DEATH

Scientists Believe There's a 10 Percent Chance Space Debris Will Kill One of Us in the Next Decade

Thanks to more launches and lax standards, there's a pretty good chance someone is going to get creamed by falling space junk sooner rather than later.

Handwritten code found in the back of the poetry book thought to belong to the Somerton Man.

The Somerton Man Has Been Identified By DNA Researchers 73 Years After His Mysterious Death

Seventy-three years after his body was discovered under strange circumstances, DNA researchers claim to know the identity of Australia's Somerton Man.

Why Do We Say Things Are “Dropping Like Flies”?

People have been “dropping like flies”—often due to weather—since at least the mid-19th century.

Mae West's play about sex caused a stir in 1927—even though it didn't have any.

7 Not-Very-Scandalous Retro Hollywood Scandals

Forget murder. These vintage Hollywood stars had careers ruined over public urination and necking.

Amazon’s Alexa May Soon Be Able to Sound Like Your Dead Loved One

You best start believin’ in uncanny valleys, Miss Alexa. You’re in one!

Free shipping, though users may not care.

Happily Buried: The Direct-to-Consumer Casket Business Is Taking Off

Why be buried in debt when you can buy an attractive coffin for as little as $999?

If you see a magpie, have an onion ready.

The History of 12 British Superstitions

When it comes to weird and wacky superstitions, the United Kingdom has developed some real oddities

The original iPod touch first introduced in 2007.

The iPod Touch is Officially Dead. Long Live the iPod Touch

Apple products come and go—but your memories of the iPod touch will last a lifetime.

James II Of Scotland was killed by his own cannon.

10 Weird Ways Royals Have Died

These 10 British royals took a decidedly odd way out.

Alex Trebek's estate is open to the public.

There's an Estate Sale for Late 'Jeopardy!' Host Alex Trebek

Trebek’s home in Studio City, California, is the site of an estate sale running through Sunday.

5 of History's Most Notorious Unsolved Ax Murders

These brutal crimes continue to confound reason and haunt the imagination.

These phrases likely came from some dark places.

8 Common Phrases with Surprisingly Dark Origins

From poisoning to warfare, these are the dark origin stories behind eight common phrases and idioms.

One of the beheaded skeletons in Fleet Marston.

Archaeologists Just Unearthed Dozens of Ancient Beheaded Skeletons in a Tiny British Village

Were they all executed criminals, or were some decapitated after death (possibly to prevent haunting)? Researchers aren’t sure.

For the First Time Ever, Scientists Witnessed—and Recorded—Orcas Stalking and Killing a Blue Whale

New video evidence shows that orcas are capable of hunting and killing blue whales—the largest animals on Earth.

Albert Victor and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.

10 Royal Heirs Who Died Before They Reigned

These are some of the least fortunate royal heirs in English history—those who waited in vain and died before they could ever reign.

Cleopatra depicted in a calendar print by Beatrice Decker.

The Royal Rundown on Cleopatra's Children

Cleopatra famously had relationships with the Roman generals Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Less, however, is remembered about the four children she had with these men.

The plague devastated Eyam in the 17th century.

How One Small English Village Sacrificed Itself to Stop the Plague From Spreading

Eyam, England's drastic response to the plague—including quarantines and social distancing—influenced later medical practice.

When Marie and Pierre Curie Investigated a Psychic Medium

Marie and Pierre Curie admitted to not fully understanding the source of radioactivity. Could a psychic medium named Eusapia Palladino reveal some clues?

Why Do Fire Departments Have Chaplains?

What does a fire department chaplain do? It all depends on where they work—here’s how they help out.

Klaus Kinski stars in Crawlspace (1986).

Crawlspace: When the Makers of a Sleazy '80s Slasher Movie Nearly Killed Klaus Kinski for Real

“You can’t hope to direct [Klaus] Kinski,” John Vulich, a makeup effects artist on 'Crawlspace' once said about the 1986 low-budget horror movie’s leading man. “You can only document him.”

11 Graves in Unexpected Places

Not everyone is buried six feet under the verdant grass of a cemetery. Some choose to spend eternity at the bottom of the ocean or the top of a high rise.

A photo of the skeleton taken when it was originally excavated from the burial site.

3000-Year-Old Remains in Japan Belong to the World’s Oldest Known Shark Attack Victim, Study Finds

The skeleton, unearthed at an archaeological site near Japan’s Seto Inland Sea, had almost 800 injuries.

8 Bizarre Places Where Bodies Have Been Found

For employees at Disneyland Paris’s Phantom Manor in 2016, the attraction’s harmless spookiness turned genuinely macabre.

Rosary Beads Belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots Were Just Stolen As Part of a $1.4 Million Heist at Arundel Castle

Is the culprit Elizabeth I’s ghost, trying to make sure every last symbol of her cousin’s Catholic faith gets destroyed, once and for all?

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