WEIRD

Official White House portrait of President John Tyler by George P. A. Healy.

President John Tyler’s Last Living Grandson Has Passed Away

John Tyler was born in 1790. He took office in 1841, after William Henry Harrison died. His last living grandchild, Harrison Ruffin Tyler, just passed away, on May 25, 2025.

Zelda Rubinstein during a scene from "Poltergeist" (1982).

The ‘Poltergeist’ Curse: Uncovering the Haunting Mysteries Behind the Classic Horror Franchise

The tragic deaths and mysterious events surrounding this classic horror franchise have given rise to the urban legend that a real-life “Poltergeist” curse exists.

Before you start pranking, read up on where April Fools’ Day might have come from.

The Hazy Origins of April Fools’ Day

The origins of April Fools’ Day have long been caught up in myths and legends involving everything from mackerels to calendar switches.

Woman Rescues Baby Hedgehog, Realizes It’s a Hat Pom-Pom

This can't be the only hedgehog-hat mix-up in history.

The BBC once pranked the world by declaring that Big Ben’s clock face would be going digital.

11 of the Greatest Pranks of All Time

From Taco Bell buying the Liberty Bell to the time the BBC convinced its viewers that spaghetti grows on trees, these are some of the most iconic pranks in history.

A beaver that may or may not have parachuted out of a plane.

Watch Beavers Parachute From Planes in Footage From 1948

The best way to relocate beavers in the 1940s? Drop them out of planes, of course.

‘A Village Fair, with a Church behind,’ by Isack van Ostade

The Hidden Pooper in Isack van Ostade’s ‘A Village Fair, With a Church Behind’

Art conservators for the UK’s Royal Collection were in for quite a surprise when they set about cleaning a 17th-century oil painting.

The mystery of the ‘Mary Celeste’ has confounded historians for more 150 years.

The Unsolved Mystery of the ‘Mary Celeste’

What really happened to the crew of the ‘Mary Celeste’? Delve into the theories and speculation surrounding this enduring maritime mystery.

There are a lot of people who don’t think Shakespeare was actually Shakespeare.

8 Shakespeare Conspiracy Theories

Discover the controversial conspiracy theories that challenge Shakespeare’s authorship, from the Baconian Theory to the Alien Theory and beyond.

The Tragic Murder of Bridget Cleary, the Irish “Fairy Wife”

Bridget Cleary’s husband burned her because he thought she’d been replaced—by a supernatural being.

The connection between Area 51 and UFOs started with a top-secret aircraft.

The Conspiracy Theory That Made Area 51 Synonymous With Aliens

Conspiracy theorists were right to think the government was hiding something.

At least the Grim Reaper has some scenic stomping grounds.

The Macabre Origins of 10 Idioms About Death

You may want to know the ghoulish beginnings of these well-known death idioms before you shuffle off this mortal coil, kick the bucket, or get laid out in lavender.

The British royal family has been dogged by conspiracy theories for more than 1000 years.

10 Bizarre Royal Conspiracy Theories

From secret love children to political assassinations to accusations of vampirism, the British royal family has been the subject of many bizarre conspiracy theories over the course of its history.

The Fountain of Youth, painted in 1546 by German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder.

Florida’s “Fountain of Youth” Could Be a Radioactive Water Spigot, Some Locals Claim

Punta Gorda locals have been swearing by the mystical properties of a radioactive water fountain for a century.

‘Very Bad Lies’: When Kids Believed Bubble Yum’s Secret Ingredient Was Spider Eggs

Did Bubble Yum gum really contain spider eggs? Learn about the schoolyard urban legend that threatened the success of this popular chewing gum back in the 1970s.

Decades after the footprints that popped up in northern California, they were alleged to be a hoax.

The Hoax That Led to the Word ‘Bigfoot’

When 16-inch-long tracks began popping up on northern California logging sites in 1958, workers dubbed the culprit ‘Big Foot’—but decades later, the whole thing was revealed to be a hoax.

The Southernmost part of the United States (or not).

Wild Misconceptions About Florida

Florida is known for its alligator sightings, weird crimes, and Disney World. But how much of what you think you know about the Sunshine State is true?

Cravings, Rabbits, and Witches: The Creepy Retro Explanations for Birthmarks

According to some strange old theories about the origins of birthmarks, a blemish on your behind meant you had the mark of the devil.

One Florida town experienced a golf ball rain.

8 Weird Disasters from History

From beer floods to meat showers, history is full of peculiar—and putrid—disasters.

The long-snouted fellow in the center is a very slithy tove.

‘Wug,’ ‘Gostak,’ and 8 Other Weird Old Nonce Words

Nonce words are only meant to serve one particular purpose—here are some of the best examples.

Winston Churchill needed a good dentist.

For Sale: Winston Churchill’s Gold-Mounted Dentures

Plagued by oral issues, the British prime minister carried two sets of dentures with him at all times.

Is the call really coming from inside the house?

15 Origins of Urban Legends

From what inspired Candyman and the Mothman to the tales about alligators in the sewers and killers calling from inside the house, we're breaking down the origins of popular urban legends.

An Edison phonograph exhibit with a talking doll in Paris, 1889.

Listen to Thomas Edison’s Eerie Talking Dolls Speak After More Than a Century of Silence

Modern technology has helped these dolls find their voices—and when they speak, it’s downright creepy.

10 Wild Bigfoot Conspiracy Theories

Sasquatch sightings have been reported in every state but Hawaii over the course of several centuries. In the process, a number of bizarre theories have been put forth to explain how the mysterious beasts came to be—and how they manage to evade us.

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