Category: News

West Point is associated with the best and most disciplined the United States Army has to offer. A little over 200 years ago, however, the military school enjoyed a decidedly different reputation. Colonel Sylvanus Thayer would prove instrumental in turning things around. But he may have gone a bit too far in the process, banning […]

‘Tis the Season for sweets and treats, especially gingerbread cookies piled high with icing and loads of colorful sprinkles and candies. If you’ve got a family recipe you swear by, then perhaps you’re an “amateur expert” when it comes to assembling cookie couples and castles. However, trying to piece together simple gingerbread house scenes can […]

Eumillipes persephone, a.k.a. the leggiest creature in the animal kingdom. Credit: Paul Marek, et al. 2021 (CC BY 4.0) The name “millipede” literally means “a thousand feet.” But truth be told, these creatures have never lived up to the claim; most millipedes are lucky to have a few hundred legs at most. That is, until […]

Thanks to the thousands of people who participated in Ripley’s Shave the Beard and Make it Weird challenge, Hoss the Human Hairball is now recognized by Guinness World Records™ as the Largest Ball of Human Hair! According to Guinness World Records™, Ripley’s has broken the existing record for Largest Ball of Human Hair ever created […]

London’s Natural History Museum has gone full Clark Griswold with their holiday décor this year, even decking their animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex in an ugly sweater that would make Santa sing “fa-la-la-la-roar!” While humans and their pets have been getting in on the ugly sweater action for years now, the T. rex‘s tiny arms (and extinction) […]

Many of us are familiar with the classic Christmas tradition of kissing underneath the mistletoe. But, before there were awkward encounters beneath the strategically placed branch, this parasitic bunch of green symbolized a bit more than just a peck on the cheek. Feeling GreenThough it is considered a festive plant, mistletoe can actually make you […]

While Santa Claus is known by boys and girls across the world today, the magical toy-giving character got his start as a very real Christian bishop in the ancient Roman Empire. Stories of him quelling storms, saving the lives of prostitutes, and even bringing babies back to life have been spread throughout the centuries. Little […]