Researchers Thought They Found Amelia Earhart's Missing Plane. It Turned Out to Be a Plane-Shaped Pile of Rocks
Months after capturing a promising sonar image, they learned that the blurry object was nothing more than a rock formation that resembled the aviator's Lockheed 10-E Electra aircraft
The Ouija Board Can't Connect Us to Paranormal Forces—but It Can Tell Us a Lot About Psychology, Grief and Uncertainty
The game was born from Americans' obsession with Spiritualism in the 19th century. Since then, it's functioned as a reflection of their deep-seated beliefs and anxieties for more than a century
A Secret Sculpture Built for John F. Kennedy's Grave Vanished in the 1970s. Half a Century Later, the Mystery Has Been Solved
The bronze wreath immortalized the moment when the members of the Honor Guard removed their hats and placed them on the president's grave during his burial
This Russian Family Lived Alone in the Siberian Wilderness for 40 Years, Unaware of World War II or the Moon Landing
In 1978, Soviet geologists stumbled upon a family of five in the taiga. They had been cut off from almost all human contact since fleeing religious persecution in 1936
How One Researcher Accidentally Killed One of the Oldest Trees in the World
In 1964, a graduate student cut down a bristlecone pine in Nevada. The tree, now known as Prometheus, turned out to be nearly 5,000 years old
A Japanese Soldier's Son Receives a Memento of His Father, Who Was Killed During World War II
The so-called good-luck flag, which hung on an American veteran's wall for many years, returned home last month after nearly eight decades
To Strike Fear Into Napoleon's Occupying Army, These Retreating Soldiers Burned Down Their Own City
When the blaze in Moscow subsided on September 18, 1812, the French—who had traveled hundreds of miles into Russia—were left without vital resources as a brutal winter approached
Workers Find Mysterious Letter Hidden Inside a Concrete Column at London's National Gallery
John Sainsbury hoped the note would be found when the "unnecessary columns" were finally demolished
See a Mysterious Postcard That Was Delivered 121 Years Late
The handwritten note, which bears a 1903 postmark, recently arrived at a building society in Wales
Washingtonians Love to Hate Brutalist Architecture. But What If We Could Fix It?
An exhibition at the National Building Museum investigates the history and future of the much-maligned architectural style
One Year After a Devastating Fire, Lahaina's 151-Year-Old Banyan Tree Is Healing
Arborists didn't know if the historic tree would survive, but they've been working to give it the best possible odds
Poetry Was an Official Olympic Event for Nearly 40 Years. What Happened?
Pierre de Coubertin hoped the modern Games would encourage the ancient Greek notion of harmony between "muscle and mind"
Why Were There So Many Skeletons Hidden in Benjamin Franklin's Basement?
During restorations in the 1990s, more than 1,200 pieces of bone surfaced beneath the founding father's London home
Inside the Controversial Plan to Turn a Hotel Where Jane Austen Attended Balls Into Student Dorms
Devoted readers are worried about the fate of the historic Dolphin Hotel in southern England
Fabled Sword From Medieval French Folklore Disappears
Known as the "French Excalibur," the blade is said to have hung from a rock face in the village of Rocamadour for 1,300 years
Meet Vivian Maier, the Reclusive Nanny Who Secretly Became One of the Best Street Photographers of the 20th Century
The self-taught artist is getting her first museum exhibition in New York City, where she nurtured her nascent interest in photography
How the 1904 Marathon Became One of the Weirdest Olympic Events of All Time
Athletes drank poison, dodged traffic, stole peaches and even hitchhiked during the 24.85-mile race in St. Louis
World's Oldest Deep-Sea Shipwreck Discovered a Mile Beneath the Mediterranean Sea
Archaeologists recovered two amphorae from the 3,300-year-old wreck site, which sheds new light on ancient maritime navigation
The Real Story Behind 'The Bikeriders' and the Danny Lyon Photography Book That Inspired It
A new film dramatizes the story of a motorcycle club chronicled by Lyon in the 1960s, offering a tribute to the outlaw spirit
Men's Shirts Button on the Right. Why Do Women's Button on the Left?
Nobody knows for sure, but plausible theories include swords, servants and saddles
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