1. The Vanishing Stairs in the Woods Hikers have long told stories about stumbling upon perfectly intact staircases in the middle of forests. They look as though they were ripped out of a house and dropped in the wilderness with […]

1. Put Whiskey on Teething Gums Some old magazines actually suggested rubbing whiskey on a baby’s gums to soothe teething pain. The thinking was that the alcohol would numb the area and help them sleep better. Parents back then likely

1. Butter Churn Back in the day, if you wanted butter, you didn’t just grab it off the grocery store shelf. Families often had a butter churn, a tall wooden or glass contraption with a plunger-like handle that required endless

1. Radium-Infused Face Creams Back in the early 20th century, some beauty companies thought adding radium to face creams would make skin “glow.” And glow it did, but not in the way anyone wanted. The radioactive ingredient was believed to

1. Red Rover If you ever played Red Rover, you probably remember the sting on your arm after someone tried to break through your line. The game seemed innocent enough, but when kids linked arms and yelled “Red Rover, Red

1. Onion Poultices for Chest Colds People once believed that placing a warm poultice of onions on the chest could draw out sickness. The idea was that onions had the power to pull toxins from the body, especially when they

1. Watching the Spirits Cross Over In parts of Europe, families once believed that New Year’s Eve was a night when the spirits of the dead roamed freely. People would sit quietly by candlelight, almost like a vigil, to see