There are many cryptids and mythical creatures in the world, folkloric creatures that many claim to have seen but that they are unable to prove exist: mermaids, Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, and the Yeti to name a few. People who believe in these creatures have taken pictures, recorded videos, and offered up personal accounts, but […]
The Giant Penguin: How one man created this iconic hoax Read More »
Ariadne and Theseus are two key characters in the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur. Ariadne was a princess born on the island of Crete, home to the ancient Minoan civilization that flourished there during the Bronze Age. The modern name for the civilization derives from the mythical King Minos, the father of Ariadne. The
Ariadne, Theseus, and the Labyrinth of the Minotaur Read More »
The story of Karolina Olsson is one of the biggest mysteries that has perplexed doctors and people of all ages. How can a young girl fall asleep and not wake up for another 32 years? Or did she really sleep? Olsson was raised in Okno, Sweden. One day in 1876, she slipped on ice and
Karolina Olsson: The “Real” Sleeping Beauty Read More »
In 2008, some of the unfinished manuscripts of Cuban anthropologist, historian, and musicologist, Fernando Ortiz were published posthumously as La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre. Historia y etnografía. This work, which deals with Cuba’s patron saint, was devoured by readers all over the island. The book flew off the shelves of bookstores – a
Life of Fernando Ortiz: Cuban Anthropologist and Writer Read More »
In the dimly lit corners of French history, there lurks a chilling tale that has captivated imaginations for centuries. It is a saga of fear, superstition, and group hysteria. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the French Werewolf Panic swept across the land like a howling storm. It left terror, fear, and death in its
The French Werewolf Panic: A Lesson in Mass Hysteria Read More »
There is no shortage of symbolism around black cats in the modern world. They are everywhere in popular culture as sidekicks or even malevolent beings which surround witches and other agents of the occult. For example, in the first Matrix movie, when Neo has a moment of Déjà vu, an occurrence which means the sinister controllers of the
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The Ouija board is one of Americana’s most fascinating and enigmatic artifacts. What began as a harmless parlor game in the late 1800s has become a cultural phenomenon far beyond its original boundaries. From its early popularity rooted in spiritualism to its later emergence as a common trope in horror films, the story of the
The Ouija Board – How did this strange board game catch on? Read More »
Most people are familiar with the events of the Black Death, as it killed upwards of half of the continent’s population in the space of half a decade between its first arrival in Italy in 1347 and the end of the first wave in the early 1350s. But what was just as significant was what
What Happened After the Black Death Ended? Read More »
Most of us are familiar with the guillotine. It’s a set of stocks into which a person’s head is placed and secured before an extremely sharp blade is released from a height to fall at speed on a person’s exposed neck severing the victim’s head clean from their body. The guillotine was used extensively in
The History of the Guillotine – Who Invented It and Why? Read More »
When one thinks of the Middle Ages, they are often confronted by a dour landscape of peasant drudgery punctuated by the occasional castle or small town. In many instances, knights or lords inhabited these castles and acted in an autocratic manner outside the boundaries of what we would view as traditional law and order today.
The Horrific History of the Oubliette Read More »
