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10 Couperin’s Mysterious Barricades Appropriately for a list of mysteries from the history of music, we begin with a work bearing a title that explicitly declares to be about something mysterious, the subject of which has never been conclusively identified to this day. Francois Couperin’s 1717 harpsichord piece Les Barricades Mysterieuses has provoked ongoing speculation about what exactly the “mysterious barricades” of the title refer to. Some have suggested that it alludes to material items like women’s clothing, masks worn at a royal performance of Couperin’s work, or even to freemasonry....

10The Disappearance Of Kelly Dove On the evening of June 18, 1982, 20-year-old Kelly Dove was working the graveyard shift alone at the Imperial gas station in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Sometime during the night, Kelly vanished without a trace but not before she reported some disturbing incidents of harassment to the police. Shortly after midnight, Kelly called 911 to report that she was receiving obscene phone calls. She asked the police to check on her, but they never showed up....

Yet, for all his achievements, Bush Sr. can often feel like the forgotten president. A one-termer sandwiched between Reagan and Clinton, Bush seemed destined for obscurity. Well, we’re here to tell you that there was more to George Herbert Walker Bush than “no new taxes.” In honor of his passing, here are 10 vital facts about the 41st US president. 10 He Nearly Died In World War II In a parallel universe, you’re not reading this article....

Accidents, where the victims could not be partially blamed, are uncommon because the leading cause of death in these cases is bad decision-making. Think before you act. Also, check out the entries below for tips on how you might survive some of these deadly ways of getting stuck. 10 Chimney Although claustrophobia is not related to Santa Claus, it can become oddly fitting when rescuing people who are stuck in chimneys....

There are five major factors that will determine how bad things get: thermal expansion (water expands as it heats up), glacial ice loss, Greenland ice loss, Antarctic ice loss, and changes in land water storage. Combined, these factors are likely to cause a significant rise in ocean levels—with disastrous results. 10Endangered Archaeological Treasures While most experts are focusing on the dangers of climate change to coastal city infrastructure, some are growing worried over another alarming trend....

When the Populares faction were in power, the government actively worked to empower the people at the expense of the elites. Senate funds were used to buy farms off wealthy people and then give them to the poor, as well as to establish hospitals where the poor could be treated for free. Most public buildings were built and maintained with government money and charged very little for entry. Here, we study ten of the ways ancient Rome was surprisingly progressive....

Air combat during those brief four years resulted in one of the steepest technological and tactical learning curves in history. Here, we investigate 10 weird realities that shaped the war in the skies over Europe. 10 Grappling Hooks Were Used As Weapons Air combat in World War I was in its infancy, and all kinds of wacky ideas were attempted to gain the upper hand over the enemy. Early aircraft were slow, fragile, and primarily used for scouting....

10 The Genghis Khan Factor A great number of people in the world today can trace their lineage right back to Genghis Khan, according to a widely accepted theory. A prolific conqueror whose armies swept across Asia, the emperor was also reported to be a prolific conqueror of another sort. There’s a small problem, though. When a Florida accountant recently got the results of a DNA test that said he was one of Genghis Khan’s many descendants, a closer look revealed that the tests really look for genetic markers common in particular areas of Eurasia—Khan’s territory....

And that’s what makes it so great. For a period of about 500 years, artists weren’t killing themselves trying to make photo-realistic paintings or to explain how the paint they threw at the canvas somehow symbolized something other than the panic of an approaching deadline. A lot of them were just bored monks scribbling in the margins of books to pass the time. If nothing else, that made for an art period unlike any the world has ever seen....

Here are 10 bizarre ways human remains have spent time outside of the grave… 10 Painting Pigment There was a roaring trade of mummies in the 16th century, each stolen from a tomb and sold to wealthy visitors. There were even professional “mummy dealers” to be found in the streets of Egypt. Collectors would seek to obtain a whole mummy for an “unwrapping party,” but smaller parts could enter a personal collection....

In addition to lyrics, rock and roll often incorporates musical elements inspired by Christian traditions. For example, many rock and roll songs feature hymn-like melodies and chord progressions reminiscent of traditional hymns. Additionally, some rock songs feature gospel-style vocals and harmonies, which are often associated with Christian music. Plus, many rock bands and artists use symbols and imagery that reference specific stories or themes from the Bible. Plenty of bands use crosses or other Christian symbols in their album artwork or stage sets, while others use biblical imagery in music videos or live performances....

TWAIN is a standard for communication between imaging devices (usually scanners) and computers. Because it’s always written in upper case, it’s often assumed that TWAIN is an acronym – with the “AIN” perhaps standing for “acquired image network.” It doesn’t, according to the twain.org website, the word “twain” was chosen from Kipling’s the Ballad of East and West, which coined the phrase “…and never the twain shall meet…” which, at the time, symbolized how hard it was to connect a scanner to a computer....

Artist: Hugo This is already a little bizarre, if only because of the song. Country/alternative rock artist Hugo kicks off the list with a cover of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems”, then decides to make things weirder by adding a dude in a pig mask, an iguana and some needles to the mix. Artist: Psyclon Nine Psyclon Nine was an aggrotech/industrial metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. You would really just have to watch the video, but not if you have epilepsy....

These erroneous beliefs were largely based simply on observation, and some of them were downright ludicrous. From swallows burying themselves in the mud to geese flying to the Moon, here are some of the strangest myths about migrating birds, and some amazing facts to put it all in perspective. 15 Metamorphosing Redstarts The Greek philosopher Aristotle noticed that redstarts and robins never seem to be sighted at the same time....

Always acknowledge a fault. This will throw those in authority off their guard and give you an opportunity to commit more. An Englishman is a person who does things because they have been done before. An American is a person who does things because they haven’t been done before. Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society....

Terms starting A – D A Fortiori: Denotes a proof of a claim by means of an already proven stronger claim. Example: If it is forbidden to ride a bike with an extra passenger, then it is also forbidden to ride a bike with two extra passengers. Ad Hoc: Generally signifies a solution that has been custom designed for a specific problem, is non-generalizable, and cannot be adapted to other purposes....

SEE ALSO: 10 Animals That Surprisingly Benefit From Climate Change I’ll start this list with a classic example of evolution found in many textbooks. Originally, the vast majority of peppered moths (Biston betularia) had a light, mottled coloring, which was a good camouflage against predators. Before the Industrial Revolution, a uniformly dark variant of the peppered moth made up 2% of the species. After the Industrial Revolution, 95% of peppered moths showed this dark coloration....

10 Well Known Movies With Bizarre Backstories Tiger King features Joe Exotic, founder of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park (aka, G.W. Zoo), who is now serving 22 years for a murder-for-hire scheme. He was also found guilty of falsifying wildlife records and for violating the Endangered Species Act at his private roadside zoo, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Oklahoma.[1] A record-breaking 34.3 million people viewed the show over the first ten days and were rewarded with a one-of-a-kind true crime story....

Unfortunately, tiny mistakes can go a long way in making history happen. We can only guess how different things would be right now, were it not for a few choices that affected the whole world. 9 The Wrong Turn That Started World War I The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was one of the biggest sparks to set off World War I—and it happened purely due to one very dumb mistake....

Plywood has been made for thousands of years; the earliest known occurrence of plywood was in Ancient Egypt around 3500 BC when wooden articles were made from sawn veneers glued together crosswise. This was originally done due to a shortage of fine wood. Thin sheets of high quality wood were glued over a substrate of lower quality wood for cosmetic effect, with incidental structural benefits. This manner of inventing plywood has occurred repeatedly throughout history....