The Malleus Maleficarum, aka Hammer of Witches, was the de facto standard playbook for witchcraft trials in the 17th century. Here is how to officially charge, try – and convict – a witch.

Malleus Maleficarum 1519 Hammer of Witches

The Latin Malleus Maleficarum, aka Hammer of Witches, was written in 1486 as a treatise on witchcraft. It describes how a community can determine if a person is a witch using basic questions (and torture) to obtain confessions.

Remains of medieval soldier found at bottom of Lithuanian lake, hidden for centuries beneath the mud.

The oddities and curiosities of the year 2020

Most of us are counting the days until 2021. It seems like this year will never end. Here are the freakish events we endured during this most unusual (and somewhat terrifying) year.

Read former President Barack Obama’s speech to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, as prepared for delivery.

Rainbow plaguq on Leeds City Varieties Theater

You’ve probably heard the language spoken in Doctor Who, Doom Patrol, Filth Rich and Catflap, Velvet Goldmine, or Dragon Quest, sometimes subtitled like a foreign language. Polari is the name of a form of slang that was once used in Britain by some actors, circus and fairground showmen, professional wrestlers, merchant navy sailors, criminals, prostitutes,…

iceberg taken by captain wood ss etonian in 41°50n 49°50w april 12th at 4pm 1913 sic e1593107314134

A rare photo has emerged which may confirm earlier purported photos of the iceberg that sank the unsinkable RMS Titanic on April 12, 1912. The photo above was taken by W. Wood, the captain of the SS Etonian. The inscription on the photo reads: “Iceberg taken by Captain Wood SS Etonian in 41°50N 49°50WApril 12th…

The list below (organized by state) contains the known locations for Transcontinental Airway (airmail route) beacons/arrows that are known to exist today.

Called the Doomsday Clock, it hangs on a wall in the University of Chicago. In over 65 years, the time has only changed twenty-one times. Created in 1947, during the dawn of the atomic age, the universally-recognized clock represents the countdown to human extinction. The closer they set the clock to midnight, the closer the…

It’s long plagued Egyptologists and mechanical engineers and created many sleepless nights for Geek Slop – how did the Egyptians move those massive 2 ½ ton stones that were used to create their magnificent pyramids? Scientists from the University of Amsterdam believe they have figured it out – and the answer has been right in…

Experts at the National Archives say it’s long been a mystery – what the photograph depicts, why it was photographed, and where it was shot. But a retired government accountant from Maryland, Paul Taylor, believes the scene was shot on Broadway, outside New York’s historic Grace Church, and that it was shot on Tuesday, April…

Category: History and Civilization

The Malleus Maleficarum, aka Hammer of Witches, was the de facto standard playbook for witchcraft trials in the 17th century. Here is how to officially charge, try – and convict – a witch.

Remains of medieval soldier found at bottom of Lithuanian lake, hidden for centuries beneath the mud.

2020 year in review: Life during annus horribilis – a cheatsheet you can use to tell your grandkids about the most freakish year in human history.

Here is the complete text of Barack Obama’s historical 2020 Democratic Nation Convention speech.

Polari – this bizarre slang has been around for hundreds of years.

Is this a photo of the iceberg that sank the RMS Titanic?

List of locations of Transcontinental Airway beacons and concrete arrows (station name, counties, GPS coordinates)

The Doomsday Clock – a grim reminder that the human race is not immortal

New research proves clever trick Egyptians used to move those massive stones across the sand

National Archives photo mystery solved – newly-discovered 150-year-old photos depict Lincoln funeral procession

Our Sponsors

Save your cart?