On this list are some of the more unique traditions that take place during the most wonderful time of the year. 10 La Chocolatada Each year, during Christmas time, companies and municipal governments in Peru band together to provide panettone (sweet bread) and countless cups of hot chocolate to disadvantaged communities within the country. They also collect toys and sweets to hand out to the children within these communities. The La Chocolatada event dates to the 1930s when it was used by politicians to win the approval of citizens....

Throughout the Bible, sorcery, invoking demons and pretty much anything to do with magic is forbidden. However, the top level offense of evoking evil spirits would appear to be an offense not so much because it is intrinsically forbidden, but rather, because it is God’s area of speciality when a leader does not respond. In the book of 1st Samuel, God’s favor is not only withdrawn from King Saul, but “an evil spirit from the Lord” was sent forth upon Saul to “torment him, which makes him act like “an animal”....

10The Case Of Frau Troffea A week before the festival of Mary Magdalene in 1518, Frau Troffea stepped out of her home and started to dance. Her legs took her this way and that. She danced all day and into the evening until she collapsed. Muscles twitching and full of sweat, she slept for a few hours before waking and starting her bizarre dance all over again. On the third day of her dance, her shoes were soaked with blood She was exhausted, but there was no rest for her weary body....

We have a few stirring rescues this week. A teenager tackles a violent pit bull to save a young child, a group of bystanders rallies together just in time to catch a falling toddler, and a community bands together to save a farmer from bankruptcy. 10 Pick On Someone Your Own Size A teenager willingly put himself in the sights of a rampaging pit bull to save a child from being mauled....

SEE ALSO: 10 Pop Culture Icons With Cleverly Hidden Insults These researchers believe that this still happens today. They point to a society such as the Freemasons as a group who would want to maintain exclusive rights to such knowledge. They also contend that these messages—and even warnings—are present in modern-day fiction such as blockbuster movies and popular TV shows. While some of these claims are extremely interesting, it is surely coincidental at best, right?...

Since the 1964 TV show Flipper, the dolphin has been seen as a smart, sweet, and playful creature. I mean, at one point in our lives, didn’t we all want to grow up and be marine biologists so that our job could be to “play with the dolphins?” While it’s true they are extremely intelligent (so much in fact that the U.S. Navy uses them), and they can be kind and playful at times, these beloved creatures have a darker side you might not be aware of....

10 Training Radical Forces After perpetrating the 9/11 attacks, Al-Qaeda became the target of antiterrorist measures and their leader, Osama bin Laden, became one of the most wanted men in the world. However, the history of bin Laden and Al-Qaeda goes back to a violent power struggle in Afghanistan several decades ago. In 1979, Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev invaded Afghanistan, sending the country into turmoil. Throughout the 1980s, the Soviets maintained a presence in Afghanistan and the CIA was permitted to do anything to overthrow the Soviet puppet government....

His story, and that of other Punxsutawney Phil Wannabes, may have its roots in Candlemas, a long-ago Christian tradition when clergy would bless and hand out candles that indicated the length and weather pattern of that particular winter. (The candles were later replaced by hedgehogs and later still, groundhogs.) Some say the ritual occurs on February 2 since that is about halfway between winter and spring. Others say Groundhog Day has its roots in a tradition that indicated if hedgehogs came out of their homes to catch insects on February 2, farmers were certain an early spring would occur....

10 Human Jabba The Hutt The sluglike Jabba the Hutt appears in Return of the Jedi and is one of the most iconic aliens in the Star Wars franchise. Originally, though, Jabba the Hutt was quite different. George Lucas had included Jabba in the script for A New Hope, but due to technical limitations and budgetary constraints, he was played by actor Declan Mulholland. As shown in the video above, Lucas shot a brief scene with Jabba confronting Han Solo in a Tattooine hanger and dressed Mulholland in heavy clothes to make him look more alien....

SEE ALSO: 10 Easy Tricks To Greatly Enhance Your Memory 10 Think Of Life As A Video Game The prevailing opinion of video games is that they’re a waste of time. But according to a study from Michigan State University, video games can be effective tools that allow us to maintain and enhance our relationships. Another study showed that video games proved more effective than medication for treating depression and anxiety....

10Starfish Prime Two decades after the atom bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just blowing up nukes in the Nevada desert was starting to get boring. That’s when someone came up with the bright idea to launch one into space. Why? Just to see what would happen. The US feared the Soviets could destroy American missiles by detonating nukes in space, so it launched its own to find out the results....

The paradox states that if the being can perform such actions, then it can limit its own ability to perform actions and hence it cannot perform all actions, yet, on the other hand, if it cannot limit its own actions, then that is—straight off—something it cannot do. This seems to imply that an omnipotent being’s ability to limit itself necessarily means that it will, indeed, limit itself. This paradox is often formulated in terms of the God of the Abrahamic religions, though this is not a requirement....

Back In Black AC/DCWikipedia The ultimate party album; when this one goes on at get togethers, everybody enjoys it. While AC/DC has never been known for any lyrical or musical depth, they certainly can write catchy songs, and no where is this clearer than Back In Black. The album was the band’s first with replacement singer Brian Johnson. Johnson’s voice is remarkably similar to Bon Scott’s, and this allows the band to continue to develop their sound from 1979’s Highway To Hell....

15The First Photograph [France, 1826] Taken by Nicéphore Niépce, this is the first photograph ever taken which still exists. He called his method heliography (sun writing) and this photograph took 8 hours of exposure time (hence sunlight on both sides of the building). 14 Looking Down Sacramento Street [San Francisco, 1906] This photo was taken on April 18th, 1906. It is the most famous photograph of the devastation caused by the great fire and earthquake....

Wycliffe was a dissident in the Catholic Church in the 1400s. He was opposed to Papal power in non-church affairs. In his lifetime he organized a translation of the Latin Vulgate Bible into English. Despite his teachings being extremely controversial, he was never excommunicated (kicked out of the Church). He died during Mass in December 1384. The Council of Constance declared Wycliffe (on 4 May 1415) a stiff-necked heretic and under the ban of the Church....

SEE ALSO: 10 Creepy Things Killers Have Done To Dead Bodies Some of the most interesting serial killer tales came from nations like Nigeria, Botswana, and South Korea, which had formerly managed to remain under the radar for serial killings. The rest are from India, South Africa, and, of course, the United States. 8 Julius Mndawe In July 2019, officers of the South African police service charged 25-year-old Julius Mndawe for murdering four women and a girl....

The nemesis of super sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty is a criminal mastermind who controls and manipulates all the malefactors in England like pawns. He only plays a small part in the original canon of Arthur Conan Doyle, but later re-imaginings have expanded his role. He is described as a mathematical genius, authoring such enlightening works as “A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem” and “The Dynamics of an Asteroid”, but he is ill suited to the boredom of academic life, and turns to misdeeds....

10 Guest Appearances During the sequence in The Hunchback Of Notre Dame in which Quasimodo sings ‘Out There’ (one of the best songs on the soundtrack), as we pan over a view of Paris from the bell tower, characters from other Disney movies can be seen in the background. Most prominently is Belle (Beauty & The Beast) strolling along in her blue dress and reading a book of course. More sharp eyed viewers may also spot Pumbaa from The Lion King being carried by two men, a street merchant shaking out the flying carpet from Aladdin and even a satellite dish on one of the rooftops....

Turns out, the Aussies have some rather strange goings-on over their way, too, and here’s just a handful of oddball stories that have hit the headlines in Australia’s recent(ish) times. 10 Wallaby Mugs Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny’s best-laid plans were almost ruined this past Easter if a mischievous male wallaby—oddly named Polly—had his wicked way. In Clarence Point, Tasmania, local resident Amanda Sparkles and her two daughters were awakened around 6 am by loud noises on Easter Sunday....

Why? Because it’s the economic engine, cultural capital, and publishing powerhouse of the Western Hemisphere, that’s why. Wanna make sumthin’ of it, tough guy? All accented threats aside, here are ten reasons New York City became New York City. 10 Deep Impact: An Unsurpassed Harbor In 1609, Henry Hudson—the namesake of the river separating Manhattan from New Jersey—was the first European to discover New York City’s single most important attribute: Manhattan is home to one of the largest, most accessible, and most amenable natural harbors in the entire world....