In June 1945, the United States of America launched Operation Magic Carpet to return over eight million Americans back to their homeland, and out of Pacific and European theaters that saw war. The name of the operation is rather simplistic, but it speaks volumes about the glory of leaving a devastated region of the world for your homeland, and how peaceful the idea can be. The men were being transported on a “magic carpet” back to their safe-haven of America, and this is truly an interesting operation name....

Picking a Top 10 from the hundreds of stories this column filed in the last 12 months was always going to be a Herculean task. Inevitably, some major stories got left out. (Honorable mentions include the tragic Rohingya Crisis, Catalan’s big independence push, and the awful Grenfell Tower fire.) For what it’s worth, here are the ten stories this column considers the biggest of 2017. If you’ve been ignoring the news all year, here’s what’s been happening....

Misconception: The Church discourages Bible reading The very first Christian Bible was produced by the Catholic Church – compiled by Catholic scholars of the 2nd and 3rd century and approved for general Christian use by the Catholic Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). The very first printed Bible was produced under the auspices of the Catholic Church – printed by the Catholic inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg....

However, money is not all that movies generate. Each year, a select few trigger gossip, buzz, and controversy. After all, everyone loves a good scandal. Usually, a particular scene, prop, or blooper causes it. Sometimes, the controversy starts months before the film is even released. Due to religious objections, subject matter, or even assumed political stances, the movies on this list were controversial—and some were even banned—before they ever hit the silver screen....

10 Reasons Why A Nuclear War Could Be Good For Everyone 10 Two Nukes Were Accidentally Dropped On North Carolina North Carolina narrowly avoided disaster on January 24th, 1961. A B-52 bomber carrying two Mark 39 nuclear bombs was flying over the state when it experienced a massive fuel leak in its right wing. This worsened to the point that the wing broke off and sent the aircraft plummeting to the ground....

10 Joseph Brodsky Joseph Brodsky, one of the most renowned poets in the world, was born on May 24, 1940, in Leningrad. At age 15, however, he dropped out of school and took various jobs. It was during this time that he taught himself Polish and English and began to write poetry. He also spent some time studying under Russian poet Anna Akhmatova before being exiled from the Soviet Union in 1972....

Gulf War syndrome (GWS) is an illness reported by combat veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War typified by symptoms including immune system disorders and birth defects. It has not always been clear whether these symptoms were related to Gulf War service or whether the occurrence of illnesses in Gulf War veterans is higher than comparable populations. Symptoms attributed to this syndrome have been wide-ranging, including chronic fatigue, loss of muscle control, headaches, dizziness and loss of balance, memory problems, muscle and joint pain, indigestion, skin problems, shortness of breath, and even insulin resistance....

Interestingly, the present-day US currency has some bills that are rarely seen or even heard of. Ever heard of the $100,000 bill? Maybe not. Well! Here are ten old-timey bills and currencies of the US. Mind you, some are still legal tender even though they are out of print. 10Silver Certificates Silver certificates were issued in the US between 1878 and 1964. They were used like regular money and were originally redeemable for their face value in silver coins....

This list is the fourth in our religious “bad-name” lists – the first three being: Top 10 People who Give Christianity a Bad Name Top 10 People who Give Atheism a Bad Name, and Top 10 people who Give Islam a Bad Name. The largest Ponzi Scheme in history was operated by the famous investor, stockbroker and entrepreneur Bernard Madoff. In 2009, he pleaded guilty to 11 felonies. He claimed that he began the scheme in the 1990s, but several government officials think that it began in the ’70s....

There are hidden chambers, mysterious cave rituals, and possibly even assassinations. More intriguingly, some of Italy’s unique finds are also its strangest—metal streets, fossilized crawling, and even vanilla-flavored rocks. 10 Biggest Fossil Whale In 2006, a farmer in Matera arrived at a lake and found enormous vertebrae near the shore. It turned out to be the biggest whale fossil ever discovered. The creature was a blue whale, a species still alive today and famous for being the largest animal in existence, past and present....

Tidal energy can be generated in two ways, tidal stream generators or by barrage generation. The power created though tidal generators is generally more environmentally friendly and causes less impact on established ecosystems. Similar to a wind turbine, many tidal stream generators rotate underwater and is driven by the swiftly moving dense water. Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation. Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power....

The Myth: Evolution causes something to go from “lower” to “higher” While it is a fact that natural selection weeds out unhealthy genes from the gene pool, there are many cases where an imperfect organism has survived. Some examples of this are fungi, sharks, crayfish, and mosses – these have all remained essentially the same over a great period of time. These organisms are all sufficiently adapted to their environment to survive without improvement....

However, I also should just say that viewer discretion is advised. This article is certainly “work safe,” but because of the nature of the topics discussed, if you’re a kid, you should talk to your parents before reading any further. Some individuals can be badly affected by reading about acts of violence, as well. If you find that this article causes you emotional trauma, we would recommend seeking appropriate support....

They may have been from California but they sang some of the best southern rock songs like “Born On A Bayou” and “Long As I Can See The Light”. Lyrically “Midnight Special” is one of the quintessential southern rock songs but the fact that they were from out west bumps them down a couple levels to 10. Yes, that guy and I’ll wager none of us know a single person that couldn’t sing every bar of “Devil Went Down To Georgia”....

These ten creatures can take a little nibble on a person, but it’s the last thing you’d ever want. Forget about big cats, giant fish with razor-sharp teeth, and whatever’s lurking under your bed at night — make sure none of these things ever take a bite out of you. 10 Housecats A dog can maul a person, so most folks are on guard whenever they cross paths with an aggressive one....

See Also: 10 Exotic Pets That Escaped And Multiplied In The Florida Wilderness There is more to Florida than just Florida man. The oldest city in America is St. Augustine, Florida, which was founded by Spanish settlers in September 1565. Florida, like its close historical cousin Louisiana, is also a cultural melting pot where Spanish Catholicism with African and Caribbean accents dominate in the south and center, while Anglo and Scots-Irish Protestant culture rules the north and panhandle....

10 Underrated But Excellent Bands 10 Joaquin Phoenix—You Were Never Really Here Who better to kick off this list than someone who has continuously flown under the radar? It wasn’t until 2020 that this brilliant artist won an Academy Award: a well-deserved honor for interpretation of the iconic Joker. But two years earlier, Joaquin Phoenix gave one of 2017’s most unforgettable performances as Joe, a war veteran with PTSD who earns his living rescuing sex-trafficked girls in the crime/thriller You Were Never Really Here, written and directed by Lynne Ramsay....

Publication Date: 1926 Probably the most obscure thing I shall mention on this list, this is a rather interesting tale in an alternate world where some rather mundane people live in peace, but are interrupted by a flow of fairy fruit form the neighboring lands. It explores some interesting themes for a high fantasy novel, and it is certainly something different for the well-read fan. I would recommend her other works as highly, but most are a bit difficult to find – all but this one are out of print....

Most of the world’s traditional Easter celebrations are either cancelled, or significantly altered to comply with the restrictions in place to combat the deadly virus. However there are some unique ways in which we have enabled our communities to continue to enjoy some of our favorite Easter activities in isolation. Rather than coming together in large crowds, the world is gathering on-line to celebrate Easter this year. 10 Unique Easter Traditions Around The World Around the world it is a time when we consume copious quantities of chocolate brought to us by small furry mammals....

So let’s strip down the myths of this 9,000-year-old profession and take a look at 10 weird facts about strippers. 10 The Demand of Male Strippers is Surprisingly Low With shows like “Magic Mike” shedding light on the world of male stripping, more and more men are taking to the stage. Still, it’s unusual how low the demand for them still is. In the United States, only 8% of strippers are men, compared to 92% women....