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The tragic story of a Victorian swindler and his spectacular underwater fantasy world Upon first glance, Britain's Witley Park in Surrey 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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10 heartbreaking stories about dementia that make you appreciate our old people Fairy tales, confusion, and living hell.
11 obscure kung fu movies you need to watch For every big-budget martial arts spectacular, there were dozens of cheaper films. But these are just as good as the hits.
The quest to put our sleeping brain to work New study suggesting we can do basic processing and, perhaps, even math in our sleep, is a big step forward.
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The rise and fall of the Vanderbilts—America’s wealthiest family The Vanderbilts were arguably the most prominent family of the Gilded Age, but time has slowly eroded their fortune and legacy.
The Vanderbilts is an American family of Dutch origin who became the wealthiest and arguably the most prominent family of the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy. Cornelius Vanderbilt’s descendants went on to build grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City; luxurious “summer cottages” in Newport, Rhode Island; the palatial Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina; and various other opulent homes. But time has slowly eroded their fortune and legacy. The Commodore The legendary wealth of the Vanderbilt family had its origins with Cornelius Vanderbilt. He left school…
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The 10 most evil fictional organizations Agglomerations of wretched villainy poised to completely destroy the civilization we hold dear.
Inside the spectacularly bizarre fan subculture of ‘shipping’ A look into the world of people who pair fictional character into romantic relationships online.
Meet the “Virtuous Pedophile” network protected by Twitter The "Minor-Attracted Persons" movement is led by a Canadian doctor who demands a "P" in "LGBT," and Twitter is accommodating them.
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A brief history of toilets Going to the bathroom used to be a lot weirder. And in some countries, it still is.
The next time you take a seat on your own private porcelain throne: be grateful. You have privacy, toilet paper, and the streets don’t reek of feces. Toilets have come a long way from their dirty, breezy, communal origins. Poop like an Egyptian The earliest humans in hunter-gatherer society would have just gone au naturale out in the woods. But once cities started becoming a thing, the elite needed to figure out a way to keep all that human waste out of their way. The ancient Egyptians were among the first to appoint designated pooping spots for the wealthy. They even concocted some of the world’s first toilet seats—these little…
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Being a hobo was hard—’Hoboglyphs’ made it easier Sketched with coal or chalk in places where migrants were likely to pass, hoboglyphs – the secret code of hobos – were pointers for other travelers.
The absolute worst foods you can buy at a dollar store You go to the dollar store for convenience, but these awful dollar store foods prove that sometimes the convenience and cost just isn't worth it.
10 reasons you should never date a pornstar The pros just don't outweight the cons.
