Jesse Singer articles

When hikers found a body in the Alps in 1991, nobody expected it to become one of the world’s most famous archaeological discoveries. Scientists eventually worked out how old he was. But ten years passed before they spotted the detail that changed his story completely.

In 1934, Everett Ruess headed into the Utah wilderness...He never came back. For decades, people searched for him, argued about the clues, and wondered what everyone had missed. Then, in 2009, scientists announced a discovery that seemed to finally answer the biggest question of all.

You could travel the entire world looking for these. But unless you eventually reach the United States, you’re going home empty-handed. Some are famous. Others are so strange that even most Americans have no idea they exist.

In certain states, Americans are fiercely loyal. Whether they were born and raised there or arrived later in life, these residents don’t ever want to leave. And one state stands head and shoulders at the top. Any guesses?

What happens when a Disney theme park shuts down a ride or an attraction? Well, it often just sits there and rots or gets overrun by the surrounding nature. These are actual images of what once were bustling and beautiful Disney attractions—lost to history.

If an intelligent alien arrived on Earth, you can imagine what scientists would ask first. But when a Vatican astronomer faced a room full of reporters, someone asked something very different: would he baptize an extraterrestrial? His answer got a laugh. Then it made headlines.

Americans assume their everyday habits are completely normal. Then they cross the Atlantic and discover that Europeans have been getting through life just fine without them. A few differences make sense. But many of them leave Americans asking the same question: Wait...you really don’t do that?

Every December, the Star of Bethlehem appears on cards, trees, and nativity scenes. But do we actually have the date all wrong? According to an astronomer who looked into the original story, one big clue points to a very different day...and it’s nowhere near December 25.

You probably learned all 50 state names in school. But probably not these names. Go back far enough, and some familiar places turn up under names you’d barely recognize. How many did you know about?