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Inside The Real History Of Prohibition And How It Changed The United States Forever

Prohibition was a strange time in American history. Ultimately a social experiment, Prohibition was a constitutional attempt to legislate morality that came with many unintended consequences.

What began as a progressive reform movement championed by temperance advocates and religious groups quickly devolved into a period full of speakeasies, bootleggers, unregulated liquor, and the rise of organized crime.

The so-called “noble experiment” — a term coined by President Herbert Hoover — ended up...
All That's Interesting •

Inside The Real History Of Prohibition And How It Changed The United States Forever

Prohibition was a strange time in American history. Ultimately a social experiment, Prohibition was a constitutional attempt to legislate morality that came with many unintended consequences.

What began as a progressive reform movement championed by temperance advocates and religious groups quickly devolved into a period full of speakeasies, bootleggers, unregulated liquor, and the rise of organized crime.

The so-called “noble experiment” — a term coined by President Herbert Hoover — ended up...
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How 'Unsolved Mysteries' Helped Solve The Disappearance Of Missy Munday

Missy Munday seemed to have everything going for her. Bright and dedicated to her studies, the 15-year-old straight-A student ranked in the top 10 percent of her class at Hancock High School in Maryland, played on the basketball team, and was an active member of the Future Homemakers of America. But everything changed in the spring of 1986.

It began with Jerry Strickland, a smooth-talking stranger in his 20s who arrived in Munday’s hometown, claiming that he wanted to build an orphanage. Instea...
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Meet Walter Wick, The Photographer Who Created The Magic Behind The 'I Spy' Books

Most people might not immediately recognize the name Walter Wick, but they are most assuredly familiar with his work. In 1991, Wick began collaborating with writer Jean Marzollo to create a series of books that would go on to sell millions of copies worldwide: the I Spy picture riddles.

Wick began as a commercial photographer, but by the 1980s, he’d started creating photo illustrations and puzzles for books and magazines. That hobby expanded into an incredible career, and today, he’s celebrated...
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George Nichopoulos, The Controversial Doctor Who Supplied Elvis Presley With Thousands Of Prescriptions

In his final years, Elvis Presley was in noticeably poor health. Although he had initially tried to avoid using any drugs, his time in the army had introduced him to amphetamines, and since these were prescription drugs, not street drugs, the rock star convinced himself it was safer. By the 1970s, however, he had expanded his drug intake to a number of other medications.

And, of course, someone had to write the prescriptions.

That person was usually George Nichopoulos, a.k.a. “Dr. Nick,” Elvis...
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Billy Milligan, The Serial Rapist Whose ‘Multiple Personality Disorder’ Saved Him From Jail

In October 1977, 22-year-old Billy Milligan was arrested for kidnapping, robbing, and raping three female Ohio State students. But what should have been a relatively straightforward conviction instead became a shocking acquittal. Milligan was found not guilty — because psychiatrists believed that two of his “other personalities” had committed the crimes.

During psychiatric evaluations, doctors found that “Billy” was just one of 24 personalities living in Milligan’s mind. Two of the others, Rage...
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The Rise And Fall Of Jack Johnson, The Black Heavyweight Boxing Champion Known As The 'Galveston Giant'

Few boxers fought as hard, in and out of the ring, as Jack Johnson. Standing more than six feet tall, and with exceptional reflexes, Johnson’s athletic prowess was a tour de force in boxing, but rising to prominence as a Black man in early 20th-century America often brought trouble — and that was certainly the case with Johnson.

After he became the first Black American world heavyweight champion, racists were outraged. They could not — would not — tolerate a Black man holding such a prestigious...
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The 'Loneliest House In The World': Inside The Isolated Lodge On An Uninhabited Island South Of Iceland

Perched on a remote island near Iceland, battered by North Atlantic winds and surrounded by nothing but the endless ocean, stands a solitary white building often referred to as the “loneliest house in the world.”

This isolated structure has garnered significant interest over the years, with various rumors and legends spreading about its history. Some say it was built by a billionaire survivalist as a bunker to ride out a zombie apocalypse. Others believe it belongs to Icelandic singer Björk.

H...
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Inside The Untimely Death Of Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes — And The Car Accident That Caused It

Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes was one of the most prominent American musicians to come out of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Notable for her standout performances as a member of the R&B group TLC, the rapper served as the group’s chief lyricist and her influence can still be felt, as songs like “No Scrubs,” “Waterfalls,” and “Creep” remain popular today.

Offstage, Lopes was known for her advocacy and her controversy. She used her prominence and TLC’s music to draw attention to serious issues like gang...
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Hannah Upp, The Woman With Dissociative Fugue Who's Been Missing Since 2017

The disappearance of Hannah Upp in New York City in 2008 launched a frantic search. The 23-year-old was missing for almost three weeks before she was thankfully found safe. But then Upp vanished again in 2013. And again in 2017. And, sadly, she remains missing to this day.

However, her disappearances had nothing to do with foul play.

Upp had experienced multiple episodes of what is known as dissociative fugue, a rare psychological condition characterized by sudden amnesia and identity loss. Pe...
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Randy Roth, The Charming Thief And Murderer Who Killed At Least One Of His Wives To Claim Life Insurance

Randy Roth was married four times. Two of those marriages ended with his wife’s death.

First was his second wife Janis Roth, who fell to her death during a hike at Beacon Rock. The second was his fourth wife Cynthia Baumgartner Roth, who drowned in Lake Sammamish — the very same lake where Ted Bundy had abducted two women a few years before.

In both instances, Roth was the only witness. In both instances, he had the bodies cremated as quickly as possible.

At first, it seemed as if Roth may ha...
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'Things That I Will Never Forget': Inside The Dark History Of The Infamous Pennhurst Asylum

Nestled amid the rolling hills of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Pennhurst State School and Hospital was once heralded as a progressive solution, a modern haven for society’s most vulnerable. Instead, it became a nightmarish center of neglect, abuse, and systemic cruelty.

For nearly 80 years, Pennhurst Asylum, as it’s come to be known, operated as a human warehouse. Thousands of children and adults with disabilities were hidden away from the world, and subjected to conditions that, when later ex...
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Beach Erosion Has Revealed A 136-Year-Old Shipwreck In New Jersey's 'Graveyard Of The Atlantic'

The skeletal remains of a 19th-century schooner that sank during a violent storm more than 136 years ago have emerged from the sands of Island Beach State Park, offering a tangible link to New Jersey’s treacherous maritime history.

Park officials announced the discovery of the wreck, identified as the Lawrence N. McKenzie, on social media. Pieces of the vessel, which was caught in heavy fog and foundered on the shoals off Barnegat Bay in 1890, were uncovered by recent beach erosion and tidal ac...
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Did Controversial Psychologist Eugene Landy Really Save Brian Wilson's Life — Or Did He Nearly Destroy It?

Brian Wilson, the singer, songwriter, and producer behind The Beach Boys, said that psychotherapist Eugene Landy saved his life. With such a high-profile endorsement, Landy should have been one of the most lauded psychologists in modern American history. But this was just part of the story, and the broader picture would prove to be far more controversial.

As The Beach Boys’ musical genius gradually succumbed to depression and substance abuse, Landy stepped in with a radical, controversial solut...
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Doctors Are Warning Of The Dangers Of Liquid Nitrogen Cocktails After One Caused A Man's Stomach To Burst

Liquid nitrogen-infused cocktails are a fairly common staple of modern bars, but while most people consider this smoky flair to be a harmless addition, the truth is quite the opposite.

Recently, a 34-year-old man in Mexico was admitted to the hospital due to intense pain he felt in his stomach after drinking a liquid nitrogen cocktail at a bar. As it turned out, the drink had ruptured his stomach.

So, what caused this to happen?

While the effect created by adding liquid nitrogen to a drink is...
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How Maud Lewis Persevered Through Chronic Pain And Poverty To Become One Of Canada's Most Renowned Folk Artists

Despite being recognized today as one of Canada’s most renowned folk artists, Maud Lewis spent most of her life impoverished and physically constrained.

Although she was born into a relatively comfortable middle-class family, a lifelong struggle with multiple congenital disorders and increasingly painful arthritis made it difficult for her to be physically active and perform many traditional household tasks. Thanks to her mother’s encouragement, however, Lewis developed a love of painting — a l...
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He's Been Called The 'Ugliest Tiger In The World' — But The Truth Is Much More Heartbreaking

Since the 2000s, photos of Kenny the “tiger with Down syndrome” have made him an online sensation. Countless people have been captivated by his story, in which “the world’s ugliest tiger” was rescued from an abusive breeder who determined that he was “too ugly” to sell. Both his story and his appearance garnered enormous amounts of sympathy online — and Kenny wasn’t alone.

Untold numbers of stories about animals with Down syndrome have made their way around the internet, thanks to Facebook, Ins...
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Rock Climbers In Italy Stumble Upon Evidence Of An 80-Million-Year-Old Sea Turtle Stampede

Rock climbers in northern Italy have stumbled upon an extraordinary paleontological find: fossilized evidence of what scientists believe was a massive sea turtle stampede dating back 80 million years to the Late Cretaceous period.

The initial discovery was made in the spring of 2019 by free climbers exploring the limestone cliffs of eastern Italy’s Monte Cònero. They noticed unusual markings in the rock face and reported their findings to local geologists, who surveyed the area. Now, the result...
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New Research Suggests The T. Rex Had A Longer Lifespan Than Previously Believed — And Didn’t Reach Full Size Until 40 Years Old

Much like trees, dinosaur bones contain concentric growth rings that can point to a fossil’s age. A recent study of the leg bones of the Tyrannosaurus rex revealed that some of these rings are easier to see than others — and this discovery is completely rewriting the lifespan of the “king of the dinosaurs.”

While previous analysis of T. rex growth rings suggested that the massive reptiles died by 30, scientists now believe they may have continued growing until they were at least 40 years old....
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The Shocking Story Of William Joyce, Nazi Germany's Most Infamous English-Language Propaganda Broadcaster

His voice was impossible to forget: a nasal, haughty sneer, an exaggerated mimicked poshness of the British upper class, warped by a malevolent glee. The British press dubbed him “Lord Haw-Haw,” the host of a pro-Nazi, English-language radio program called Germany Calling that became the mocking soundtrack to the Blitz.

But even though he was part of the Nazi propaganda machine, broadcasting from a radio station in Germany, Lord Haw-Haw was not German.

His real name was William Joyce, and he w...
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Research Reveals That Edmond Halley Wasn't Actually The First Astronomer To Identify Halley's Comet

Halley’s Comet may be in need of a new name, according to recent research. The comet, which returns roughly every 76 years, has long been associated with astronomer Edmond Halley. In 1705, Halley determined that comets observed in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were actually the same celestial body — and then correctly predicted its return in 1758.

However, new research has revealed that an 11th-century English monk named Eilmer of Malmesbury actually recognized the comet’s periodicity centuries before H...
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Owen Hart Won WWE Fans Over With His Over-The-Top Performance — Then Tragically Died In A Stunt Gone Wrong

On May 23, 1999, Canadian wrestler Owen Hart, known by his stage name The Blue Blazer, fell to his death off-camera during a pay-per-view event as he prepared to make a stunt entrance from the rafters of the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.

The next evening, wrestling fans tuned in to an atypically somber, quiet episode of Raw is War. Rather than being greeted with WWE’s (then WWF) usual in-your-face pyrotechnics and high-energy aggression, viewers saw almost the entire roster of WWE wres...
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Scientists May Have Just Discovered A New Life Form While Studying Fossils Of An Extinct, Fungus-Like Organism

In the mid-19th century, scientists examined the prehistoric fossil of a strange life form dubbed Prototaxites, meaning “early yew.” At roughly 400 million years old, these organisms predated trees. They stood 25 feet tall and towered above the Lilliputian plants, mushrooms, and bugs that dotted the landscape.

But the question of exactly what these spire-shaped objects were has remained a mystery. Now, a new study published in Science Advances could explain why Prototaxites have been so difficu...
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Astronomers Just Discovered A Mysterious Cloud Of Iron Inside The Ring Nebula That Measures 3.7 Trillion Miles Across

Ever since it was first discovered by the French astronomer Charles Messier in 1779, the Ring Nebula has been a continuous subject of study — one that continues to reveal new secrets, nearly 250 years later.

Recently, researchers observed a large, bar-shaped cloud of iron atoms stretching roughly 3.7 trillion miles across the face of the nebula. This discovery was made thanks to the new WEAVE spectrograph that came online in conjunction with Spain’s William Herschel Telescope (WHT) in 2023. Alt...
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