The place to learn about the past and present,
From dragonflies the size of large birds to sharks the size of large whales, here are the 10 most awesome giants from prehistory. Archelon Just the head of this two-tonne monster was 1 metre long. (youtube.com) With the Greek roots of its name meaning ‘chief of the turtles’, the Archelon glided across the temperate oceans... Continue Reading →
The time the US justice system tried to re-imprison a model citizen they had released early It was just another day for Rene Lima-Marin in his job helping to transform city skylines by installing glass windows into skyscrapers until an unknown caller buzzed his mobile phone. The woman on the line said she was from... Continue Reading →
A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water one Summer in Utah. On a hot June day the birds were singing, the bees buzzing, and mum’s voice on the phone wafted through the warm air, so warm after a late start to Summer. Her reassuring tones set her blond-haired toddler at ease... Continue Reading →
The time the US accidently dropped not one, but three nuclear bombs on Spanish soil. The imagery of a nuclear fireball inspires awe and terror in equal doses; we all understand the capacity a massive ball of rising red flame, seen on the horizon, has to turn flesh to dust and obliterate anything in its... Continue Reading →
The hectic goal-fest of Boxing Day, 1963 when 66 goals were scored in 10 games in the English top flight Division One is probably the most epic day in English football history. Some say that 'the beautiful game' isn't the most exciting spectacle, perhaps because it's one of few sports in which a game can... Continue Reading →
In perhaps the greatest 'hold my beer' escapade to date, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole a plane to win a bet that he could fly from Jersey to New York in just 15 minutes. Bulky sedans rumbled sedately along the right-angled streets, and haggard creatures of the night here and there passed under the patchy street lighting... Continue Reading →
What's the best way to promote train travel to Texas? Stage a train crash for people to come and see there, of course! Read about what happened on the big day when the guy in charge of health and safety took the day off. We know that one to two hundred years back, people’s faith... Continue Reading →
When a poodle fell off a high rise balcony in Buenos Aires, it's hard to imagine how it could result in the deaths of three pedestrians below. Cachi’s beady eyes were locked on to the tennis ball the Montoya family’s youngest boy bounced, so engrossed his head nodded up and down to its rebound. The... Continue Reading →
One man's fate to die on a date in 1980 was so strong even escaping Death Row could not postpone his mortality. Such is the antisocial, troublesome character of some people you meet that you just know they’re destined to be dead or in prison before they reach their 40th birthday, and so was the... Continue Reading →
The time one disregarded European state forgot to end the 'Great War' For its main belligerents, World War One lasted from 1914 until 1918, yet bizarrely Germany remained technically at war with one country for another 39 years. Modern Andorra is a European minnow state of 468 km (181 sq mi) and just 76,000 call... Continue Reading →
History and Things 