1. The Rotor If you’ve ever seen an old photo of people stuck to the wall of a spinning cylinder with their feet dangling, that was the Rotor. Riders would step inside, the floor would drop out, and the centrifugal […]
1. The Electric Bath Imagine climbing into a cabinet that looks like a giant toaster, and instead of heat, it’s buzzing with electricity. The electric bath was marketed as a cure-all in the early 1900s, claiming to fix everything from
1. Molly Ringwald: The Queen of Teen Movies Molly Ringwald was the undisputed queen of teen films in the ’80s, starring in John Hughes classics like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink. Her portrayal of the relatable,
1. Percy Fawcett In the 1920s, British explorer Percy Fawcett set out into the Amazon with his son and a friend in search of a legendary lost city he called “Z.” He was convinced that deep within Brazil’s jungles lay
1. Knocking on Wood This little habit goes back to ancient cultures who believed spirits lived inside trees. By knocking, people thought they could call on those good spirits for protection, or even scare away bad ones that might be
1. Mercury-Laced Teething Powders In the 1800s, parents gave their babies teething powders to ease discomfort. What they didn’t know was that these powders often contained calomel, a compound of mercury. At the time, mercury was believed to have cleansing
1. Saturnalia in Ancient Rome Imagine a holiday where social rules were flipped upside down. During Saturnalia, masters served slaves, gambling was encouraged, and public drunkenness was not just allowed but expected. The streets of Rome turned into a carnival
