DEATH

Average Life Expectancies Have More Than Doubled Over the Past 70 Years—Here's Why

In 1900, the global average life expectancy was around 32 years old. Today, it's 71. How did this happen?

Barbie and Ken are just two members of the Barbie bunch.

Our 26 Favorite Stories of 2023

From Celine Dion’s “erotic motorcycle” to the crafty female platypus who faked a pregnancy in order to bust out of the Bronx Zoo, 2023 was full of some pretty great stories.

Several health ailments hindered the Tudors.

10 Medical Misfortunes that Plagued the Tudor Royal Family

The powerful royal family was not immune to the many illnesses of the 16th century.

Willy Wonka and the Oompa-Loompas: Merry band of chocolatiers, or dastardly criminals?

Was Willy Wonka a Stone-Cold Serial Killer? One Wild Fan Theory Says Yes

Willy Wonka is undoubtedly an eccentric man. But could he and his band of Oompa-Loompas be hiding a homicidal secret?

The Final Days of John Lennon

Shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday, December 8, 1980, John Lennon was gunned down in front of his New York City apartment building by an obsessed fan. This is the story of the days leading up to that tragedy.

Rules for Murder: The Detection Club and the Evolution of the Murder Mystery

While the club initially formed as a social group for writers of detective fiction, it did have an official purpose: to uphold a rigid set of standards for crime fiction, and weed out any potential members who wouldn’t agree to meet them.

These haunted locations from across the U.S. will leave you screaming.

Haunted Locations You Can Visit in All 50 States

For when you need a more immersive haunting experience.

Right on red might not be around much longer.

More Cities Are Banning Right-on-Red Turns—Here's Why

The standard traffic practice is under increased scrutiny.

A lithograph of the 1889 Johnstown Flood made in the 1890s shows the debris caused by the flood in flames.

10 Things You Need to Know About the Johnstown Flood

The Great Flood of 1889 killed more than 2000 people, swept away 1600 homes, and caused $17 million in damage. And it wasn’t the last time Johnstown would flood.

Kay Powell has written some stunning obituaries.

America’s Greatest Obituary Writer

Forget about the funny pages. If Kay Powell wrote for your paper, you dove straight into the death notices.

100 Facts That Will Make You Go “WTF”

Weird but fascinating facts about everything from the guy who dragged cars with his nipples to frogs shedding (and eating!) their own skin.

Sugar skulls are just one part of Día de los Muertos.

12 Facts About Día de los Muertos

In Latin America, el Día de los Muertos is a celebration of life and death, and an invitation for the deceased to return home once again to those who love them.

How One Grieving Father Got Lawn Darts Banned

Lawn darts were banned in 1988, but not before seriously injuring many children and killing at least one.

Never underestimate the power of belief.

‘Dogged by Death’: The True Story Behind the Bizarre Syndrome That Inspired ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’

Here’s how a wave of mysterious deaths in the late 1970s and early 1980s among Southeast Asian refugees living in America inspired Wes Craven to pen his 1984 horror classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Death is the start of a great adventure.

30 Astonishing Facts About Death

No, your fingernails don't keep growing after death. Here are 29 other amazing facts about your final exit.

Victor Hugo, Anne Rice, and Thomas Hardy were all believers.

9 Authors Who Believed in Ghosts

Some, like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Victor Hugo, believed they had communicated with spirits directly; others, like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Thomas Hardy, had ghostly encounters they couldn’t explain.

A surgeon waving a dismembered arm might have sparked the Doctor’s Riot of 1788.

The Anatomy Riots: When Americans Protested Grave Robbing by Taking to the Streets

In the 18th and 19th centuries, robbing graves of their corpses for dissection at medical schools was an all too common practice—and sometimes, enraged citizens rose up in protest.

Mel Blanc's headstone in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

11 Unique Headstone Inscriptions

The occupants of these noteworthy graves made sure their final words were memorable.

A “vampire” skeleton found in Sozopol, Bulgaria.

8 Historical Methods for Keeping the Dead in their Graves

People tried their best to keep the dead from rising again with scythes, chains, nails, and more.

‘Sound Effects No. 13 – Death & Horror’ is downright spooky.

Death & Horror: How BBC’s Controversial Sound Effects Album Became a Surprise Hit

The campaign to ban “Sound Effects No. 13 – Death & Horror” didn’t stop it from becoming the first sound effects album to break the UK Top 100 charts in the 1970s.

These spots aren't for the faint of heart.

10 Haunting Dark Tourism Destinations From Around the World

From Auschwitz to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, these dark tourism destinations are fascinating—and definitely not for the faint of heart.

The Girl With the Green Ribbon: A Grisly History of ‘Headless Woman’ Stories

Precursors to the story about the girl with the green ribbon were written by Washington Irving, Alexandre Dumas, and more famous authors.

The Castle of Magical Dreams in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Why There Are No Ghosts in Hong Kong Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Ride

Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland manages to honor the original Haunted Mansion ride while respecting cultural sensitivities at the same time.

The U.S. government recruited a (phony) vampire-esque creature.

False Fang: When the CIA Staged a Vampire Attack

In the 1950s, American counterinsurgents decided to play into Philippine folklore by orchestrating a deadly 'vampire' attack.

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