Human history is filled with absolutely horrible years that saw natural disasters, wars, and other issues cause so much pain and chaos, it’s hard to imagine how humanity survived through them. Sure, the pandemic is terrible, but the majority of people didn’t have to also endure a worldwide conflict, a far deadlier disease without medicine to treat it, or a global drop in temperature that destroyed the annual harvests. Those are the issues that make for a terrible year, and these ten (presented in no particular order because they all suck) are the worst....

This picture looks like it could be just an ordinary touristy snapshot. But it actually shows General Grant (left) and five officers on Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, after Grant whipped the Confederates in November 1863. Sticking out of Grant’s mouth is one of his ever-present cigars (which would eventually give him the throat cancer that killed him). A quartet of black children wearing Army hats (at least they look like children) sit in the ruins of Circular Church on Meeting Street in Charleston, birthplace of secession....

So with that in mind, here are ten of what I feel are the best times your favorite TV shows got experimental. Oh, be warned, there are spoilers ahead! 10 Buffy the Vampire Slayer – “The Body” Joss Whedon’s magnus opus could almost fill up this entire list itself, what with him dipping into silent horror in the critically acclaimed “Hush” or the musical genre in the equally as beloved “Once More With Feeling....

Go to any genealogy website and you can track down any family line that has been entered into the database. Yours, Tom Cruise’s, or Obama’s. Some purport to show a logical progression of names from President Barack Obama to the Merovingian Dynasty of ancient France. The Merovingian Dynasty was founded by Merovech, aka Merovius I (410-459 AD). This line of royalty leads directly to the Carolingian Dynasty, founded by Charles “the Hammer” Martel, whose grandson was Charlemagne....

My answer: The Internet. This is partly for selfish reasons – the internet has taught me more than anyone or anything else – for that reason it is the most important invention that has an effect on my life. What is the greatest invention in your opinion and why? Read More: Twitter Facebook YouTube Instagram

10 The Original Cast Hated It Brian De Palma, the director of the first Mission: Impossible movie, wanted to show some reverence for the original Mission: Impossible television series by asking Peter Graves to reprise his role as Jim Phelps, the role that eventually went to Jon Voight. Graves declined because he didn’t like that his character, the heroic protagonist from the original show, is revealed to be a murderous traitor....

10The Vice Guide To Congo Have you ever wondered what kind of high-tech materials the super awesome, incredibly expensive smartphone you constantly obsess over is actually made of? Odds are you probably haven’t. This documentary may very well alter the way you view the current state of technological advancements in Western society and its adverse impact on the people who mine the minerals that are ultimately used to tell the world what we ate for lunch....

But the reasons actors end up not starring in movies they’ve been paid for are many. Some are cut out of films, some get fired before the director has ever called action, and some, perplexingly, never have anything to do with the production in the first place. 10 Shailene Woodley, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Before Tom Holland donned the red spandex, Andrew Garfield was the world’s principal web-swinger in a film series that began with The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012 and ended with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a mere two years later....

10 MaskirovkaRussia, Battle Of Kursk, World War II Maskirovka is a broad military doctrine of Soviet deception developed throughout the early 20th century. Its primary focus is denial, deception, and surprise. The practice utilizes several means of fooling the enemy, ideally suggesting to them that a smaller force is awaiting them “over the hill.” It was most successfully employed at the Battle of Kursk during World War II, when a relatively large force of Germans unwittingly attacked what they believed to be a small force of Russian troops, which actually numbered more than four times their own....

10 Babylonian Jupiter Tablet The ancient Babylonian people in what is now modern-day Iraq obsessed over the stars long before the birth of Christ. A set of ancient tablets from the early centuries BC have revealed planetary math that was previously credited to 14th-century Europeans. The Babylonians followed heavenly bodies across the sky and appointed them as prognosticators of Earthly events, birthing “modern” astrology and the 12 zodiacal signs. They also tracked Jupiter with beautiful precision, yet it took a good deal of detective work to figure it out....

SEE ALSO: 10 Accidental Inventions That Changed The World The battery is a staple of modern life. They’ve changed a lot over the years, but the core principle is still the same—and it’s probably about 100 years older than you’d think. Most of the electrical pioneering in the world was happening in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla, Heinrich Hertz—these and other great minds were filing hundreds of electrical patents that shaped the 20th century into what we know today....

While the Rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) are generally considered to be amongst the longest living aquatic creatures, they barely come in last place here. They are generally found between 560 feet and 2,200 feet below sea level, often in the pacific ocean. They are so called because they can have ten spines along the lower rim of their eyes. The fish grow extremely slowly, mature late in life, and can live to be around 200 years old, with the oldest confirmed living to be 205....

10Dog’s Dewclaw A dewclaw is the toe found higher up on a dog’s leg, and it serves no function at all. While front dewclaws are common in dogs, the rare hind leg dewclaw can be found. It’s advisable to have those amputated, as they pose a risk to the dog. Since dewclaws are often just connected by a flap of skin, they can get snagged and torn off. The growing nail on a vestigial dewclaw can also lead to painful problems....

Without critical investigation of an alleged saint’s life, ordinary people depended on legends, myths, romances, and tradition for saintly biographies or “hagiographies.” Such sources are woefully unreliable. Some early Christian hagiographies may have a historical core, but the accretion of legends make it next to impossible to retrieve the real personality behind the tall tales. Others are absolute fiction. 10 St. Veronica You’ve likely seen this saint’s picture if you’ve ever entered a Catholic church, even if you don’t recognize her name....

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It might be easy to overlook these tiny frogs, but they have some very memorable characteristics. From their size to their coloration, these amphibians are a bit cute, but once you look closer, you might surmise they are bad at being frogs. 10 Size Pumpkin toadlets are tiny. Teensy tiny. Adult toadlets grow to be roughly the size of a Skittle. Some species range between 0.4 inches to 0.6 inches (10....

At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen. These languages, on the other hand, are almost beyond comprehension. Strange yet beautiful, here are 10 of the most bizarre languages still spoken in the world. On the edge of the Caspian Sea in southern Russia is a small village called Archib. With a population of only 1,200 (or less, according to some experts), it’s the last remaining spot in the world where Archi is spoken....

10 ‘Friday’Rebecca Black Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday. Today is Friday, Friday . . . Tomorrow is Saturday, And Sunday comes afterward. Most people would probably agree that these song lyrics are neither mind-blowing nor exceptionally intelligent. Anyone with a few brain cells (or a calendar) could have come up with them. However, some people allege that Rebecca Black’s “Friday” isn’t just terrible mumbo jumbo that somehow made her a quasi-famous person for all the wrong reasons....

Believe it or not, a travel book exists for those who wish to pay the millions it costs to travel to outer space. This is it. This book will teach you the ins and outs of travel to outer space. What to expect, how to prepare, and much more. A definite must-have for all those billionaires who can afford to toss twenty million dollars at a strange vacation. As the name implies, this book is a collection of tales about misadventures relating to toilets, poop and river rafting....

Films like Apocalypse Now, Minority Report, 3:10 to Yuma, and Johnny Mnemonic are all such short story adaptations. And then there was Agatha Christie—the woman whose literary works are only outsold by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her novels and short stories have seen a multitude of remakes of adaptations—with avid detective fans still being mesmerized by the petite Mrs. Marple and the little Belgian, Hercule Poirot, in solving crimes. Whatever your favorite movies are, the chances are that one or more of them were adapted from a novella or short story, just like the ten on our list....