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Trucks Have Been Blocking Bike Lanes in New York City Since 1899

Fifth Avenue at night, 1899. (Image: Charles W Jefferys/Art and Picture Collection, The New York Public Library) Bike lanes are pretty clearly not parking spaces, but, as any city cyclist knows, cars...

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Blood-Red Fountains Haunt Commuters In Zurich

A tinted fountain in Zurich. (Photo: Aktivistin.ch/Twitter)It's that time of the month. Yesterday morning, those making their way to work and school in Zurich were greeted by a strange sight—the...

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Police in Utah Recommend Against Shooting Random Clowns

No, not even this creep. (Photo: Graeme Maclean/CC BY 2.0)Police in Orem, Utah would like to make it clear that neither they, nor you, can legally shoot random clowns. With the increasing number of...

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The Monks Who Spent Years Turning Themselves into Mummies—While Alive

Danjōgaran, a temple on Mount Kōya in Japan. (Photo: V663highland/CC BY-SA 3.0)The Japanese climate is not exactly conducive to mummification. There are no peat bogs, no arid deserts, and no alpine...

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How I Found the 4 Hardest-to-Find Bookstores in the World

Un Regard Moderne in Paris. (All illustrations by Bob Eckstein)For the past two years I have been looking for and illustrating the world’s greatest bookstores, for my latest book. My selections were...

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Watch This Guy Review Halloween-Themed Sushi, Hot Chocolate, and More

It's October and local grocery stores are well-stocked with Halloween candy, some that are specially made for the fall holiday. Like sushi body part gummies.Spot, who posts all kinds of review videos...

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Was the Exploded SpaceX Rocket the Victim of a Rival's Sabotage?

When a SpaceX rocket exploded on the launch pad in early September, the initial speculation about the disaster was that it was a simple accident. Building rockets and going to space is incredibly hard,...

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This Beautiful Art Nouveau Telescope Can Be Yours

A modern-day replica of the Porter Garden Telescope. (All photos courtesy of Russ Schleipman)You know what a backyard telescope looks like. A sleek metal cylinder pointed to the heavens. An eyepiece at...

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The Longest-Married Man in the World Has Died

A man who was one half of what is believed to be the longest-married couple in the UK dies aged 110 https://t.co/pR2ysVZiDCpic.twitter.com/MsMsyQGX6u— BBC News England (@BBCEngland) October 4,...

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In the 1900s, Being a 'Cigarette Fiend' Was a Legitimate Defense for Murder

A postcard from 1917 showing a "Cigarette Fiend", in a spell from "Madame Nicotine". (Photo: Public Domain)At the dawn of the 20th century, the United States fell victim to an incredibly dangerous...

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Photos of the World's Most Interesting Cabins, Shacks and Hideaways

As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, access to a remote, cozy cabin becomes an appealing prospect—especially when the cabins are the architectural wonders that are found in the new book The...

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Meet the Newest Entrant in the Pantheon of 'Real Mermaids'

On Facebook, Paul Jones announced a gruesome find. "Today at Great Yarmouth we found what looks like a dead Mermaid washed up on the beach," he wrote. Great Yarmouth is on the eastern coast of England,...

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Well-Preserved, 2,500-Year-Old Marijuana Found at Chinese Tomb

This is considerably more fresh than what was found. (Photo: Arne Hückelheim/CC BY-SA 3.0)Archaeologists in northwest China have discovered a shroud made of cannabis plants in an ancient grave, adding...

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What Happens If Someone Dies on Mars?

Mars Direct concept art. (Image: Doctorheredoctor)It’s entirely possible that someone alive today on Earth will be the first person to die on Mars. The private company Mars One expects that, after a...

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The World's Fluffiest Wildcats Are Getting Their Own Park

Hello, Pallas's cat! (Photo: kuzmina maria/shutterstock.com)If you're not familiar with the Pallas's cat, it's time you got introduced. This guy is housecat-sized, with soulful yellow eyes and more...

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Human Eyes Might Not Notice a Good Forgery, But Computers Could

Claude Monet's San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk, painted in 1908. (Photo: Public Domain)On any given day in a lab in New Jersey, a humming machine traces the lines of a hand-drawn image: a woman’s face...

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Watch a Cursed Japanese Kleenex Ad

In 1986, Kleenex released this commercial in Japan. It's a simple, almost minimalistic premise: a woman in white and an ogre child sit on a pile of hay and enjoy their Kleenex brand tissues while the...

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The 'Great British Bake Off' of the 1600s Would Have Been All Alphabet Cookies

Alphabet cookies were all the rage in 17th century England. (Photo: Family Business/shutterstock.com)Today, a baker might show off their skills with cronuts, which take three days to prepare correctly,...

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Meet Spring-Heeled Jack, the Leaping Devil That Terrorized Victorian England

Spring-Heeled Jack strikes again! (Photo: Guise/Public Domain)In Victorian England, the scariest boogeyman was a fire-breathing devil-man who could jump unnaturally high. Some said he was demon, while...

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Yeast Rescued From 220-Year-Old Shipwreck, Put to Work Making Beer

Beer from the deep. (Photo: Mike Nash/Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Sydney Cove collection)In 1796, the Sydney Cove sailed from India with a cargo of goodies, including tea, tobacco, and, most...

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