expeditions that mysteriously disappeared. 10 Madoc Several centuries before Columbus sailed to the Americas, a Welsh prince named Madoc departed Wales with ten ships and a dream of discovering a new land....

Originally discovered through graffiti found in Pompeii in 1817, Tetraites was documented for his spirited victory over Prudes. Fighting in the murmillones style, he wielded a sword, a rectangle shield, a helmet, arm guards, and shin guards. The extent of his fame was not fully comprehended until the late twentieth century, when pottery was found as far away as France and England, which depicted Tetraites’s victories. Not much is known about these two rivals, although their final fight was well-documented....

The names of some people on this list may come as a surprise, for it’s hard to believe they could have stomached the anguish of the executed, who fell to their deaths at the end of ropes around their necks or lost their heads to swords or other instruments of death. It’s also hard to believe the executions some of these writers witnessed inspired scenes in their own classic literary works....

Alienese is a set of fictional languages that often appear, usually as graffiti, in the background of the show Futurama. The first transliterates directly into English, but the second is much more complex; the alphabet is described as one in which “next letter is given by the summation of all previous letters plus the current letter.” Fans have spent their time translating these messages and revealing additional, hidden humor on the show....

What you may not have realized, however, is that many “sci-fi” technologies already exist in some form or are being developed. We’re not saying you’re a year away from beaming up to a starship for a quick cruise over to Mars for your semiweekly Djem So class. Nevertheless, you might recognize the following ten technologies. 10 A Real-Life Adamantium Seattle-based company Modumetal has successfully harnessed the process of nanolamination, in which the electric field which moves metallic ions into place can be controlled to determine exact placement of said ions....

Sometimes, however, the thespian with the best acting isn’t the one whose name is biggest on the poster. We’ve all had those moments after exiting the movie theater where we find ourselves boasting more about the supporting actor or actress in a movie rather than the lead. The following are ten films where this notion is almost certainly confirmed. 10 The Silence Of The LambsAnthony Hopkins The infamous Dr. Lecter has disturbed all of us at one point in time....

SEE ALSO: 10 Foods That Have Been Genetically Modified Beyond Recognition 10Almonds The almonds we eat today are a domesticated variety derived from several species of wild almonds, all of which are bitter, spiny, and contain deadly amounts of cyanide. In the wild, almond trees produce a sugary compound and an enzyme that inevitably combine into cyanide when the edible parts of the plant are chewed up. The identities of the specific strains used to create modern almonds are unknown....

10 Visigoth Kingdom418–720 The Visigoths were a nomadic Germanic tribe which flourished in Europe during the time of the Romans. They were well-known as capable warriors but had political aspirations beyond their simple desire for conquest. The tribes formed their own kingdom, sometimes called the Visigoth Kingdom of Toulouse, which spread across southern Spain to claim part of what is now modern-day France. Not wanting to provoke further tensions with the powerful Germanic tribe after their sacking of Rome in 410, the Romans allowed the Visigoths to set up an empire in Europe....

10 Mega Morphine Before hunting, the Matses Indians of Peru use the secretions of the waxy monkey tree frog (Phyllomedusa sauvagii) to “feel like gods.” This greasy little amphibian produces a substance that is 40 times more potent than morphine, which equals a heck of a lot of pain relief. It also doesn’t have any of the nasty side effects of morphine like suppressed breathing or addiction. Researchers are trying to turn this secretion into a safe drug that could revolutionize medicine....

SEE ALSO: 10 ‘Natural’ Things You Won’t Believe Are Actually Man-Made Of course, these insects would never have been able to cross-pollinate the plants if humans hadn’t planted at least one of them in the area. Most of the entries on this list are surprising because the majority are fruits, nuts, and vegetables that we consider to be natural. 10 Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, And More Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, collard greens, kohlrabi, and several closely related vegetables originated from the same plant species: Brassica oleracea....

SEE ALSO: 10 Places That Look Nothing Like You Think There were good and decent people among our nations’ enemies. Their leaders have may have committed atrocities, but these people led lives of courage of decency and left behind stories of true heroism—stories that history erased because they fought for the wrong side. 10 Norman Bethune Dr. Norman Bethune is almost completely unknown in his home country of Canada. In China, however, he is a household name....

Unlike in my last list, not all of the musicals these scenes are from were successful or memorable, but the scenes themselves are classic, innovative or showcase great talent. I’ve been confident enough to go into far more detail this time around, though I’ve also tried to make certain not to repeat anything that was already visited in the last list. I can assure you that my misguided enthusiasm for musicals is sufficient to fill two lists....

Set apart from the plethora of alien invasion/monster attack films, this little-known film centers on the first manned spaceships. Three attempts are made to “capture” meteorites for study, with tragic results. Made before the first man (the Soviet Union’s Yuri Gagarin) went into space. Another film dealing with the first manned spaceships, this British film accepts spaceflight as a given. The main focus is on the characters, not the science....

We all have our favorite cereals (ahem… Peanut Butter Captain Crunch), but this category is full of cereal you purchase once and never try again. Here are ten of the grossest cereal flavors that got canceled. 10 Ice Cream Cones In 1986, General Mills decided that if parents could serve their children cookies for breakfast, they might as well serve them ice cream. So, what did they do? They created ice cream cone cereal that was nothing short of gross....

10 The Date Rape Drug Death Of Dianne Brimble On September 23, 2002, the P&O Pacific Sky departed Sydney, Australia. Dianne Brimble and her daughter, Tahlia, boarded the ship along with Dianne’s sister, Alma Wood, and Wood’s daughter, Kari Ann. Later that evening, Dianne left to go to the nightclub. Alma realized that Dianne had not returned to their cabin the following morning. Alma was later called to the ship’s medical center, where she was told that Dianne had passed away....

Lizzie Borden took an ax Gave her mother forty whacks When she saw what she had done She gave her father forty-one These days folks are no longer hesitant to cash in on things morbid and macabre, and Lizzie Borden has become Fall River’s chief tourist attraction. There are tours that visit Lizzie’s grave and the courthouse where she stood trial. Gift shops sell Lizzie Borden bobblehead dolls. As for the Borden house, it is now a homey bed and breakfast, where you can spend the night in the room where Lizzie’s stepmother got the Big Chop, or sit on a sofa similar to the one on which her father’s body was found....