1. The Freemasons You’ve probably heard whispers about the Freemasons, but this group wasn’t as behind-the-scenes as people like to think. Dating back to the late Middle Ages, the Freemasons started as a guild for stone workers and builders, but […]
1. Evacuation Day Before Saint Patrick’s Day took over March 17, Bostonians used to gather for something called Evacuation Day. It marked the day in 1776 when British troops finally left Boston during the Revolutionary War, giving colonists a big
1. The Queen’s Swans Are Still Protected by Law in the UK In England, there’s an ancient law that says all unmarked mute swans in open water belong to the monarch. It dates back to the 12th century, when swans
1. Sky Burials in the Himalayas High up in the Himalayan regions of Tibet and Mongolia, some villages still practice sky burials—a sacred ritual where the dead are left on mountaintops to be consumed by vultures. It’s not as grim
1. The Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia In 1897, the spirit of a young woman named Zona Heaster Shue allegedly returned from the grave to solve her own murder. According to her mother, Mary Jane, Zona’s ghost appeared night after
1. The Island of the Dolls – Xochimilco, Mexico Locals won’t even say the name of this place after dark. Deep in the canals of Xochimilco sits a tiny island covered in hundreds of decaying, sun-bleached dolls hanging from trees
1. Pottage If there was one dish that truly summed up medieval peasant life, it was pottage. This thick, vegetable-based stew was a staple for centuries, and while it doesn’t sound fancy, it was hearty, filling, and could simmer all
