Ryan Menezes

Joined: Dec 5, 2025

Ryan Menezes has written extensively for Cracked.com and has edited at such sites as Listverse and Grunge. This means he is no longer capable of talking normally and instead responds to every attempt at conversation by reciting trivia. When he’s not writing, he’s somewhere unknown having adventures he can’t possibly tell you about. He’s also on Twitter @MenezesCracked.

A mouse places its paws atop a block of Swiss cheese

Women at work creating artificial flowers, early 20th century.

From rental families to grief phone booths, Japanese people have used surprising strategies to combat loneliness.

Iconic Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline Landscape in New York City

Many of New York's proudest nicknames began as insults or responses to something negative.

Have you seen all seven before? These strange punctuation marks once served a purpose, and can again!

Entering a new year hasn’t always been cause for celebration.

Some New Year’s Eve celebrations are more memorable than others, for better or for worse.

“Migrant Mother” photograph by Dorothea Lange

These photos paint a picture of tragic times throughout history, but against all odds, the subjects overcame adversity and created lives for themselves.

Throughout history, criminals have used the holiday as an excuse to commit terrible acts.

These might actually be worth a comeback, even if they sound terrible. Here are five gross-sounding foods that deserve a second chance. People ate them at one point in history!

While most holiday events are largely forgettable, these ended in injury and/or death.

Caga Tió de Nadal - Catalan Christmas Pooping Log 🪵

Here’s why a pooping log is a beloved holiday tradition in Spain, otherwise known as the Tió de Nadal custom.

The stories might sound interesting, but they’re not all necessarily the truth. Here are five misconceptions about how popular phrases were invented.

From the 1200s to the 1990s, elephant deaths have had a strange place in history.

Ryan Menezes

Joined: Dec 5, 2025

6 Misconceptions About What Animals Eat

5 Delightful Old-Timey Jobs That Were Actually Deadly

5 Chilling Discoveries Found in the Snow From Around the World

5 Medical Operations From Around the World That Ran Into Huge Twists

5 Fascinating Solutions to Loneliness in Japan

The Hidden Dark History Behind New York City’s Most Iconic Nicknames and Slogans

7 Weird Old Punctuation Marks We Should Bring Back

5 Historical Reasons People Used to Dread the New Year

5 New Year’s Celebrations From Around the World That Went Thoroughly Wrong

5 Famously Tragic Photos Whose Subjects Actually Ended Up Okay

5 Devious Crimes Launched on New Year’s Eve

These 5 Long-Forgotten Foods Sound Gross—But Hear Us Out

5 Disastrous Christmas Parties Thrown by World Leaders

The Strange—But Beloved—Christmas Tradition Where a Log “Poops” Presents

5 Misconceptions About How We Got Popular Phrases

7 of History’s Most Bizarre Deaths Involving Elephants