Sharks are mysterious creatures. Even the origins of the word "shark" are unknown, though it might come from the Mayan word xok. Maybe that's what makes these 400 million year old denizens of the deep so captivating—and why they sometimes fill us with dread. Thanks to that general air of mystery, many myths and untruths about sharks have spread. Here are six for you to sink your jaws into.... READ ON
One hundred and one years ago yesterday, the Titanic set sail for America. Although the ship never made it across the Atlantic, it’s an event that has been talked about, studied and made into a major motion picture. In James Cameron’s 1997 film of the same name, the director with a mind for perfection did his research. But did everything in the movie match up with history?... READ ON
The holidays are here again. That means family, and family means listening to insane, ill-informed debates over every subject imaginable. But just because your relatives are old and probably a little crazy doesn’t mean everything they say is nonsense. When it comes to some of that old down-home folksy wisdom, for example, they’re actually right. 1. You Can Predict the Weather From Joint... READ ON
Legendary monsters "exist," if only in legend, all over the world. The series of monsters continues with a look at a few strange stories from North America. 1.... READ ON
The legendary monsters series continues with some scary stories from Africa. There are so many nations and discrete communities in Africa that the problem here was not finding the legendary stories, but whittling down the list to a manageable number. 1.... READ ON
You'd think that there are enough scary animals in Australia that monstrous legends wouldn't be necessary. Apparently the deadly creatures that terrorize people on a regular basis aren't scary enough. The continent also includes New Zealand, and I slid a monster of Antarctica in here as a convenience. Ningens and Bunyips and Yowies, oh my! 1.... READ ON
It should be no surprise that a continent with extremely high mountains, extensive waterways, and dense rainforests filled with undiscovered species would have many legends of monsters. This is just a brief overview of some of South America's monsters. These legends are often known in more than one nation, with different names for the monsters. 1.... READ ON
Between the itching and the welts and the fears of West Nile, it's easy to forget that mosquitoes are a wonder of evolution, and maybe they don't really get a fair shake from us.... READ ON
A sequel called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian was written but never produced.
