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From super glue to the Slinky: the odd stories behind 15 accidental inventions Necessity is the mother of invention, but this list proves that sometimes the best inventions are created by accident …or maybe fate?
Looking for something often results in nothing, but stumbling on to something while looking for nothing can change the world forever. Consider the following products and how your life might have been different without them coming about by sheer coincidence. Post-It Notes Dr. Spencer Silver, a chemist working for 3M, was trying to develop a super adhesive when, in 1968, he instead ended up developing an adhesive that would barely hold paper onto another paper. Silver considered the super weak glue a useless failure and abandoned it. In 1974, Arthur Fry, another 3M scientist, heard about Silver’s weak adhesive and thought it might be useful for a new type of…
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The most badass Latin phrases Latin's utility has long since faded, but there's still something inherently awesome about it.
Is this the creepiest radio show ever? Many of the horror writers—King, Matheson, Bradbury—share the experience of being traumatized by the 25-minute “The Thing on the Fourble Board.”
15 unintentionally offensive domain names (gone very sexual) All time classics in naming fails that have gone decidedly sexual.
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The world’s oldest jokes reveal we’ve always laughed at the same things The world's oldest known joke is from 1900 BC Sumeria and it's a fart joke.
The delivery and format of jokes may be subject to fashion, but the ancients laughed at the same things we do today. Don’t believe me? Just check out this list of the world’s oldest jokes. Credit for some of it goes to Wolverhampton University, who in 2008 had a team of researchers scour old manuscripts and even stone tablets for the world’s oldest jokes. “Jokes have varied over the years, with some taking the question and answer format while others are witty proverbs or riddles,” said Dr Paul McDonald, senior lecturer at the university. “What they all share however, is a willingness to deal with taboos and a degree of…
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12 conspiracy theories about the Columbine High School massacre From the ridiculous to the thought-provoking: a roundup of Columbine conspiracy theories and weird odds 'n ends.
15 scientific ways picking up a book makes you a better man (and even gets you laid) Overall reading is on the rise, but quality is on the decline. Let science convince you reading a book is actually life-changing.
Love and sex in Georgian England, according to this vulgar 1785 dictionary Grose's dirty dictionary published in 1785 gives us a peek into sex and the seedy underworld of England's Georgian age.
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The best of ’80s action movie power ballads If they aren't about love, they at least feature giant choruses that'll have you pumping away in the gym at 254% efficiency.
Have you noticed how nearly every action movie of the ’80s combined high body counts and tough guy quipping with some of the most romantic, uplifting soft rock ever put to record? Beefcake stars fire machine guns with one hand and ram faces on giant meathooks with the other, and then all this intestine-ripping action suddenly explodes into a reverb-heavy slice of John Parr crooning about how he’s going to have “no more lonely nights” because his girl “hits the right spot.” If these power ballads aren’t going on about love, and warming your heart quicker than a microwave, it’s at least got a giant chorus that’ll have you pumping…
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Las Vegas police publish pics of 50 most prolific prostitutes An unique attempt at combatting their worst-kept secret.
46 things I learned from being gulaged Varlam Shalamov spent much of the period from 1937 to 1951 gulaged in the arctic cold of Kolyma. This is what he learned from the experience.
How gambling and laziness led to the creation of the sandwich The tale of how a Georgian era British statesman became one of the first food influencers ever.
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The penny-pinching bible: 500 frugal tips guaranteed to save a fortune Twitter's frugality guru presents ingenious life hacks that will set you on track to possibly retire in the future.
Hi folks, Alec Parsimonious here. I am currently on track to retire (around 2076) and wanted to share some helpful money saving tips I have picked up along my journey to early retirement. As a quick background, I live in McAllen, Texas and have a current net worth of $9,835.34. My hobbies include watching Netflix all day. Stop using toilet paper Toilet paper is a really big expense. The average American spends over $350/year wiping their butt. A great way to cut these costs to the bone is by using washable rags instead of toilet paper. I detailed the economics of using washable rags instead of toilet paper in a…
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How to throw a punch (all 5 styles) There are many skills that every man should possess, but the most important one will always be how to punch someone.
15 unintentionally offensive domain names (gone very sexual) All time classics in naming fails that have gone decidedly sexual.
10 absurd inventions that prove you should never drink while inventing These are all real inventions and the illustrations are taken directly from their official patents.
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Eilmer of Malmesbury: the flying monk of medieval England The first known serious flight attempt in world history occurred about a thousand years before the Wright brothers, in an English abbey.
If you’re into extreme sport athletes jumping off cliffs and high towers and what not, you can thank Eilmer (or sometimes known as Elmer) the Flying Monk. He was doing it way before parkour was cool, because Elmer lived in the 11th century. “Wherefore a certain Monk of our Monastery, by name Eilmer … was a man learned for those times, of mature age and in his youth had hazarded an attempt of singular temerity. He had by some contrivance fastened wings to his hands and feet so that, mistaking fable for true, he might fly like Daedalus, and, collecting the breeze on the summit of a tower, he flew for…
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The 10 red flags that kill your chances with women Here's why that first date didn’t lead to a second.
10 ridiculously creepy child preachers Ten of the creepiest child preachers currently being groomed to lead congregations in years to come. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
6 mental ways to have sex like an ancient Roman Age-old inspiration to put chariots of fire in your loins and give your erection a new direction.
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The weird underbelly of Texas: 10 of the Lone Star State’s oddest sights Everybody's heading to Texas these days. Make sure you experience these weird places with unlikely histories and even weirder people.
Texas is potentially the state with the most individuality and liberty per square mile, and it makes no apologies for it. With little use for the opinion of authorities before they stick a spade in the ground, Texans have adorned their state with an array of strange and unique physical landmarks and properties. Sparky Park (Austin) Watch this video on YouTube Topping the charts is the very unique Sparky Park, Austin. That such a prime piece of land has been given over to artwork is impressive, particularly since, according to Texas Land, 96% of land in the state is privately bought and sold on the open market. Sparky Park, built from…
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The bizarre science experiments that revolutionized sex From 17th century corpse fondling to the tragic experiment that created modern gender theory—and all kinds of weirdness in between.
10 cathartic ways to quit your shitty job (that people have actually pulled off) Sometimes your typical two weeks notice just won't do...
The 15 best of the worst attorney commercials What these attorneys lack in class, dignity, acting skills, and professionalism, they make up for with catchy nicknames and explosions.
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Colonial Americans were pretty much always drunk The American Revolution was built on a foundation of booze, led by tavern addicted Founding Fathers who could drink any frat boy under the table.
Images of our Colonial forefathers usually involve powdered wigs, petticoats, and the thrill of throwing tons of tea into the Boston Harbor. Although we often think of their era as proper and civilized, it turns out that the people who led the American Revolution knew how to party. In fact, the American Revolution was built on a foundation of booze, led by tavern addicted Founding Fathers who could drink any college frat boy under the table. But let’s start at the beginning. Beer saved the Mayflower The first settlers brought with them the English tradition of beer drinking. Even during the famous 1620 voyage of Pilgrims on board the Mayflower,…
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7 ways to impress a girl after a one-night stand Wait—who the hell is that in bed next to you? Oh, yes. But what should you do now? Here are some tips.
How gambling and laziness led to the creation of the sandwich The tale of how a Georgian era British statesman became one of the first food influencers ever.
Classical music cheat sheet: everything the modern man needs to know, in one sitting Become irresistibly cultured after just one afternoon of study with this 8-step cheat sheet you can't fail.
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The true story of a Victorian swindler and his spectacular underwater bachelor palace Upon first glance, Witley Park in Surrey, UK is just like any other extravagant Victorian mansion. But look closer.
Upon first glance, Britain’s Witley Park in Surrey is just like any other extravagant mansion, but there’s much more to this Victorian masterpiece than meets the eye. From the secret underwater ballroom to dramatic suicide deaths, the story behind the man who built the mansion is surprisingly tragic. Shady entrepreneur James Whitaker Wright Long before J. Whitaker Wright built his sprawling mansion in England, he was just a bright-eyed son of a Methodist Minister. Wright was the eldest of five children, and one of his younger brothers actually went on to invent the reversible trolley pole, a device that emits electricity from a wire to the motor of a trolleybus.…
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The 11 best Goosebumps monsters Writing at a breakneck pace, R.L. Stine churned out sixty-two now classic Goosebumps. These are his best monsters.
5 scientific ways strangers can tell you’re gay (even if you’re in the closet) We don't endorse stereotypes unless they're funny or we have science on our side, and the data is in: the "gaydar" is anything but a myth.
10 reasons to believe alien life really exists The mindboggling scale of the universe represents gazillions of lottery tickets for alien life, but here's the evidence and arguments so far.
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10 bizarre things bought with Bitcoin There was more than one "Bitcoin pizza moment."
A venus flytrap plant, alpaca socks, and space travel—these are just some of the cool things you can actually buy with Bitcoin (BTC). The cryptocurrency is starting to become widely accepted by major companies and industries worldwide, making this king of all cryptos accessible to everyone with digital devices connected to the Internet. But what exactly is Bitcoin and why do many folks in and out of the crypto sphere are fascinated by it? Simply put, Bitcoin is a new kind of money that is purely digital. It’s decentralized, borderless, highly volatile, with transactions that are difficult to trace. This is why it’s no surprise that you can score bizarre…
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Everything you never wanted to know about the vore fetish Into the belly of the beast.
How close did we actually come to Fallout’s nuclear future? Nuclear cars, robots, mutants, the atom-bomb apocalypse... where did Fallout’s grim retro-futurism come from, and how close did we come to a Fallout future?
Deadliest Place on Earth: Disneyland rides with blood on their tracks “The Happiest Place on Earth” is littered with the ghosts of fallen visitors.
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6 inspirational design trends in modern celebrity homes These celebrity designer touches can hopefully inspire a little sparkle to smaller yet ambitious homes.
Imagine living in Bill Gates’ $125 million home with as many wildly over the top features you could think of – including rotating artwork, pressure-sensitive floors for security, and a whopping six different kitchens to design to your heart’s content. Celebrity homes have always been a subject of fascination, telling us as much about how the rich and famous enjoy their leisure time as about the latest high-tech features enhancing human home life and enjoyment. Of course, you don’t need to have a celebrity budget – or even a ridiculous amount of space – to design beautiful interiors. These are just six homes whose designer touches can easily inspire a…
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The future is not now: 12 futures the movies lied to us about Hollywood has been making movies that depict the future only to have them become insufferably crappy when that future finally arrives.
The true history of absinthe, and the reason it was banned for 100 years The drink has a colorful history involving everything from medical miracles to murder.
r/InstagramReality is the best subreddit for all the wrong reasons Looking like an IG model isn't easy, and many choose to cheat. And they really, really suck at it.
