The idea of turning your back on wealth, fame, and society is incomprehensible for many. Notoriety isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, however, and for some people, the pressure of their lives in the spotlight seems to have been too much for them.

No one really understands why some people feel the need to withdraw from the world. It seems that some of the following may have suffered from mental health conditions, while others appear to have been perfectly happy to remain inside their homes for years at a time—even when they had enough wealth to do anything that they could want.

10 Huguette Clark

Huguette Clark was the daughter of a copper tycoon. She had immense wealth, with an estate worth over $300 million, but her life was not richer for it. Instead of surrounding herself with beautiful things, Clark chose to spend the last 20 years of her life in a hospital room, despite the fact that she wasn’t sick. She allowed very few visitors and had no personal possessions except her clothes, her dolls, and her collection of violins (which, to be fair, did at one point include Stradivarius’s greatest masterpiece, known as “The Virgin”). She owned a number of homes, including a Fifth Avenue apartment in Manhattan and a mansion in California, but preferred the sterile environment of the hospital.

The cause of Clark’s reclusiveness is not known, but she once called money “a menace to happiness.”

After her death in 2011, Huguette Clark left over $30 million to her nurse, but this was challenged by distant relatives who hardly knew Huguette, and the nurse ultimately received nothing (but was able to keep most of the $31 million in gifts she’d received from Clark over the years.)^[1]

9 Ida Wood

Ida Wood had been a New York socialite at the very end of the 19th century, but in 1907, she suddenly withdrew from the world and moved into a room at the Herald Square Hotel with her sister and daughter and hid herself away. Each day, the bellhop would knock at the door and ask if the sisters wanted anything. Ida Wood would open the door a crack and request the same things—evaporated milk, crackers, coffee, bacon, and eggs. Each day, she would tip him ten cents and tell him that that was all the money she had in in the world.^[2]

The daughter died in 1928. In 1931, Ida Wood, now in her nineties, suddenly opened the door wide and called for help. Her sister was dying. When staff entered the hotel suite, they found that the bathroom had been turned into a makeshift kitchen, and the suite was filled with empty cracker boxes and rotting food.

Among the debris, they also found share certificates, bonds, and cash stuffed into shoeboxes, as well as diamond necklaces hidden inside the empty cracker cartons. Ida Wood even had $500,000 in $10,000 bills pinned to the inside of her nightgown.

That all seems incredible, but Ida Wood’s life was a series of incredible incidents. She met her husband after writing to him, at that time a stranger, to propose an affair, offering him “agreeable intimacy” and presenting herself as the daughter of a wealthy and aristocratic family. In fact, she was the daughter of poor Irish immigrants. She made her money in a deal with her husband, who was a gambling addict. Every time he won at the tables, he shared the winnings with her 50–50, but if he lost, he also paid her half of his losses. When he ran out of money, she would loan it to him in return for shares in his newspaper business.

He died virtually penniless, while she kept a fortune hidden inside empty cracker boxes.

8 Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson grew up in a prosperous family in Massachusetts, where her father was a respected lawyer. The family were well-known in social circles, but Emily never wanted to be part of that world. After a miserable first year of college, she left and spent the rest of her life in her father’s house, leaving it only to visit a doctor on rare occasions.^[3]

Dickinson never married, though she did have friends. It is thought that she must have been in love at one time, because the poems for which she is famous appear to be addressed to a lover, but no one knows who it may have been. Dickinson appears to have made a definite decision to live this way, and though many have sought to find the reason in her work, it is not clear why.

Dickinson died in the house in 1886 and was buried in the white clothes that she always wore.

7 Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla was certainly a genius. The benefits of his pioneering work on electricity are still being felt today. His reputation was never as high as that of his rival, Thomas Edison, mainly because Edison was a relentless glory hunter who was not averse to taking credit for other men’s ideas.

For Tesla, however, it was the idea that was important. He seemed to have little interest in celebrity or even money. While his inventions have generated millions or even billions of dollars, he seems to have benefited little from them. Tesla had an eidetic memory, could speak eight languages, and rarely made notes while inventing, as he didn’t need them, despite the fact that they would have been handy for establishing patents.

It is true that Tesla was always a little eccentric. He almost certainly suffered from OCD. He obsessively washed his hands and would only eat food that had been boiled. He had strange phobias, such as an aversion to pearls, which led to anxiety when speaking to society ladies. He believed that his greatest ideas were borne out of solitude, so he became solitary.^[4]

Tesla’s poor business skills led him to fritter away his fortune, and he spent his last years moving from hotel to hotel and skipping out before paying the bill. He once offered one of his inventions in lieu of cash—a box which, he claimed, contained a death beam but which was too dangerous to be opened. Not one of his more useful inventions.

Tesla died in one of his hotel rooms in 1943. He was, as he had always been, alone.

6 Bobby Fischer

It is probably fair to describe Bobby Fischer as a troubled genius. The chess prodigy became a national hero when he beat the Soviet grand master at the height of the Cold War to become World Chess Champion in 1972 and a traitor when he defied US sanctions to play a rematch in Belgrade during the Balkan Wars 20 years later.

It is unlikely that Fischer was moved by either description. He was not a man who cared for others’ opinions. He became paranoid, obsessed with conspiracy theories, and angry with the world. Having beaten the best chess players in the world, he seemed to lose his purpose. He no longer played chess but could not find anything else to absorb his mind.

After making inflammatory remarks about 9/11 during interviews, he ended up in Iceland, where he spent the rest of his life as a recluse. He invented his own form of chess, which, with his trademark modesty, he named Fischerandom.^[5]

Although in his final years, his appearance had suggested that he was penniless, he left an estate worth several million dollars. He was found dead in his hotel room in 2008. Even in death, however, Fischer rejected the regard of others. He arranged his own secret burial, without regard to the law. His grave was dug during the night, and only five people attended the service, which took place at first light. Even the minister at the church was not informed until it was over.

5 Theo And Karl Albrecht

Theo Albrecht founded his grocery empire, Aldi, with his brother Karl after World War II. They began by running their mother’s grocery shop, which they expanded into a business that made them both multibillionaires.

Theo was kidnapped in 1971. He was freed by his captors after paying a ransom of seven million German marks, 17 days after he had been abducted. He might have been released sooner, but it seems he haggled over the amount and later tried to claim the ransom money as a business expense on his tax return.

After the kidnapping, both brothers kept a very low profile. They were rarely photographed, and they did not give interviews. They traveled separately in cars that never took the same route twice.^[6] The two brothers spent at least some of their time on a remote island in the North Sea, where they played golf, grew orchids, and collected typewriters. Both men died in Essen, Germany, Theo in 2010 and Karl in 2014.

4 John G. Wendel II

At the turn of the 20th century, John Wendel II had a property empire in the heart of Manhattan that would be worth around $1 billion today. He built his fortune on four firm principles—never mortgage, never sell, never repair, and always remember that premium real estate prices on Broadway will move uptown ten blocks every decade.^[7]

Wendel had equally firm principles when it came to his family. Their house was in a commercial district, surrounded by shops and hotels, and thus completely unsuitable as a home but worth a fortune. He did not hold with wasting money on fripperies such as electricity, telephones, or newfangled automobiles. There was no fence around the house, and passersby often pressed their noses against the windows to catch a glimpse of the strange inhabitants, who they dubbed the “Weird Wendels.”

Wendel had seven sisters, who all lived in the house with him. Wendel was referred to as “the hermit of Fifth Avenue.” They lived quietly together, refusing to change with the times.

3 Ella Wendel

After John Wendel’s death, the sisters remained in the house, until Ella Wendel was the only one left. Only one of the sisters had married—and not until she was well past childbearing age because John Wendel had been concerned about gold-diggers. This meant there was no one to inherit the vast fortune. Despite this, Ella Wendel carried on living exactly as she had before.

She had a fortune valued at $100 million, but she continued to live in the vast house alone, without modern amenities. Her only pleasure seemed to be her dogs over the years, all of which were named Toby. At night, she would walk Toby on a vacant lot that they owned, which, following her brother’s business principle, she would never sell, despite it being worth millions.^[8]

After Ella’s death in 1931, over 2,000 “relatives” came forward to claim their share of the inheritance, almost all of whom were totally bogus. A large chunk of the estate was spent in legal fees fending off the claims, and the remainder went to charity.

So, totally worth it.

2 Eliza Donnithorne

Eliza Donnithorne is said to be the inspiration for the Charles Dickens character Miss Havisham, the jilted bride who wandered forlornly around her house in her wedding dress, waiting for her groom to return.

Donnithorne moved to Australia during the 1840s with her father, an official of the East India Company, and continued to live there after he died. In 1889, the Illustrated Sydney News published an article about her being left at the altar, leaving her “completely prostrated.”

Eliza had formed an attachment to a young man of whom her father disapproved, and after resisting his attempts to split them up, the couple set a date for the wedding. Mr. Donnithorne was such an important official that a great deal of interest was held in the wedding, and crowds are said to have lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the bride. Eliza Donnithorne, dressed in her finery, waited excitedly at the altar for her lover.^[9]

He didn’t show.

The article maintained that she had left the wedding feast upon the table “until it mouldered into dust,” after which she never left the house again. She was said to be mortified at the thought of what people’s reactions. Her only interest was her books, and at her death, she left a large collection of books behind.

She probably avoided the romances.

1 Marcel Proust

Marcel Proust was a famous French writer and a celebrated recluse. The author of In Search of Lost Time spent a number of years in an apartment on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris until his death. He rarely went out. Proust suffered from crippling asthma and was said to have been acutely affected by the deaths of his parents and retreated into himself. He soundproofed his workroom with corkboard and put up layers of heavy curtains to blot out daylight so that he could work uninterrupted. He would stay up for days on end, working on his masterpiece, desperate to complete it before his death.^[10]

Nevertheless, time caught up with Proust, and the final three volumes of In Search of Lost Time were left in “an advanced but not final stage of revision.”

Proust died in 1922 in his apartment. Though he did not finish his seminal work completely, the final volumes were sufficiently complete to be published after his death, and the novel has become one of the most important pieces of literature in the world.

Pass the corkboard.

Ward Hazell is a writer who travels, and an occasional travel writer.

The Land Down Under. Sweltering heat and a menagerie of obscure and bizarre creatures has led the smallest continent in the world to be considered a land of danger and death. Tales of man-eating sharks that put Jaws to shame, poisonous spiders that inhabit shoes, and crocodiles that resemble the dinosaurs that once walked the Earth are rooted in tradition. Yet, one cannot help but wonder: Just how dangerous are these creatures?

In the following list, with no particular order, we will attempt to dispel the notion that Australia’s fauna are simply creatures to be avoided at all costs. Rather, they’re the victims of media hype. Please comment with any creatures you feel were missed, or share your own stories of encounters with them.

10 Blue-Ringed Octopus

Perhaps the most unassuming creature on the list, merely the size of a pencil, the blue-ringed octopus has gained notoriety for its vivid coloration and paralyzing toxins. Often cited as an example for the adage “Everything in Australia Can Kill You,” these cephalopods have, in fact, garnered a reputation far exceeding their exploits.

Despite the strength of their toxins, only three deaths can be attributed to the octopuses’ bite, one of which did not even occur in Australia.^[1] Note, however, that being bitten is still a serious matter and potentially fatal. So, spare a thought for the solitary creatures, and make sure you keep your hands to yourself when exploring tide pools.

9 Sharks

If Finding Nemo has taught us anything, it’s that one whiff of blood sends sharks into a murderous feeding frenzy. And there is some truth to that. Sharks are apex predators which will bite everything from unsuspecting fish to intrusive surfers. In fact, the likelihood of being attacked and killed by a shark is higher in Australia (the land of beaches and sun) than it is in any other country. How likely, you ask? Well, statistically, the odds of being attacked by a shark are one in 2,794,600, according to reports.

Those aren’t the worst odds, one must concede, especially when faced with the knowledge that over 70 people died between the years of 2008 and 2017 at the hands (hooves?) of horses and cows, compared to only 26 fatalities by sharks and other marine animals.^[2] In fact, on average, only two people are fatally attacked by sharks in Australia per year. So, when in Australia, make sure you enjoy the beach, but always remember to swim between the flags!

8 Redback Spider

Nothing sends chills up one’s spine more than the thought of eight skeletal legs crawling their way across your skin, and this nightmare is very much a reality for many Australians. Approximately 2,700 spider species have been formally described on the continent, which is not even a third of the estimated extant species. Of these species, one of the most recognized and prevalent is the redback spider, so named for the distinctive red stripe on its abdomen. This creature inhabits urban areas, often found in garden sheds or similarly undisturbed locations, where it uses the toxins in its venom to subdue insects.

This venom is strong enough to kill humans who are unfortunate enough to get bitten, though there were no deaths in Australia from confirmed spider bites from 1979 to 2016.^[3] As is the case with most spiders, even the venomous redbacks are harmless unless provoked or disturbed, and they’re more likely to attempt to flee the threat or even play dead, as opposed to biting.

7 Cassowary

The formidable-looking cassowary is arguably less well-known compared to other creatures on this list. This imposing bird hails from the same family as the ostrich and emu, standing up to 2 meters (6.6 ft) tall and weighing as much as 76 kilograms (168 lb). Of the three species, only the southern cassowary lives in Australia, where it inhabits dense rainforests, avoiding potential threats and existing, primarily, off berries and seeds.

Yet despite its solitary and mainly frugivorous nature, the bird possesses a dagger-like claw on its feet that can grow up to 13 centimeters (5 in) in length and can be wielded with potentially fatal results, making it one of only a handful of birds to have been directly responsible for a recorded fatality.^[4] Nevertheless, fatalities are relatively rare, although one recently occurred in Florida. Remember that most wild animals will avoid humans, rather than engage with them.

6 Saltwater Crocodiles

The estuarine, or saltwater, crocodile is the largest crocodilian in the world, growing between 4.6 and 5.2 meters (15–17 ft) on average, with some male specimens reaching 7 meters (23 ft)! The crocodiles’ habitat is widespread, stretching over much of Northern Australia, where it grows to such staggering sizes on a diet consisting of anything from fish and turtles to buffalo and livestock.

The “saltie” is also notorious for its reputation as a man-eater, though such rogue animals have been reported more often in Asian countries such as Malaysia. Yet, despite having been responsible for 14 deaths in the Northern Territory between 2005 and 2014,^[5] saltwater crocodiles aren’t known to attack humans unless their territory is encroached upon.

5 Sydney Funnel-Web Spider

What creature has eight legs, can grow to have a 10-centimeter (4 in) leg span, and looks like it belongs on the set of a horror movie? If you answered a funnel-web spider, you’d be right. Of the 35 species of funnel-web, the most dangerous to humans is the Sydney funnel-web, found in urban and garden areas in and around Sydney and often encountered in shoes that have been left outside overnight. Within the species, the male spiders are notably more dangerous, reputed to inject a venom six times more potent than their female counterparts.

The secret ingredient is a toxin dubbed “robustoxin,” which attacks the nervous system and, according to arachnid curator Dr. Robert Raven, can kill a human in less than 15 minutes. However, despite the apparent danger toward humans, and the strength of their venom, Sydney funnel-webs can only be held responsible for 13 recorded fatalities, with no deaths occurring since the introduction of an antivenom in 1981.^[6] As with most species on the list, if we simply exercise caution and common sense, we can easily avoid harm.

4 Dingo

As Australia’s largest mammalian carnivore—standing about the height of a medium dog—the dingo has become a tourist attraction in its native country. Most prevalent along the eastern and southern coastlines and throughout Central Australia,^[7] dingoes have long held a place in the folklore of Australia’s traditional owners, commonly referenced in Dreamtime stories. With their naturally inquisitive nature, interactions between humans and dingoes have become commonplace, as many zoos and sanctuaries have begun to offer close-quarters experiences. However, in the wild, the same result is not often achieved. As is the case with many fatal wildlife encounters, encroaching upon the dingo’s natural habitat has been the cause of both recorded deaths from the species.

Perhaps most famous is the death of Azaria Chamberlain, a nine-week-old baby snatched by a dingo while on vacation with her family, an incident which became a worldwide-publicized murder case in the early 1980s. The only other fatal attack occurred in 2001, when nine-year-old Clinton Gage was mauled and killed by a dingo on Fraser Island, a popular tourist attraction due to its population of “pure” dingo packs. Yet, for a creature that has become a scapegoat for human foolishness, two deaths seems an almost unexpectedly low number, as tourism and lack of food continues to lead to aggression within a usually curious native species.

3 Cone Snail

Probably the most aesthetically pleasing creature on this list, the cone snail (also known as the cone shell) appears, at first glance, to be no more than a patterned shell. Inhabiting warm waters throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans (with around 166 species thought to inhabit Australian waters), the predatory snails propel barbed, venom-coated darts at the small fish and worms that make up its diet.

Although the toxins are designed to paralyze its prey before it is consumed, some of the larger species can prove harmful even to humans, with the venom’s toxicity compared to that of a snake. Despite the potential danger of the creatures and their deceptive appearance, only 36 people have been fatally stabbed in the past 90 years,^[8] with only one of these occurring in waters surrounding Australia. Cone snails are nevertheless a potentially deadly reminder not to touch the wildlife.

2 Stonefish

Taking the next spot on our list is another ambush predator, commonly found in the waters off the eastern coast of Australia. As its name suggests, the stonefish resembles a mossy rock on the seabed as it lies in wait for an unwary fish to pass by. Similar to the fish whose paths diverge with the predator, any human unfortunate enough to tread on the stonefish’s back will receive a nasty shock. Thirteen spines lining the dorsal fin are raised when pressure is placed upon them, injecting a highly toxic venom into any would-be attackers.

So strong is its venom that the stonefish has been handed the dubious honor of being the most venomous fish in the world.^[9] However, the introduction of antivenom in 1959 and a rise in public awareness have ensured no recorded Australian deaths in recent times, though stings are relatively common. And If this and the previous entry weren’t enough to convince you never to step foot in the water again, just see what’s next . . .

1 Stingrays

While some creatures on this list may seem, in name or appearance, to be unassuming, the same is not true for the horrifyingly named stingray, containing such families as the thorntail and whiptail stingrays. Although these flat marine animals can grow quite large, reaching several meters in length and hundreds of kilograms in weight, they live on a diet of mollusks and crustaceans, which they hunt on the sea floor. When threatened, however, the rays can lash out with a tail spine, stabbing and injecting venom.

While their presence attracts divers all over the world, Australians will most likely remember the role a stingray played in the death of beloved wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, who was fatally stabbed while filming a documentary in Queensland in 2006. Although Irwin’s death was one of only two fatal attacks in Australia since 1945, nonfatal attacks are very common, though easily avoided, with NSW Ambulance reporting 116 incidents between late 2013 and late 2016.^[10]

A recent high-school graduate living in Australia, born and raised in England, who loves reading, writing and sports.

Home to one of the world’s most famous civilizations, Egypt is a country filled to the brim with historical significance. However, when people explore ancient Egyptian history, they usually stop at the pyramids. But other remnants of the culture have survived, giving us new insight into how the ancient Egyptians lived.

10 Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple

We’ve already discussed Hatshepsut, one of the more interesting characters in Egyptian history. She’s the Egyptian queen who promoted herself to pharaoh because Thutmose III, her stepson and heir to the throne, was too young to assume the role. She also left behind a legacy—her mortuary temple.

Located at Deir el-Bahri, the temple is called “Djeser-djeseru,” which means “the holy of holies.” It stands proud to this day, but given the disagreements with Hatshepsut’s method of appointing a new pharaoh, both Thutmose III and Akhenaten went through the temple after her death and made some adjustments to the scenery.

On the first level was a beautiful garden filled with plants from Punt, although the garden is gone now. Behind it was a series of reliefs and monuments, most of which were destroyed by Thutmose III and Akhenaten after Hatshepsut’s death. While none of the surviving monuments depict Hatshepsut, one of them clearly shows Thutmose III dancing before the god Min.

The second level contains the birth colonnade and the Punt colonnade, the ancient Egyptian versions of a Facebook wall. The birth colonnade depicted Hatshepsut’s divine birth, which involved Amun-Ra using his breath to impregnate Queen Ahmose, Hatshepsut’s mother. The Punt colonnade featured Hatshepsut’s voyage to Punt and her return with boats filled with exotic woods, makeup, and animals.

Unfortunately, Thutmose III damaged the depictions of Hatshepsut. For his part, Akhenaten defaced the depictions of Amun-Ra because Akhenaten wanted to popularize the Aten, the god of the Sun disk, instead.

With four chapels, Senenmut’s tomb, and the sanctuary of Amun-Ra still standing, Hatshepsut’s temple offers insight into the ancient Egyptians’ way of life and their politics.

9 The Tuna El-Gebel Catacombs

The ancient Egyptian city of Hermopolis Magna was the capital of the Hare province. Known as the “City of the Eight,” the people there worshiped Thoth, the god of learning. Although the city is interesting in its own right, a fascinating discovery was made nearby.

On the west bank of Tunah al-Jabal near Hermopolis Magna, a university expedition in the 1930s unearthed a vast necropolis dedicated to Thoth. Called “Tuna el-Gebel,” this necropolis may extend all the way to Hermopolis Magna. Regardless, archaeologists have already uncovered 3 kilometers (2 mi) of this impressive site.

As expected, dead bodies lie within the catacombs, which allowed relatives and friends to visit their deceased loved ones without being affected by the weather. The tomb of Petosiris, one of the high priests of Thoth, is also contained within the necropolis. Perhaps more surprising is the large number of animals buried there.

The ancient Egyptians often dedicated animals to their favorite gods, and Thoth certainly had an entire bestiary by the time the Egyptians were done. Explorers discovered thousands of mummified animals, including baboons, ibis and ibis eggs, cats, larks, kestrels, and even pigs.

Every animal within the necropolis was deemed sacred. However, the baboons and ibis were especially exalted, given that Thoth was usually depicted with the head of an ibis and baboons were Thoth’s trusted followers that assisted scribes with their work.

8 The Colossi Of Memnon

The Colossi of Memnon are two giant statues that the locals refer to as “el-Colossat” or “es-Salamat.” Both depicting Amenhotep III, they were built to guard his mortuary temple behind them. While the colossi are still standing, the mortuary temple has vanished due to erosion caused by floods and the theft of stones by subsequent rulers.

Both statues have tiny representations of Amenhotep III’s wife and mother carved into the base as well as two Nile gods winding papyrus around the hieroglyph for “unite.” The statues are called the Colossi of Memnon because early Greek visitors believed the statues depicted the god Memnon, son of the goddess Eos.

After an earthquake in 27 BC, the northern statue suffered some structural damage that caused it to “sing” around dawn. Puzzled, the ancient Greek visitors believed that it might be Memnon, who had died at the hands of Achilles but had returned as a statue. According to their theory, Memnon cried out in anguish each morning when he saw his mother, Eos, rising in the sky at dawn.

Although we can’t reproduce this phenomenon in modern times, it’s possible that the singing was caused by dew trapped in the porous rock that evaporated from the heat of the morning Sun. The singing stopped in AD 199 after the statue was repaired.

7 Malkata Palace

When Amenhotep III ruled Egypt, he built a palace that was the ancient Egyptian version of a California mansion. He was only 12 when he inherited the throne from his father, Thutmose IV, along with one of the largest, wealthiest empires in the world. Rather than wage war, Amenhotep III was a man of diplomacy and peace, which left him the time and money to build Malkata Palace.

The site for Malkata Palace spanned about 800,000 square meters (9 million ft²). The luxurious structure contained a library, kitchens, administrative office, audience chambers, halls for festivities, and more, all of which were decorated lavishly with paint.

Its size wasn’t just for grandeur, however. Malkata Palace housed Amenhotep III’s family, servants, guests, and a large harem of princesses, all of whom had their own retinue of servants. One foreign princess visited with 300 servants of her own. Malkata Palace also housed all the visitors for the Heb Sed festivals—the jubilees of Amenhotep III’s coronation— which probably explains why he called this vast complex the “House of Joy.”

The most curious of all the discoveries made at Malkata Palace was its artificial lake. With a T-shaped area of about 3.5 square kilometers (1.5 mi²), the lake allowed Amenhotep III and his family to sail around without interruption.

6 Tanis

With its discovery rivaling that of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, the “lost city” of Tanis missed its moment of fame when current events overshadowed ancient ones. Tanis was called “Djanet” by the ancient Egyptians and “Zoan” in the Old Testament. During the 21st and 22nd Dynasties, Tanis was the capital of Egypt. But political troubles shifted the importance and influence of the city elsewhere.

In its prime, however, Tanis was a wealthy city, largely because it was one of the closest ports to the Asiatic seaboard. A large temple dedicated to the god Amun was built there. The city’s brief moment in the spotlight also meant that some of the royal tombs were quite extravagant.

In 1939, archaeologist Pierre Montet brought several years of excavations at Tanis to a satisfying end when he discovered a royal tomb complex. It had three burial chambers that were undisturbed by vandalism or theft, making this an incredibly valuable find that also included burial treasures like golden masks, silver coffins, and royal jewelry. Nobody had visited Tanis since the city was abandoned, so the tombs and other archaeological treasures were in the same state as during ancient Egyptian times.

But just as Montet announced his fantastic find, World War II erupted, shifting people’s attention away from Egyptian discoveries to current international turmoil. Although the discovery faded into history, it doesn’t change the fact that Tanis held some of the greatest archaeological finds since Tutankhamun.

5 The Temple Of Seti I

The Temple of Seti I is located in Abydos, one of ancient Egypt’s holiest sites. A burial site since the predynastic era, Abydos was originally dedicated to the god Wepwawet, who opened the way for the dead to enter the afterlife. Gradually, the worship of Osiris grew within Abydos until the entire area became dedicated to him. Abydos features the early tombs of the necropolis Umm el Qa’ab, which were thought to be the beginning of burial practices that eventually led to the building of the pyramids.

One of the remaining temples within Abydos is the Temple of Seti I, which has a strange, L-shaped layout but is like most Egyptian temples otherwise. Some of the temple’s surviving wonders include two hypostyle halls, large rooms where the builders supported the roof by placing many columns throughout the structure.

The outer hypostyle hall was finished by Ramses II after Seti I’s death. Even though the temple was supposed to be about Seti I, the pictures within the outer hypostyle hall frequently depict Ramses II. At the entrance, Ramses II is shown measuring the temple with the goddess Selket before presenting it to the god Horus. Elsewhere, Ramses II is depicted offering a box of papyrus to the deities Horus, Isis, and Osiris before being led to the temple to be blessed with holy water. However, these sunk reliefs aren’t crafted well, suggesting that Ramses II sent all of Seti I’s best workers to complete his own temple, the Ramesseum.

The more impressive sights are found in the inner hypostyle hall, which was largely completed before Seti I’s death. One relief shows Osiris and Horus pouring holy water over Seti I. Other reliefs depict Seti I being crowned by the gods and Seti I kneeling before Osiris and Horus. On the side walls, projecting piers show Seti I wearing a crown representing the combination of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Behind these halls are seven sanctuaries, each dedicated to a favorite god. There’s also the Sanctuary of Seti I, which depicts him uniting Upper and Lower Egypt, as well as inner sanctuaries of Osiris, several chapels, and a gallery of kings listing all of Seti I’s predecessors.

4 Babylon Fortress

The Babylon Fortress in Cairo (aka the “Castle of Babylon” or the “Castle of Egypt”) wasn’t built by the Egyptians. Instead, it was built by the command of two Roman emperors. The first one was Trajan, who opened a canal between the Red Sea and the Nile and refurbished an old Persian fortress in the southern part of town. The second was Arcadius, who improved upon the existing fortress. Given both of their efforts, Babylon Fortress became a port and a supply line to Alexandria.

The Babylon Fortress was a refuge for the Coptic Christians, especially after they began to suffer persecution from the Western Christians. There are several churches built into the fortress itself, including the Hanging Church, one of the most famous Coptic churches in Egypt.

The Hanging Church is built over the entrance to a passage in the fortress. Visitors enter through a decorated gate on Shar’a Mari Girgis Street and then climb 29 steps to the church (hence its nickname, the ‘”Staircase Church”). The church has an 11th-century pulpit with 13 pillars, representing Jesus and his 12 disciples. The oldest icon in the church dates to the eighth century. A lintel depicting Christ entering Jerusalem may date as far back as the fifth century.

3 Deir El-Medina

A village near the Valley of the Kings, Deir el-Medina housed all the workers who helped build and decorate the tombs for the pharaohs. According to village records, the people living in Deir el-Medina actively desired to build tombs that would one day serve their king. Many of these records also discuss personal matters, which gives us a look into the day-to-day life of Egyptian workers.

The tomb workers went on one of the first recorded strikes due to an unfair work environment. Ramses III had a huge construction program at Thebes, which heavily drained the grain supply used to pay the workers at the necropolis. The workers waited six months for payment. Then, faced with starvation, they marched on several temples and staged sit-ins until something was done.

According to the records of the strike found at Deir el-Medina: “They sat down at the rear of the temple of Baenre-meryamun. They shouted at the mayor of Thebes as he was passing by, and he sent to them the gardener Meniufer of the chief overseer of cattle to say to them: ‘See, I’ll give these 50 sacks of emmer for provisions until Pharaoh gives you (a) ration.’ ”

For researchers, interesting records from this ancient Egyptian village are available online at the Deir el-Medina database.

2 The Statue Of Meritamun

Unlike the other towns on this list, Akhmim is still active today, but it stands over the ancient Egyptian town of Ipu. When excavating the site, archaeologists discovered fragments of a statue of Ramses II and a relatively intact, 11-meter-high (36 ft) statue of Meritamun, Ramses II’s daughter.

Given that the female statue was lying prone, the workers righted it first. After that, it was decided that the statue should be left in the open, still situated several meters below ground level.

A story on looklex.com described it this way: “Akhmim is among the weirdest sites from Ancient Egypt. You drive along crowded and dusty roads in the large town of Akhmim, then suddenly, in a large hole in the ground, you see the head of a grand female statue.”

1 Aswan Granite Quarry

The Egyptians loved their granite. The pyramids were made of it. The temples used it. It was a prime building material that stood the test of time. Much of the granite used in these structures came from the Aswan granite quarry, which even supplied stone for the lintels above the king’s chamber. The Aswan quarry area spanned about 150 square kilometers (60 mi²) and included the famous granite quarries as well as lesser-known sandstone, grinding stone, and building stone quarries.

However, the most interesting aspect of the Aswan granite quarry is what lies unfinished inside: the largest ancient obelisk known to man. Had it been lifted out of the quarry to stand upright, this obelisk would have weighed 1,200 tons and sported a jaw-dropping height of 42 meters (137 ft), at least one-third taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk. Archaeologists believe that female pharaoh Hatshepsut commissioned its construction.

The reason for abandoning the project isn’t known. But it could be that the stone had imperfections that the ancient Egyptians hadn’t noticed before construction. Another theory is that the process of quarrying the stone relieved some of the stress keeping the stone together, causing a crack to appear on the obelisk. The project’s failure, however, has been a success for archaeologists, who can look over the work in progress to learn how the ancient Egyptians crafted such gigantic monuments.

S.E. Batt is a freelance writer and author. He enjoys a good keyboard, cats, and tea, even though the three of them never blend well together. You can follow his antics over at @Simon_Batt, or his fiction website, www.sebatt.com.

Medieval medicine involved beliefs and remedies that seem bizarre to us today. Understanding the beliefs behind the cures makes them seem less so.

Medieval physicians believed the human body to be a microcosmic version of the macrocosm, or the universe. This belief was central to philosophical traditions dating back to ancient Rome and Greece. It was the foundation of medieval medicine, and it was developed from the works of Pythagoras and Galen, among others.

In Galenic theory, good health depended on the proper balance of dry, moist, cold, and warm. These qualities were present in the four humors: Air was associated with the blood. Choler was fire and found in the red or yellow bile. Phlegm was cold and moist and was thought of as a watery, mucous substance. Black bile was cold and dry and was the unhealthiest humor.

Medieval remedies were based on the principle that this wholeness of existence infused everything—words, minerals, the seasons, locations, and plants and animals. An affliction was due to some cosmological imbalance in the patient; the remedy must correct this imbalance. Remedies could involve preparing “simples” (remedies of one ingredient taken from nature), bloodletting, cupping, and other procedures that seem bizarre to the modern mind.

10 Swallows’ Gizzards For Epilepsy

This prescription from the famous 14-century English physician John of Gaddesden is a “simple”:

The little red stones found in the gizzards of swallows, which are forever helpful if they are hung on the patient’s neck. After catching the swallows on the nest and cutting their gizzards, remove the stones in the middle of the day: they are useful, for they cure epileptic, insane, and lunatic patients.

The timing of the stones’ removal of the stones would have been important to the medieval doctor because the Sun is warm, and the Moon is cold. The stones are “hot,” as is the Sun; the efficacy of this cure would be related the fact that the epileptic’s seizures were the result of too much fire or heat in the brain. As 12th-century Benedictine abbess St. Hildegard von Bingen and others believed, “Like cures like.”

9 Detect Thieves And Prevent Defamation With Marigolds

The Book of Secrets of Albertus Magnus is an herbal remedy guide that includes astrological influences. One such remedy, as quoted in Harmony and Healing: The Theoretical Basis for Ancient and Medieval Medicine by James J. Garber, prescribes a ritual using marigolds to guard against thievery or being talked down by others:

[ . . . ] if it [marigold] be gathered, the sun being in the sign of Leo, in August, and be wrapped in the leaf of a Laurel, or Bay tree and a wolf’s tooth be added thereto no man shall be able to have a word to speak against the bearer thereto, but words of peace. And if any thing be stolen, if the bearer of things before named lays them under his head in the night, he shall see the thief and all his conditions.

This cure combines the properties of the marigold with the power of the Sun strongly enough to give the person magical powers. Magic was commonly held to be true in the Middle Ages, although the Church strongly discouraged its practice.

8 Mandrake Root For Depression

The mandrake root looks man-like. Its magical powers are enlarged due to this quality of its appearing to be human.

For depression, St. Hildegard von Bingen advises digging up a mandrake root, which will reportedly scream when pulled from the ground. Immediately put the mandrake into a spring and soak it for a day and night so that the evil inside it will be purged. Put it next to you in bed, and say the following prayer:

God, you made the human being from the mud of the earth without pain; now I place next to me this earth which has never been stepped on, so that even my earth shall feel that peace, just as you created it.

The result is that you will “receive happiness, and your heart will sense recovery.”

This cure is a good example of using words (prayers) and the curative power of the plant without having to ingest it or even apply it to your skin. It reflects the medieval people’s belief in magic.

7 Banish Anxiety With Bear’s Hair

Anxiety must have been as common in the Middle Ages as it is today, for there is a cure for it in von Bingen’s Physica:

Take some hair from between the bear’s ears, and place it on your chest over your heart until it warms up. Immediately you will be peaceful and calm.

The strength and serenity of the bear is infused into the anxious person, giving them confidence and serenity.

6 A Unicorn’s Hoof To Detect Poison

If you think someone is trying to poison you, put the hoof of a unicorn under your plate or cup. If the dish is hot, the hoof will make it boil. If what you have been served is cold, the hoof will make it steam.

This ability of a unicorn’s hoof to detect poisons in food is the result of the purity of the unicorn, which by the Middle Ages, had come to represent Christ and purity.

5 For Testicle Ailments . . . 

If you’re experiencing problems with your testicles, St. Hildegard von Bingen’s Physica has you covered:

He should burn a swallow’s egg in its shell, and then grind it to a powder. Add some chicken fat, and mix. Anoint the testicles with the mixture.

This remedy imparts the healing powers of the egg. The cooked egg has a perfect balance of the humors, hence its healing powers.

4 Wear A Live Bat For Jaundice

For jaundice, the Physica tells you to stun a bat by striking it gently. Then, tie it over your loins. Make sure the bat’s back is facing your back. Wait a little while, and then tie it over your stomach. Leave it there until it dies. Another remedy for jaundice is to tie a dead widderwalo, a kind of bird, over your stomach.

In Galenic medicine, yellow bile was associated with jaundice. The bird and the bat being associated with a cure for jaundice could indicate that these animals were able to counter the heat of the yellow bile with either their own heat or perhaps their cooling properties.

3 Lion’s Ear Hearing Aid

According to the Physica, a lion’s ear can cure hearing loss:

Hold the ear of a lion on the deaf ear until that ear warms up from the ear of the lion. Also say, “Hear adimacus, by the living God, and by the sharpness of the lion’s strong hearing.”

This cure uses words and the idea of “like curing like,” common threads in medieval medicine.

2 Contraception

In the 11th or 12th century, Trotula of Salerno, a woman living in Italy, wrote a book on women’s medicine called De passionibus mulierum (On the Diseases of Women). Almost nothing is known about who this woman was or about her life. The Trotula, as the book came to be called, was in wide use in Europe in the late 12th through the 15th centuries.

To prevent pregnancy, the Trotula advised women to carry the womb of a goat that has never given birth against their nude flesh. This remedy is also given in the English remedy book Bodley 591.

1 Medieval Viagra

The many remedies for impotence, conception, and contraception in medieval remedy books show that the medieval people were as preoccupied by sex as we are today. In Bodley 591, there is a Middle Ages version of Viagra:

A man “who has lost his kynde and is cold in the body or porpis” should make a concoction of seeds of fennel and persill (parsley), lyngnum aloes (agarwood), galingale, canell (cinnamon from cassia bark), cardamon, and other ingredients. Mash these all together in a mortar and then put them into a basin, add sugar, and melt it together. Take a handful of what is left after the mixture has melted, put it in a glass, and drink it.

The manuscript says “ [ . . . ] this is a very good drynk, and an holsom ho woll use hit to restor a man anow.”

+ Faking Virginity

The Trotula gives some practical advice on how to fake virginity:

Mix together one or two ounces each of dragon’s blood, hematite, oak apples, Armenian bole (a kind of clay), cinnamon, pomegranate rind, alum (an ingredient in styptic pencils), and mastic. Put this mixture into your vagina.

The mastic and alum would give this mixture a stickiness that would become liquid when warmed.

Davanna Cimino is a writer and editor living on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Connect with her on Twitter @davanna.

The ‘Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All Of Us’ call to action that was issued in September, 2019, fizzled out.^[1] So what happens in Area 51 stays in Area 51. But the government-labeled tin-foil hat brigade, which claims that aliens and their spaceships are hidden there, doesn’t seem so crazy anymore. About a week before the call to action, the United States Navy finally acknowledged that UFOs exist. After decades of denial, the Navy publicly stated that there are, indeed, ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.’^[2] Regardless of what they are called, the strange flying objects that Americans spot in the skies aren’t weather balloons and secret military aircraft, as they have been told.

Top 10 UFO Encounters That You’ve Never Heard About

It took the government almost as long to admit that there actually is a place called ‘Area 51.’ A Freedom of Information Act Request revealed its existence to the public in 2013. Officially, planes are tested and constructed at Area 51.^[3] The facility is actually called the Nevada Test and Training Range at Groom Lake, one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada.^[4] The remote desert site, about a two-hour drive from Las Vegas, is close to the UFO-themed tourist towns of Rachel and Hiko. Whistleblowers and witnesses continue to come forward about what is really going on at Area 51 and other military installations.

10 Malmstrom Air Force Base

Malmstrom Air Force Base, which deploys Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, (ICBMs) is adjacent to Great Falls, Montana. In 1967, the Missile Combat Crew received reports from security patrols and maintenance crew that a UFO was hovering over one of the missile silos. Shortly thereafter, each of the ten missiles shut down, one at a time.^[5] While declassified documents prove that the nuclear weapons did, indeed, become inoperable, there is scant evidence of the UFO claim.^[6][7] However, evidence was gathered at an earlier UFO sighting. The Mariana UFO Incident took place in Great Falls in 1950. Nick Mariana, manager of a minor league baseball team, may be the first person to intentionally capture footage of UFOs. A bright flash caught Mariana’s attention as he was inspecting a baseball field. He ran to get a 16mm camera when he saw two silver disks flying at lightening speed over the city. He was able to get 16 seconds of color video footage. However, he later claimed that 35 complete frames were missing after the Air Force examined the film and returned it to him. These frames showed that the mystery objects in the sky were discs that were rotating.^[8]

9 Carswell Air Force Base

The 1947 Roswell Incident in New Mexico is perhaps the most famous UFO encounter. The first press release stated that a flying saucer had been found. The second press release claimed the object was a weather balloon.^[9] Operations officer Robert Shirkey saw an aluminum-like material with characters written on it being loaded for a flight to Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas.^[10] Flight crewman Robert Porter reported that the boxes holding the ‘pieces of flying saucer’ were as light as empty boxes.^[11] In later years, UFOs were seen around the base. In 1954, a T-shaped aircraft was spotted and picked up on radar. The blue, green, and white UFO hovered at 4000 feet over the nearby airport.^[12] Another sighting was recorded by the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database. In 1965, a witness saw a triangular UFO with three lights.^[13]

8 Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Captain Oliver W. “Pappy” Henderson, a senior pilot at Roswell AFB during the Roswell Incident, flew a plane to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio shortly after the incident. He did not discuss the flight for more than thirty years because of his security clearance. But in 1977, he told his business partner about his assignment. He said he transported spacecraft wreckage and small alien bodies. He showed his partner a piece of metal from the wreckage. It resembled aluminum but was lighter and much stiffer. In 1982, Henderson told the same story to several of his Roswell pals while attending a reunion.^[14] Other military men confirm Henderson’s story. One of these men is Marine Lieutenant Colonel Marion M. “Black Mac” Magruder. On his deathbed, Magruder remembered that the alien he saw was ‘squiggly.’^[15]

7 Fort Dix

Major George Filer recounts six decades of investigating aliens and UFOs in John Guerra’s Strange Craft: The True Story of An Air Force Intelligence Officer’s Life with UFOs. Most notably, Filer recalls the shooting of an alien at Fort Dix in New Jersey.^[16] In 1978, a military policeman was following a low flying aircraft through the wilderness of the army base during the wee hours of a frigid January morning. A 4-foot tall, grayish-brown creature with long arms, a slender body, and fat head appeared in front of the MP’s truck and was then shot. The remains gave off an ammonia-like stench.^[17] Filer is a member of the Disclosure Project, which champions the release of all UFO information. In 2017, the Pentagon released footage of an extraterrestrial vehicle outdoing U.S. Navy fighters, confirming some of Filer’s descriptions.

6 29 Palms

29 Palms in the Mojave Desert in California was the site of a massive multi-regimental live-maneuver exercise in October, 2019.^[18] Military training is just one of the interesting activities at the Marine base, which is listed in Project Redbook. This database contains information about subsurface alien activity sites. It was compiled for those who want to explore the sites, with no claims of authenticity for any particular site.^[19] According to researcher Val Valerian, recovered alien technology is examined in underground facilities at the base.^[20] In addition, there have been many UFO sightings in the area since the 1950s.^[21] In May, 2019, a worm-like UFO was spotted over the town of 29 Palms.

Top 10 UFO Encounters That Involve Alien Humanoid Entities

5 Fort Meade

In his book, Above Black: Project Preserve Destiny, Dan Sherman writes that he was sent to Fort Meade in Maryland to train for his role in an above Top Secret-level Air Force program called ‘Greys.’ In 1992, he was recruited to speak to Grey Aliens, first encountered at the Roswell Incident. His mother was visited by aliens and was the subject of genetic manipulation. Therefore, Sherman could fulfill his duties as ‘Intuitive Communicator,’ and receive messages from the Greys. First, Sherman sat in a communications van in an unknown location to receive the messages from the designated alien. After some time, he began to receive what he calls ‘abduction data.’^[22] The National Security Agency, (NSA) headquartered at Fort Meade, declassified many documents in more recent years. Some of these reports note attempts to decode a ‘radio message’ received from outer space.^[23]

4 Edwards Air Force Base

Skeptics wonder why aliens speak to the ‘common man’ rather than leaders. In fact, one of our greatest leaders, Dwight Eisenhower, may have communicated with them. Depending on whose story you believe, the president either took a secret evening trip to Edwards Air Force Base while on a golf vacation or he went to the dentist for repair of a chipped tooth. Ike’s dentist insisted he saw the president on February 20, 1954. But Dr. Michael Salla believes that Ike met two blue-eyed aliens, who had colorless lips and white hair, at the base.^[24] Dr. Salla is a leader in the field of exopolitics, defined as ‘the political study of the key actors, institutions, and processes associated with extraterrestrial life.’^[25] Interestingly, the Associated Press reported that Ike died on February 20, 1954, but retracted the story two minutes later. Laura Magdalene Eisenhower, Ike’s great-granddaughter, has publicly stated that she believes that Ike met with extraterrestrials.^[26]

3 Kirtland Air Force Base

A declassified government report revealed that guards at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico saw UFOs in the Coyote Canyon area in 1980. During the same period of time, radar was jammed by an unknown source for six hours in the same area.^[27] Paul Bennewitz, a physicist, inventor, and UFO researcher, had begun to see odd lights in the sky a year earlier. These lights, which flew towards Coyote Canyon and the base, could be seen nearly every evening. Bennewitz filmed the lights as well as objects he saw on the ground and in the air. Over time, he collected more than 2600 feet of film. Bennewitz also taped low-frequency radio transmissions that he said were transmitted by the aliens, and he created a computer program to translate these transmissions.^[28] In addition, he claimed to have evidence that aliens were controlling people through electromagnetic devices.^[29]

2 Holloman Air Force Base

Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico is at the center of several UFO encounters. Project 1947, an ongoing gathering of articles and documents about UFOs seen between 1900 and 1965, presents one of these incidents.^[30] In 1950, electronics engineer Cliff Booth reported that he and another man had used an Askania theodolite to get photographs of a cigar-shaped UFO. While both men were convinced they had seen a ‘vehicle from outer space,’ photographs were blurry.^[31] Years later, filmmaker Robert Emenegger was prompted by the US Air Force to produce a UFO documentary. In 1974, UFOs: Past, Present and Future was released without its most sensational story. The Air Force reneged on its promise to give Emenegger footage of a UFO landing at Holloman Air Force Base in 1971.^[32] The footage showed three UFOs. One UFO landed and three aliens emerged.^[33]

1 Dobbins Air Force Base

‘Georgia’s Aerial Phenomenon 1947-1987,’ written by Roswell, Georgia, police officer Michael Hitt, presents 234 UFO sightings in the state. Many reports come from civilian and military pilots like the airmen from Dobbins Air Force Base who told their story in 1952. They saw an object streak overhead before it disappeared. This same object was seen on radar scopes as it traveled at 1,200 miles an hour, twice the speed of an airplane.^[34] Control tower operator Bruce Beach relates that there were so many UFO sightings at Dobbins Air Force Base in the 1950s that the tower had a 3D camera, which was unusual at that time.^[35] Sightings continued throughout the years. Recently, a square, black UFO the size of a Boeing 727 was spotted near the base and reported to MUFON in January, 2019.^[36]

The spaceship-shaped McDonald’s in Roswell, New Mexico, reminds residents and tourists that we may not be alone in the universe. Right now, the majority of the evidence comes in the form of stories told by military men, pilots, law enforcement officers, and others. The government has finally admitted that UFOs are a real phenomenon. Who knows what secrets may be revealed in the future.

10 Times We Thought We Had Found Proof Of Aliens

Have you ever gotten something confused in your head, or maybe you just didn’t care, and called one thing by the wrong name for far too long because you consider them the same? The way some people seem to call any brown soda Coke even if it’s a Pepsi or a root beer or whatever? It can happen for any number of reasons but it also probably happens more than you’d think. We’re willing to bet that you thought at least one of these things was the same as something else when it absolutely isn’t. 

10. Crevice and Crevasse Are Not the Same

Okay, imagine you’re out for a walk. It’s a warm day, and the air is fresh and clean and you’re having a great time. Life is good! But then, oh no, the earth splits asunder beneath your feet and you fall to your doom. Did you just fall into a crevice or a crevasse? There is a right and wrong answer here.

While both words mean a crack in something they don’t refer to a crack in the same thing. The root of each comes from Anglo-French crevace, to break, the way they’re used is different for a reason. 

A crevasse is a bigger break, a deeper break, and is typically reserved only for referring to ice. So if your walk was on a glacier and it split, you fell into a crevasse. If the break was a little smaller and happened out on the earth itself, you fell into a crevice. In proper usage, a crevice is far less impressive, it may only be a surface crack, in fact. But a crevasse is going to seriously ruin your day. 

9. TNT is Not Even Close Dynamite 

In the song TNT by AC/DC, the chorus assures listeners that the singer is TNT, he’s dynamite. With all due respect to Bon Scott, that just wasn’t correct. Unless he was speaking to his own diversity, TNT and dynamite are not the same thing.

TNT is trinitrotoluene, and it’s a yellow, crystalline substance. It was discovered in 1863 and while it is explosive, it’s not as explosive as dynamite but the tradeoff is that it’s more stable. 

Dynamite dates to 1867 and was discovered by Alfred Nobel of Nobel Prize fame. It’s made from nitroglycerine stabilized with diatomaceous earth and sodium carbonate. He made a safe(r) explosive than plain old nitro.

A stick of dynamite has a holding tube that is filled with an absorbent material covered in nitroglycerin and packed with other substances to stabilize it. It’s incredibly far removed from TNT and, aside from the intended purpose, is pretty much completely different from it in every way, especially chemically. 

When they were first discovered, it was so hard to make TNT explode that it wasn’t even listed as an explosive compound, unlike dynamite. 

8. Chrysalis and a Cocoon are Different 

One of the most remarkable transformations in nature is when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Because it’s not a quick change magic act, the caterpillar needs to prepare to become a fancy new life form that flies and how does it do that? Does it form a cocoon or a chrysalis?  The answer is chrysalis. No butterfly comes out of a cocoon because they are not the same thing.

Moths are a good example of cocoon makers and the difference between a moth cocoon and a butterfly chrysalis is how they are made. Like many creatures, a caterpillar grows by molting. That means it sheds its old skin as it grows larger beneath that skin. But when a caterpillar is set to become a butterfly, it never sheds that final skin. Instead, thanks to fun biology, that skin hardens into the outer chrysalis that allows the butterfly to form inside. 

When a caterpillar becomes a moth, it uses silk that it produces itself, and maybe sometimes leaves and other bits of natural stuff to form a cocoon around itself. A cocoon is constructed by the caterpillar and then, once safely hidden away, it begins its transformation. Not all moths do this, but the majority do. No butterflies produce silk at all, however.

7. A Heart Attack is Not Cardiac Arrest 

Let’s say you’re at a restaurant and a person at the next table clutches their chest and falls to the ground. They’re having a heart attack! Or are they suffering from cardiac arrest? As much as the two terms seem to be bandied about casually in pop culture, they are not synonyms and do not refer to the same condition. 

A heart attack can trigger cardiac arrest, but two different things occur. A heart attack involves a blockage in an artery. Oxygenated blood can’t get to your heart and that part of the heart, now cut off from oxygen and blood, begins to die. That can be a quick process or a long one depending on several factors. You need to get medical help right away if this occurs because it can and likely will get much worse. 

Cardiac arrest, which, again, can be triggered by a heart attack, is when the heart shuts down and stops pumping blood. It doesn’t have to be caused by a heart attack, though, and any disruption to the rhythm of your heart prevents it from pumping blood through the body. Your heart stops and you effectively die. CPR or other medical intervention will be needed to restart the heart or you could die quickly. 

6. Pounds and Kilograms Measure Different Things 

Here’s a confusing one. Pounds versus kilograms obviously refers to different measures but do they measure the same thing? A person who weighs 200 pounds can also be said to weigh 90.72 kilograms. So it’s two ways of saying the same thing, essentially. Or so it would seem, but that’s not technically correct.

Pounds are actually a measure of force or weight and kilograms are a measure of mass. In order for 200 pounds to equal 90.72 you have to agree that mass equals force and that’s not the cleanest science but it works for most of us so we let it slide.

On earth, none of this matters much. But if you went to the moon, your mass would still be 90.72 kilograms while your weight would be much less than 200 pounds. You’d weigh about six times less, in fact, because pounds measure that force of gravity on you and there’s less gravity on the moon. 

Mass is a more reliable measure because it’s very hard to change but weight, in the right circumstances, can change. 

5. Snow Leopards are Not Leopards

Snow leopards are some of the most beautiful and rare cats in the world. The WWF estimates there are 4,000 to 6,500 of them out there. They’re perfectly designed to live in harsh, snowy mountains where natural camouflage makes them nearly impossible to spot. Also of note is that they’re not actually leopards, but members of the panther family. 

From a genetic standpoint, while they have spots you might expect of a leopard, they’re more closely related to tigers. In general, we recognize five kinds of big cats in the world and those are lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, and snow leopards which are off on their own. 

4. Concrete and Cement are Closely Related But Not the Same

This is one people tend to get wrong a lot. When you’re out walking the dog down the sidewalk, is it cement underfoot or concrete? If you wanted to be a bit of a semantic and technical weenie, you could argue that both work, but we’re not doing that. You’re walking on concrete. But there is cement in it. 

You need a few things to make concrete. The first thing you want is cement. Cement is made from limestone, silica, and a few other ingredients that are baked and ground down into a super fine powder. When you add water to that super fine powder you get cement paste. It’s halfway to being concrete!

All you need to do now is mix in something like rocks or gravel and you’re making concrete. You need to keep the stones down to a diameter of one inch or less to make proper concrete. Of course, if you just mix in sand then you’re making mortar. 

Fun fact! Because cement needs to be fired in a kiln to make it, the chemical reaction produces a lot of CO2. Concrete is the most widely used substance in the world and as much as 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions come from cement production. 

3. Strangulation is Not the Same as Choking 

It’s late at night, you’re walking around Camp Crystal Lake with Hannibal Lecter trying to avoid a guy in a Scream mask and you haven’t slept in days because of Freddy Krueger. Suddenly someone attacks you from behind and pulls a cord around your neck. Are you being choked or strangled?

Choking and strangulation are distinctly different things. In simple terms, choking is something that happens internally while strangulation happens externally. You can choke on a delicious burrito but you’d get strangled by a rope. 

More specifically, choking happens when something blocks your trachea and prevents air from flowing to your lungs. Strangulation is when something presses on your neck and compresses your trachea preventing that airflow. It can also happen by accident, of course, but it can be intentional far more often than choking can. 

2. Macarons and Macaroons Come From the Same Origin But Are Very Different

For a long time, the average person probably had no idea what a macaron was. But then foodie culture exploded, everyone and their uncle was watching Iron Chef, and the discerning dessert enthusiast in all of us was just dying to try a delicious macaron. Or was it a macaroon?

A macaroon differs from a macaron in several ways. A typical macaroon is a drop cookie, meaning you scoop up the mix, splat it down off of your spoon, and bam, there it is. They’re made with coconut and whipped egg whites and baked and chocolate-covered. Some folks make them with oatmeal and a few other choice ingredients and do a no-bake version sometimes called a haystack that doesn’t include egg.

Macarons are a sandwich cookie where the sandwich part is an egg white meringue cookie that you bake. It should have a slightly crispy exterior but a chewy interior and be pretty thin. Then you fill the sandwich with some kind of cream or ganache or whatever. 

The name is so similar because they have the same origin way back in Italy when both were made with ground almonds and then evolved in separate ways to become distinctly different treats.

1. Captions and Subtitles Are Not the Same

In 2022, a survey of 1,200 people determined that 50% of us are watching TV with the captions on, which is pretty significant. So what makes subtitles so appealing? There could be several things from poor sound mixing to bad speaker placement. But it’s also worth remembering that subtitles and captions are different things even though people use the words interchangeably.

Subtitles are added to movies by the filmmakers many times and sometimes later by distributors if they’re being made available in other language markets. They are designed to translate dialogue from one language to another so you know what the characters are saying.

Captions, on the other hand, are designed for people who are hard of hearing so they can read the dialogue regardless of language. These are what most people are turning on now to follow along because it’s just too hard to understand what people are saying on TV and no one seems keen on fixing it.

When you see the word “natural” on a food label it is often used in a way to suggest that food is healthy, free from preservatives or chemicals, and generally good for you. In reality, the use of the term is kind of loosey-goosey. In America, the FDA lets you use “natural” on a label if there are no synthetic ingredients. A gob of pork fat on top of peanut butter and chocolate is natural by that definition so not healthy or good for you, just not synthetic. So how do you know what natural really refers to?

Turns out there are a lot of things in the world that we probably think are natural and normal just because we’re used to them or expect them to be that way when that isn’t necessarily the case.

10. Farmed Salmon is Not Naturally Salmon Colored

Salmon is the second most popular seafood in America behind shrimp. It’s even more popular than tuna. Americans eat a stunning 918 million pounds of it per year. Because salmon is so popular there’s just no way all of it can be wild-caught. Salmon farming has been a popular alternative for decades now and 70% of all salmon eaten in the world right now is farm raised. 

While there’s nothing wrong with farm-raised salmon, assuming it’s done responsibly and ethically, there are still some notable differences between it and wild-caught. For instance, the color. If you have farm-raised salmon that bears that distinctive orangey-pink color you expect from salmon, that’s not technically natural at all. Salmon color is natural to wild salmon.

Wild salmon eat krill and shrimp which have astaxanthin, a natural red pigment. Much like flamingos, which we’ll talk about shortly, get their pink color from eating shrimp, so does salmon. But farmed salmon rarely eat a diet rich in shrimp and krill, they eat a sort of kibble that keeps them alive and offers basic nutrients. It’s made of some fish but also soy, corn, and other filler material. But they also add artificial astaxanthin.

Natural farmed salmon would have gray flesh, but no one wants to eat that. So they add the astaxanthin to alter the color and make it look “real.” The fish are healthy on their artificial diet and you still get nutrients from eating it, but the color is added to make it more convincing to the consumer. 

9. Broccoli Does Not Occur Naturally, It Was Bred Into Existence

When we think of natural food vs unnatural food, we might hold up a Twinkie as an example of something unnatural while some healthy, green broccoli is natural. But we need to ask what natural means again in this case. Broccoli never occurred in nature on its own, it’s the product of some determined Italian farmers who were tinkering with wild cabbage. 

The vegetable was created through some selective breeding that dates back to the 6th century BC in Rome. The process of turning a kind of wild cabbage into broccoli was a long one but not an unusual one in the world of farming. 

Farmers would grow plants and find ones with the desired qualities. In broccoli’s case, this was probably ones with thicker stems, more flowering buds, and a less bitter taste. They would ignore the other plants and take the seeds from these more desirable ones to plant the next crop. If you keep pollinating only the desirable plants and cultivating their seeds, you can steer the genetics of the plant toward your goal – a tastier, more robust vegetable. 

8. Lemons Are a Hybrid and Didn’t Exist Naturally Beforehand

Speaking of crafty farmers, the humble lemon is an absolute kitchen staple and is used around the world to add brightness, acid, and a pop of color to many dishes. It works in sweet and savory, you can add it to meat, fish, vegetables, and even dairy, drinks, and desserts. Nearly 21 million metric tons of lemons and their green sidekicks the lime are produced every year. 

Citrus seems to have appeared around 8 million years ago out in the wild. Because of the similarities between citrus varieties, you can cross them to make new fruits, much like apples can be tweaked and bred to make new varieties.

Long ago a pomelo and a mandarin were crossed to make a sour orange. That sour orange was crossed with a citron and the result was a sour, yellow citrus that we call the lemon. The difference here seems to be that this was a natural hybrid rather than one forced by farmers. The plants probably grew in abundance near each other, trees got cross-pollinated and new fruit happened. 

So, if it’s a natural hybrid you can certainly consider lemons as natural as broccoli but, just like broccoli, had circumstances not been what they were, the lemon never would have existed. 

7. Flamingos Aren’t Naturally Pink

The one thing everyone in the world knows about a flamingo is that it’s pink. Tall, skinny, kind of weird? Sure. But pink. They make obnoxious lawn ornaments just to drive the point home. But, just like our friend the salmon, all is not as it seems. Flamingos are naturally whitish-gray. 

Flamingos eat a diet rich in carotenoids, the natural pigments found in living things like carrots, shrimp, and algae. The shrimp eat pigment-rich algae and the birds eat the algae and the shrimp, doubling down on the colorful stuff. 

When flamingos eat food rich in beta-carotene, their liver absorbs them and they end up being distributed through the bird’s body to the feathers. Their diet is almost exclusively things that are full of beta-carotene so they absorb enough to give their skin and feathers the pink hue. The more they eat, the darker they get, which is why some flamingoes may just be a pale pink and others are a deep, rich, almost red color. 

6. Cheese is Not Naturally Orange

The world makes over 22 million metric tons of cheese per year. If there are eight billion people in the world, that means we make 5.5 pounds of cheese per person per year. Do you eat five pounds of cheese in a year? Because that’s your share. If you’re American, statistics say you’re eating about 41.8 pounds per year. That’s a heck of a lot of cheese. There’s a good chance some of that is good ol’ orange cheddar, too. But that cheddar isn’t natural. 

Annatto, a dye that comes from fruit, is often added to cheese to make the orange color. It’s added because it doesn’t alter the flavor but changes the color and, at one time, that was a desired outcome.

In 16th and 17th century England there was apparently some desire for yellow milk. Cows put out in certain pastures would graze on plants that had some of those same carotenoids that we saw earlier with the flamingos and the salmon. That made the milk richer, yellow, and more flavorful. 

In winter, when they had to eat whatever stored food was sitting around, the milk was whiter and less desirable. To compensate, farmers added annatto and made the milk and the resulting cheese yellow or orange.

The farmers also realized that the real money was in the fat. They could skim off the fat, which held the color, and make money selling it as butter or cream. Then, with the pale, fatless milk, they could add annatto to make it look rich again when it became cheese. They were essentially committing fraud, making their cheese look like something it wasn’t so it would seem high quality, and probably enjoying some higher profits as a result. 

5. Chickens As We Know Them Never Existed in the Wild

Have you ever seen a wild chicken before? Keep in mind that a chicken that gets loose and runs to the woods is not a wild chicken, it’s a feral one. Like puggles and other animals that have been bred by humans for many generations, chickens are not actually wild animals and never were. Their ancestors were, but we bred them into something new that never existed in a wild state.

Modern chickens came from jungle fowl. Archaeologists put an incredible amount of effort into trying to trace chicken origins because their bones don’t lend themselves to fossils well. What they discovered is that chickens follow rice. 

Where rice was cultivated, chickens appeared. The belief is that rice drew out the wild chicken relatives and they grew accustomed to humans who eventually domesticated and bred the birds. This first happened around 3,600 years ago in Thailand, then slowly spread across Asia, the Middle East, and finally into Europe 2,800 years ago.

Earlier theories suggested chicken domestication was much older, as much as 8,000 years, but that doesn’t follow the evidence. 

4. Sleeping for 8 Hours Straight Isn’t a Natural Sleep Cycle

Most of us have heard that you need a solid 8 hours of sleep per night to be well-rested. That idea is not something that has a lot of historical precedence and it seems like it’s not a natural sleep cycle at all. Biphasic sleep is more natural and involves two sleep periods in a day rather than one. The idea is you sleep for a short period during the day and a longer period at night, but never just one eight-hour block.

In one experiment, subjects naturally fell into a pattern of sleeping three to five hours, then waking and doing various tasks for a couple of hours, then sleeping again for another three to five hours. This same pattern can be seen in various animals and in pre-industrial societies where people don’t have access to artificial light. 

It’s speculated that this kind of sleep, where you wake and then sleep again, would have had advantages in the distant past when you were vulnerable to predators and couldn’t afford to konk out for eight hours at a time. 

3. Being Tolerant of Lactose is Not Natural

If you’re lactose intolerant, there’s a chance you’ve felt like there’s something wrong with you because of it. Look at everyone else loving cheese and ice cream and there’s you not having any of it. Truth be told, that is a backward view of the situation. Lactose tolerance is statistically not the norm at all. 

About 68% of the people in the world can’t absorb lactose. It’s not even the norm in the rest of the mammalian world where, after weaning, animals no longer drink milk and they’re not well suited to digest it as adults because they stop producing lactase to allow for it. 

Humans basically forced themselves to tolerate lactose as well as they currently do. Evidence shows that Europeans were not having a good time with milk as recently as 5,000 years ago but a mutation developed around that time that allowed them to digest it and spread through the population. Odds are that things like disease and famine were putting pressure on survival and those that couldn’t digest lactose died off leaving only those that could behind.

2. Brown Sugar is Not a Natural Form of Sugar

Have you ever heard that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar? It’s sometimes claimed that white sugar is refined too much or bleached or whatever to make it an unhealthy kind of sugar compared to brown which is presumably somehow more natural. Oddly enough, the opposite is true.

Brown sugar is refined the same way white sugar is. Not just similarly — exactly the same. It starts as white sugar and then molasses is mixed in to make it darker in color and alter the flavor. But it’s not a natural state for sugar by any means and is definitely not healthier. It just offers a different flavor profile. 

1. Cats Meow Almost Exclusively for the Benefit of Humans

How often does your cat meow at you? How often have you seen a video of a cat meowing about something or other and wondered what it was saying? Research suggests that the cat really is saying something, but it’s only for your benefit. Cats don’t naturally meow all that often unless a human is there to hear it. They do it for us. 

In the wild, cats communicate by marking their territory. Most aren’t pack animals and even those that are don’t need to communicate with loud noises. Vocalization requires close contact, but scent markers are more efficient for cats. Kittens meow at parent cats until they’re old enough to be independent and then it usually stops. But cats will meow at humans their whole lives. 

Anyone who owns a cat will probably joke that their cat can be manipulative, and it’s kind of true. They developed vocal communication to get our attention after they were domesticated because scent marking doesn’t tell us much.

The COVID-19 lockdown has changed the way we live … and the way we buy. In the U.S., first-quarter sales of consumer packaged goods (CPG) were $23.7 billion higher than the same period a year ago: higher, in fact, than the CPG sales growth over the entire 2019 calendar year.

Americans have modified not only *how much* they purchase, but also *what* they’re buying. “You can definitely see that as people have stayed home, their focus shifted,” said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon.

When the shutdowns began, true panic purchasing kicked in. The first things to fly off the shelves (in stores and online) were protective face masks, toilet paper, and disinfectant cleaning products. Nielsen reported that, during the first week of March, hand sanitizer sales rose 470 percent from the same period in 2019. Bath tissue, facial tissue, and paper towels all saw triple-digit sales increases during the second week of March, and aerosol disinfectant sales skyrocketed by 519 percent.

While these types of panic purchases were somewhat expected, it’s been fun to see what else consumers have been buying up during their weeks of quarantine.

Top 10 Funny Coronavirus Lockdown Activities Around The World

10 Elastic

At the beginning of the quarantine, there was a lot of controversy about face masks. Celebrities were donning N95 masks, while healthcare providers were going without. Medical experts advised others against wearing face masks but later recommended that all frontline workers and shoppers wear them.

As such, basic face masks were hard to come by. So, people got creative.”How to make your own face mask” videos and tips flooded social media. Masks were crafted from bandanas, scarves, t-shirts, socks, and bra cups. Most of the DIY masks required elastic to function effectively.

The shortage continued, and folks stepped up to make masks not just for themselves but for those in need as well. A call for volunteers from Joann stores has thus far collected more than 114 million “Masks for America.” Singer donated sewing machines to fashion designers and hospitals to boost mask supplies for frontline workers.

It’s no surprise then that elastic continues to hold the top spot on Amazon’s best sellers in arts, crafts, and sewing. Those homemade masks aren’t going to stay up on their own!^[1]

9 Baby Wipes

With hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes so difficult to come by, consumers are turning to baby wipes to keep the virus at bay. Currently, more than half of Amazon’s best-selling baby products are wipes. This is a new dynamic, as sales of disposable baby products had been slowing, thanks to declining birth rates. (Perhaps several weeks in quarantine will result in an uptick of new babies in about nine months or so!)

It is worth noting that most baby wipes will not guard against the coronavirus. In order for a “sanitizing” wipe to protect from germs, bacteria, and viruses, it must contain 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. Consumers may be better served by keeping paper towels in a coffee can filled with a bleach solution.^[2]

8 Yeast

SSA & Company, a global management consultant, estimates that–thanks to the lockdown–between 35 and 40 percent of consumers are eating home-cooked meals for the first time.

Sales of baking products increased during the second half of March. Surprisingly, baking yeast sales increased by 647 percent, more than any other consumer packaged goods product. And spiral hams spiked by 622 percent over the same time in the previous year (boosted, in part, by the approaching Easter holiday).

Amazon’s grocery and gourmet sales during the first week in April were 77 percent higher than they were just two months earlier. The Walmart Grocery app surpassed Amazon by 20 percent and reached an all-time high: as of April 5, average daily Walmart Grocery downloads were up 460 percent over January.^[3]

7 Kitchen Scales

Interestingly, food scales have ranked high on the list of best sellers. As more people are cooking at home, they’re discovering equipment and utensils that make the job easier. All-in-one instant pots, air fryers, and waffle makers have also been in demand, up 7 percent from the previous April. Other “nonessential” kitchen helpers include rice cookers, vacuum sealers, and soda makers.^[4]

6 Portable Ice Makers

Consumers continue to purchase fresh meats and produce from grocery stores and home-delivery services, but they’re also seeking out items that have a longer shelf life
Sales of frozen and shelf-stable fruit, for example, grew nearly five times the rate of fresh fruit in the first three months of 2020.

Chest freezers were the top-selling appliances on Amazon during the first month of quarantine. This is a response to the initial concerns that supermarkets would run out of food (especially meat). The freezers can also be used to safely store the increasing amounts of food that are now being prepared at home. A vacuum sealer (see #5) is a great add-on to a freezer.

Now that the freezers are in place, portable ice maker machines are dominating the appliances category. Consumers can’t get out to the bars, and they’re wary of drive-through iced coffees and convenience store fountain drinks. So they are opting to make their own refreshing beverages at home.^[5]

Top 10 Essential Facts About The Coronavirus, The Only Article You’ll Ever Need About COVID-19

5 Eyebrow Razors

Because more people are staying home, overall sales of beauty products (along with apparel) have gone down–about 50 percent year-over-year. But remote workers want to be presentable for Zoom meetings. So, as salons and barber shops were shuttered, consumers sought out products that would enable them to groom their own hair.

Sales of hair clippers increased 166 percent, and hair color rose 23 percent. “People are starting to need a haircut,” McMillon said in April. “You see more beard trimmers and hair color and things like that. It’s interesting to watch the dynamic play out.”

Women’s eyebrow razors are currently among Amazon’s top five beauty and personal care category, as salon waxing and tweezing serves are suspended. Sales of men’s nose and ear hair trimmers peaked and are now on the decline. Fortunately, nose whiskers are slow-growing.^[6]

4 Ping Pong Paddles

After urgently addressing their personal protection, food, and grooming needs, consumers looked for ways to fill the hours being spent at home. Puzzles (which were actually trending before COVID-19), colored pencils, and games (Jenga or Connect 4, anyone?) have been in high demand, purchased for at-home use (as well as to send to Grandma and Grandpa to encourage them to stay put). Weirdly, ping pong paddles stand out, as sales are up 89 percent!

As the weather warms, outdoor gems like bubbles, wading pools, and sidewalk chalk are flying off Amazon’s shelves. Exercise apparel and equipment are on the rise, too. Even bird watching items (seed, feeders) were up 91 percent as of early April.^[7]

3 Tailbone Relief Cushions

As of late March, about 16 million U.S. knowledge workers began working remotely, converting kitchen islands and dining room tables into home offices. Weeks later, that number is likely much higher.

These telecommuters are burning through personal supplies of copy paper and printer ink and turning to Amazon, Walmart, Staples, and other office supply stores for reams of paper, boxes of envelopes, and packages of high-yield ink cartridges. Packaging tape, Sharpies, and tailbone pain relief cushions round out the top ten.^[8]

2 Sticks, Switches, and Dots

For anyone stuck at home, there’s the comfort of home entertainment. Gaming, streaming, and binge watching help to fill the days but are frustrating (if not impossible) without the right equipment.

BGR (Boy Genius Report) rounded up the top-selling electronics among its readers “because everyone is looking for new toys to play with while sheltering in place.” The site found that AirPods are hugely popular, even more so now that they’re selling at the lowest prices ever. But their popularity pales in comparison to Amazon’s real top sellers. Could that mean that families are removing their earbuds in favor of communicating with family?

Streaming media players (or streaming sticks) are hands-down the best-selling electronic. They topped the charts at the start of the lockdown and remain the solid frontrunner. The Roku Streaming stick and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K can each be had for under $50.

The Nintendo Switch Lite, which was temporarily off the best-seller list only because it was out of stock, is the best of the handheld gaming devices. It can be had now in just about any color, but mostly in pre-owned condition.

The Echo Dot is like having another person in the house. One of Amazon’s best-selling devices of all time, it helps users do just about anything with a mere voice command. Check the weather or top news stories. Request favorite songs. Set thermostats and oven timers. Buy multiple Dots and talk to the rest of the family who are hiding out in their own rooms during lockdown! Because, with or without earbuds, everybody’s still doing their own thing.^[9]

1 Poop Bags

Many animal lovers never adopt because they’re not at home enough to adequately care for their pets. But quarantines and lockdowns make it possible to bring in a furry friend!

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles saw a 70 percent increase in animals going into foster care. New York City pet shelters experienced a sudden rush of adoptions and fosters. Muddy Paws Rescue and Best Friends Animal Society reported that the shelters they work with were nearly out of cats and dogs: applications were up ten-fold by the end of March. “For the moment, we definitely don’t have any dogs left to match” with foster volunteers,” said Muddy Paws marketing director Anna Lai. “Which is a great problem to have.”

And while the stock market suffered, shares of Chewy Inc. and PedMed Express Inc. soared. Both were up 7 percent by the end of the first quarter. Chewy, with a home-delivery model that is tailor-made for a lockdown, saw a 35 percent increase in sales. And pet supplies (food, litter) are more or less recession-proof.

Meanwhile, over at Amazon, pet nail clippers, flea medicine, fur trimmers, and poop bags top the best-sellers list. Sales leveled off in April as consumers used up their panic-purchase stockpiles, but they remain solid.

Let’s just hope that quarantine foster parents hang on to their newfound pets after the economy gets back up and running again.^[10]

Top 10 Unsolved Mysteries Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

If you ever want to waste a few hours of your day on a frustrating task, try to find the last time in history during which no wars were being fought anywhere in the world.  It’s extremely hard to do and some folks suggest there actually hasn’t been a time when there was no war. Depressing!

With so much fighting afoot in our history it stands to reason many people have been involved in that fighting. In modern times, there’s an official process for this in most countries which require citizens to enlist so they can be formally recognized as soldiers. But not every formally enlisted soldier is exactly who you think they are.

10. Wojtek Was a Soldier in the Polish Army… and Also a Bear

Animals and war have a long history. Horses were used well before we have motorized vehicles, elephants had their day, and dogs still show up in fields of war all around the world. But most of those animals are not officially recognized as actual soldiers with rank. Some, however, rise above.

A Syrian brown bear named Wojtek was given the rank of private in the Polish army during WWII. It was a group of POWs that first discovered the baby bear in Iran as they traveled through the mountains from Siberia to Egypt. They carried the bear with them, feeding and caring for it, even as their release was negotiated and they were sent to Italy to fight with Allied Forces.

Wojtek grew up with the soldiers, even learning to smoke and drink beer, which are obviously not the best habits for a bear to have. It also learned to carry ammo boxes during battles on the front line though soldiers later stated it was only carrying spent shells, not live ammo.

The bear also learned how to salute and march. He wrestled and boxed and played soccer, too. He became the company’s morale officer, after a fashion. They even took on a bear holding an artillery shell as their insignia. He was eventually promoted to corporal.

After the war, the company went to Scotland, and Wojtek joined them. He helped around a farm and continued to play with his comrades until the company disbanded. Wojtek spent the rest of his life playing and chilling in Scotland, including enjoying the occasional cigarette and beer.

9. A Six-Year-Old Girl Was Enlisted in the Royal Navy in Australia

The armed forces of any country are subject to a seemingly endless chain of rules and edicts and procedures. There are codes of conduct, formal definitions and regulations and all kinds of red tape and bureaucracy around even the simplest of things. Some of it is remarkable nonsense, too. But at least the same nonsense can be manipulated in a pinch.

In 1920 there were strict rules for the Australian Navy regarding who could and could not be on board a military ship. For instance, under no circumstances was a woman allowed on board, although the Navy itself simply says “civilians” could not board. This would not have been a problem until the day Nancy Bentley was bit by a snake.

We all know Australian snakes are not to be trifled with. Nancy was just six-years-old and a snake bite could easily have been lethal for her. Worse, she and her father were nowhere near a hospital. But they were close to HMAS Sydney, an Australian warship.

Nancy’s father rowed her to where the ship was docked and begged for help. Captain Hayley knew regulations would not permit the girl’s treatment on board. But it would allow for a sailor to be treated. The captain ordered the girl to be formally enlisted into the Navy and she was brought on board.

The girl was given the rank of “mascot” and received first aid treatment before arrangements were made to get her to a proper hospital. Nancy made it to Hobart and survived her ordeal. Eight days after being enlisted she was officially discharged.

8. Just Nuisance Was an Official Sailor in the Royal Navy

Several dogs have saved lives during wartime and performed heroic acts that were later officially recognized. But the Great Dane called Just Nuisance seems to be the only one to officially make it into the British Royal Navy.

The dog was raised in Simon’s Town, South Africa, near a British naval base. The sailors were fond of the dog and would often walk him and feed him treats. He would often sleep on the gangplank of the HMS Neptune. Because he was so large, almost 6.6 feet when standing on his hind legs, this made him a nuisance to get around, hence the name.

So how did Nuisance become enlisted? Because he was a nuisance. The dog wanted to go on shore leave with the soldiers when they traveled to Cape Town. But train officials hated having the dog on board and started sending threatening letters to his official owner. Some included threats to put Nuisance down.

The sailors, who loved the dog, took this up the chain of command. They didn’t want to lose the dog either and their commanding officer, intent on keeping up morale, found a solution. The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy enlisted Nuisance. This meant he was entitled to free travel on trains so the rail company couldn’t complain about unpaid fares for the massive beast.

His enlistment included full paperwork where his first name was listed as “Just” because it couldn’t be blank. He was given a medical exam and signed it with his own paw print. His official rank was Ordinary Seaman and though he never saw combat, he proved an valued member of the Navy on land. So much so, in fact, he was later promoted to Able Seaman. 

Nuisance had an accident when he was seven and the Navy was forced to put him to sleep. He was given full military honors including a Royal Marine firing party. 

7. William Windsor Was a Goat in the British Army

While some animals do well and get promoted through the ranks, that’s not always the case. A goat named William Windsor actually got demoted for his behavior as a soldier in the British Army. 

William, also called Billy, was a Lance Corporal with the First Battalion Royal Welsh, could not keep in step during a parade in honor of the Queen back in 2006. He was demoted to Fusilier.

Billy was not the only regimental goat, of course, as monarchs have been presenting them since Victoria’s time in honor of a goat that is said to have led Welsh soldiers from the Battle of Bunker Hill. In 2022, Lance Corporal Shenkin was on hand for the Proclamation of King Charles. 

6. Donald Duck Was an Army Sergeant

We can safely agree now that animals serving in the military is not super unusual. That means we need to kick it up a notch with an animal that isn’t even real. We need to talk about Sergeant Donald Duck.

As you may have noticed, Donald Duck has always been dressed as a sailor. This dates all the way back to 1934. By 1941 he was officially drafted into the US Army, as opposed to the Navy where he seemed like he would have fit in, though he found a place there later. In 1942 he appeared in military cartoons as part of the US propaganda machine during WWII. Disney had been losing money and a government contract to make films promoting their war efforts paid the bills. 

Disney produced several military and patriotic cartoons featuring Donald as an example of a solid American, even paying his taxes in what sounds like just a fascinating and exciting premise for a cartoon.

Donald also became an honorary member of the Navy and the Marines. Though he may not have been in the Air Force, his face appeared on the side of many planes. In 1984, 50 years after being enlisted, the director of Army staff officially gave Donald his discharge papers and released him from service. This was after his final promotion to the rank of sergeant.

5. Calvin Graham Joined the US Navy at Age Twelve

The youngest veteran in US history, Calvin Graham was only 12 when he joined the Navy. Graham had left home at age 11 back in 1941. He sold papers to support himself and so regularly read news of the war. The attack on Pearl Harbor convinced him to enlist.

To sell the lie, Graham began shaving, trying to get stubble. He faked a deeper voice and then forged papers signed by his mother and stamped with a stolen notary’s stamp. Things almost worked until the medical when the dentist saw his baby teeth and tried to give him the boot. Graham countered they had already let in 14-year-olds and he’d rat them out if he wasn’t allowed in, too. It worked.

Graham became an anti-aircraft gunner on the USS South Dakota. He helped shoot down 26 planes at Guadalcanal. Later, the Dakota took heavy damage and Graham got a face full of shrapnel, but he lived and helped his fellow soldiers. 

His mother saw footage of the vessel’s return. She called the Navy about enlisting a child and they responded by stripping Graham of his medals, dishonorably discharging him and throwing him in the brig. It wouldn’t be until 1977, after years of hardship and additional service and injuries, that President Carter overturned the discharge and restored his medals.

4. Momcilo Gavric Was a Soldier at Age Eight

You’ve probably heard a tale or two about a soldier signing up for service before they were 18. This was something that happened with some regularity during WWII. Children as young as 14 scammed their way into service by lying about their ages and we saw how Calvin Graham served at 12. Technically this is both illegal and frowned upon, as we don’t want children putting their lives on the line. But child soldiers are far from unheard of. One of the youngest ever was Momcilo Gravic, a Serbian soldier at 8.

As World War One was starting, Gravic’s village was attacked and his entire family killed alongside everyone else. Alone, the boy headed out to find the Serbian army. They took him in and, moved by his story, officially admitted him to the division. Three times a day he was to fire a cannon to avenge his family. 

Gravic stayed with the soldiers through many battles, even sustaining his own injuries. He attained the rank of corporal. At age twelve, when the war was over, his commanding officer gave him one last order. Head to London and finish school. 

3. Jean Thurel Was a French Soldier for Nearly a Century

You expect most soldiers to be young and physically fit if nothing else, it probably helps during the physical part of war like trying to not be shot or exploded. But there is certainly room for people with more years and experience in command positions. You want a general who has been through some stuff in charge, not a kid who just read about it. But how experienced are we talking about? In France, it’s very experienced.

Jean Thurel was still busy soldiering when he was 100. In 1787, King Louis XVI awarded him the Médallions des Deux Épées for the third time. It was given to honor 24 years of service. He joined the French military in 1716 when he was 18 and served during four separate wars. He was still serving in 1804 when he was 106.

2. Monte Gould Was America’s Oldest Basic Training Graduate

Joining the military is typically a young person’s game these days. Fresh out of highschool is when many sign up, or soon thereafter. But it doesn’t always play out like that. Monte Gould is an absolute exception, having graduated from the US Army’s basic training course at the ripe, old age of 59.

Gould is a Marine and Army Reserve veteran and went through boot camp for the Marines back in the late 70s. He finished the modern BCT in 2020 in the top 10% despite his age, proving sometimes experience and skill beat youthfulness when it counts. But he was also quick to point out that it was a hell of a lot easier in his old age and Marine boot camp would be impossible now.

1. The Mormon Battalion Was the Only Faith-Based Regiment 

Faith and military service have gone together for a long time but typically in a mostly pragmatic way. There are army chaplains but military service is not guided by any particular religious principles. In US history there has only ever been one entirely faith-based regiment – the Mormon Battalion.

In 1846, migrating Mormons appealed to the US government, and directly to President Polk, to help them. A man named Jesse Little proposed the President could use the Mormons to defend and fortify the West in exchange for aid. The President agreed and ordered the raising of a 500 man battalion. They would fight in the Mexican War. The Mormons agreed.

Though the battalion saw no combat, they endured one of the longest and most grueling marches in military history across 2,000 miles. They also had one official battle against wild cattle.

One of the best things about music is the unique impression it leaves on every listener. Everyone ends a song in a different mood, hearing different pieces, and with a different takeaway on what the song was truly about. Songwriters often use this narrative nebulousness to sneak in concepts they wouldn’t dare make plain. Whether through ambiguous wording, hidden and overlooked lyrics, or deceptively upbeat production, writers can get away with hiding a lot in their songs. And a lot of what they hide can be dark, dirty, or downright disturbing. Though plenty of songs make their ugliness their beauty and proudly show it off (looking at you, “Polly”), here are ten songs that hide something dark behind an innocent exterior.

10 Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind

This is a pretty well-known example of the ‘catchy melody/dark lyrics’ phenomenon, mainly because the darkness isn’t hidden at all within the lyrics. One read through the lyrics and you’ll know what truly lies beneath that absurdly earwormy chorus. It barely even uses metaphor. One line just reads, “Doing crystal myth will lift you up until you break.” 

But what’s notable is that still, so many people have no idea what “Semi-Charmed Life” is about. For many, probably most, the song is just that ‘doo doo doo, doo daDO doo” song. The fact that the song is so ubiquitous, having dug its way into virtually every pop, ’90s, and even some classic rock stations, makes it even easier for the meaning to hide in plain sight; it’s not often you take a close look at the thing that’s all around you all the time.

9 MMMBop by Hanson

Few songs are as hated as this one. And it won’t be defended here. But it is perhaps just a touch deeper than you would imagine. “MMMBop” tries its absolute hardest to get you to disregard its lyrics entirely, with a chorus that is essentially just a string of nonsense syllables (which only add to the band’s perception as baby-pop). I mean, the lyrics “Mmmbop / ba duba dop / Ba du bop / ba duba dop / Ba du bop / ba duba dop Ba du / oh yeah” don’t exactly invite you to pore over their every nuance. Side note: saying “oh yeah” at the end of that chorus is like spiking a football after being sacked for a ten-yard loss.

But the verse lyrics are not as Teletubby-ish as their choral companions. Some of the very first lines are “You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last / You go through all the pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast” and “When you get old and start losing your hair / Can you tell me who will still care?” Yikes.

8 Beautiful by James Blunt

Most people think “Beautiful” is just another on-the-nose saccharine love song like “When I See You Smile” and “You Were Meant For Me.” This is primarily because the song’s not-so-dynamic nature encourages listeners to tune in and out, only hearing a few select lines. “I saw an angel” …something… She smiled at me on the subway…” …something something… “You’re beautiful / You’re beautiful / You’re beautiful, it’s true.”

James Blunt actually hates this half-listened misinterpretation, saying in an interview with the Huffington Post, “’You’re Beautiful’ is not this soft romantic f—g song. It’s about a guy who’s high as a f—g kite on drugs in the subway stalking someone else’s girlfriend when that guy is there in front of him, and he should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv.” Reading through the lyrics, it’s clear that is, indeed, the narrative. But while the lyrics paint one picture, the song’s (semi)enduring reputation has painted another.

7 Hey Ya by Outkast

“Hey Ya” rules. Let’s get that out of the way. The song is an absolute bop and will be until the eventual heat death of the universe. “Hey Ya” took whatever love OutKast had built for themselves in the Atlanta hip hop scene and extended it out to the general music scene everywhere. Its infectious melodies, snap-along rhythms, and supremely inviting call-and-response components make the song a charismatic staple at karaoke, sing-a-longs, and even still in clubs. And with a chorus that mainly just repeats “Hey ya” again and again, most listeners find themselves content to enjoy the music without digging deeper.

Heck, it’s so catchy that even when you do discover the darker lyrics, you’re probably still too enamored to care. But they’re there, telling the story of a young couple unable to find happiness and unwilling to fix it. One verse reads, in part, “We get together / but separate’s always better when there’s feelings involved… Nothing lasts forever / Then what makes love the exception? / So why are we still in denial when we know we’re not happy here?”

6 Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People

“Pumped Up Kicks” is another catchy little number. Enough to make Foster the People a nearly-household name for a few years in the early 2010s. Though the band would never recapture its success, the song has survived well, still finding play often on pop radio and the background of every Gap. Perhaps its most appealing asset is the surprisingly simple bass walk-up/walk-down that underlies THE ENTIRE SONG. Seriously, it never changes by even a note. But that worked, and the song was a hit.

And yet, the entire song is about a mentally ill teenager who decides to commit a mass shooting at a school. “He found a six-shooter gun in his dad’s closet, in a box of fun things and I don’t even know what / But he’s coming for you, yeah, he’s coming for you” then “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks / You better run, better run, outrun my gun” and then “I’ve waited for a long time / Yeah, the slight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger.” Maybe a little too delicate a topic for a snappy radio hit.

5 Slide by Goo Goo Dolls

Have you ever heard the chorus to this song? It’s so sweet. “And I’ll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete / Little pieces of the nothing that fall / Oh, May, Put your arms around me / What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautiful / Oh, May, do you wanna get married or run away?” And you’d have to assume the verses are adorable, too. Then again, maybe not. 

“Don’t you love the life you killed? / The priest is on the phone, your father hit the wall, your ma disowned you / Don’t suppose I’ll ever know what it means to be a man / It’s something I can’t change. I’ll live around it.”

What in the…? According to writer Johnny Rzeznik, the song is about a young couple in a strict Catholic environment deciding whether to abort the child and if doing so would mean abuse and exile. Did I already use yikes? I should have saved yikes for here.

4 99 Luft Balloons by Nena

West German band Nena had a smash hit with their song “99 Luft Balloons.” So much so that it got American kids in the ’80s to sing with each other in German. And that is really the crux of why this song’s true meaning is hidden; millions of people became familiar with the original German version and then disregarded the later English translation. Even if they hadn’t, the English translation changes the original song’s meaning to obscure the actual story.

The German version tells an almost poetic narrative about a group of balloons that are misinterpreted as an aerial threat by fighter pilots, which cascades into a cold-war-esque game of nuclear chicken, eventually leading to a full nuclear holocaust that destroys the Earth and all human life. But hey, that Goldfinger cover is pretty rad.

3 I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash

About 99% of Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” suggests that it’s a simple novelty tune. It tells the story of a hitchhiker who regales a trucker about all the places he’s backpacked across the Americas. And it’s an impressive list; he’s been everywhere from the southern tip of South America to the syrup-strewn hockey rink of a country that is Canada, stopping at dozens of cities in-between, from tiny southern U.S. towns to major coastal cities.

It’s quite the life, the true dream of the nomad. Except for one itty-bitty tiny little detail. Stuck right at the end of a list of cities is the hitchhiker’s confession: “I’m a killer.” That makes it a bit more worrisome that he’s been everywhere.

2 You Are My Sunshine by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell (Probably)

One of the most famous lullabies and children’s songs, “You Are My Sunshine” is beloved for its simple melody and warm, innocuous lyrics. It’s the sonic version of getting a hug from grandma. It’s like fresh muffins for your ears. It’s sweet and loving, and that’s the end of the story.

That’s not the end of the story. Usually, only the chorus is sung, and when the verses reenter the picture, they change the song’s tone dramatically. “The other night dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms / But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken so I hung my head and I cried.” That’s how the whole thing starts. The whole thing continues on in its self-pitying way, but one more verse bares typing: “I’ll always love you and make you happy, if you will only say the same / But if you leave me and love another, you’ll regret it all someday.” Nothing like the threat of murdering your ex to really round little Billy’s night-night song.

1 At Least It Was Here by The 88

You probably know this song as the theme to the tragically defunct NBC sitcom Community. Like almost every sitcom theme you can imagine, it pulls you in quickly with a light, romping melody that lends itself to being chopped into thirty-second bits. It’s airy and light, major-keyed, and lets its arrangement speak louder than its lyrics. In short, it does what sitcom themes do and feels good. Then you actually learn the lyrics. The full lyrics to the shortened-for-TV version are “Give me some rope, tie me to dream / Give me the hope to run out of steam
 / Somebody said it can be here / We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year / But I can’t count the reasons I should stay / One by one they all just fade away.” In practically any context, combining ‘rope’ and ‘not having any reason to stick around’ is a recipe for tragedy. And I’m not even touching the ‘tied up and dead’ part. Somehow that was the lead-in for pillow forts and paintballs.