"I can think of no human activity more pointless than to murder each other over myths and legends." -- Michael Rivero
Mangbetu people live in Central Africa, in northeastern Congo. Their elongated heads gave them a distinctive look. At birth the heads of babies’ were tightly wrapped with cloth in order to give their heads the elongated look. Deformation usually starts just a month after birth for the next couple of years, until the desired shape has been reached or the child rejects the apparatus.
The custom of skull elongation, called Lipombo by the natives, was a status symbol among the Mangbetu ruling classes, it denoted majesty, beauty, power and higher intelligence.
Claude Monet, a leading figure of the Impressionist movement, is also one of the best landscape painters the world has ever seen. Water lilies, colorful ponds, cliffs, and sunrises, Monet's remarkable work can be seen in museums all over the world.
Camp Commandant Amon Goeth, infamous from the movie "Schindler's List", on the balcony of his house overlooking Plaszow labor camp, Poland. 1943-44.
Mt. Rushmore may be one of the most recognizable landmarks on the planet, but it has been harboring a little-known secret for decades.
According to The Sun, this iconic stone sculpture, featuring the faces of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, contains a secret chamber which very few people know about.
Precariously perched on a rock pillar in the Westman Islands in Iceland, the Þrídrangaviti lighthouse is arguably the most isolated lighthouse in the world. The structure, sitting some 120ft above the raging North Atlantic sea was built in 1939 (without the use of helicopters), which makes imagining how they ever built this place, even more impossible
Probably unheard-of --- January 4th is National Trivia Day! Celebrate by engaging with some of these fun facts from Mental Floss into conversation.
Before the 18th century, the official denstistry profession, as well as the training, has not been practiced. In the past, as explained by the American Dental Association, people from the Middle Ages relied on two groups of barbers: “…surgeons who were educated and trained to perform complex surgical operations, and lay barbers, or barber-surgeons, who performed more routine hygienic services including shaving, bleeding and tooth extraction.”
In the late 1800s, people posing for their portraits were given the chance to decide what they would like to be doing in their photos. While many chose to simply look steel-faced in to the camera, a good many girls and young women chose to show off what they loved: reading.
These unique photos capture 15 great portraits of book lovers of the late 1800s.
Jacqueline Kennedy was undeniably a role model to many women in the 1960s. Contrary to the belief of others, she was not an heiress, nor was she unfamiliar to hard work --- but she was a style icon for sure. What women of that era could relate most to was the strength she displayed during the wake when her husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. The whole country was in need of reassurance and looked to her for it.
History is full of surprises, and this photo gallery is no exception! Get ready to uncover an unexpected side of history and discover a world that you may not have known existed. From moments that are both quirky and captivating to rare glimpses into the past, these images offer a unique perspective on the world we live in today.
