Idiot Idiot originally comes from the Greek word Idiotes which was used to refer to a person who was a private individual – or more specifically, one who was so preoccupied with their own personal life that they would not take part in the democratic process. In the biblical sense, the word referred to an uneducated person. By the fourteenth century, it could also refer to a clown, a layman (non-religious), or an individual....

Whatever strange, silly, or (in)famous things you have seen on your travels throughout the United States, you cannot possibly see every wacky thing in every wacky town across this wacky country often simply referred to as “America.” That’s why this list of small towns famous for weird things is here for you. From the weird to the spooky, from the pointless to the dangerous, from the historic to the futuristic, this list of ten strange towns below might just make you want to go on a road trip in search of them all!...

However, the Victorian era was also responsible for a few slightly odder traditions. Most of them, unfortunately (or in some cases fortunately), did not survive into today. To remember the most interesting of those that did not make the cut, we have compiled a list of the most unusual Christmas customs of yesteryear that are sure to put you in a festive spirit. 10Creepy Christmas Cards The Victorian era is responsible for the creation of the very first Christmas card, which was designed by John Callcott Horsley, an English painter, on the request of his wealthy friend, Sir Henry Cole....

It is easy to want to believe that there may be a utopian space within the Earth, a place where those of us who want to escape can live a more enlightened life. But the modern scientific facts do not support a hollow Earth. Still, we can dream about a world within a world while accepting that some ideas surrounding the hollow Earth theory are totally out of this world....

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Things The US Took From Britain But that’s not the whole story of colonialism. Move beyond the headline atrocities, and a more nuanced picture begins to emerge. Far from being a nonstop cavalcade of horrors, colonialism often resulted in some seriously awesome, surprising stuff. 10 Spreading Good Government Most of us kind of take democracy and functioning government for granted. But a largely democratic world was by no means inevitable....

But the Sun also holds many secrets—and some of them are quite dangerous. In fact, a handful have our scientists legitimately worried! Here are ten rather terrifying dangers of our Sun that have some scientists more than a little bit concerned. 10 UV Radiation Due in part to ozone depletion in our atmosphere, harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation emitted by the Sun constantly bombard our planet’s surface. While this is a good thing in some respects, it also comes with some dangerous downsides....

10Mack Ray Edwards And An Unnamed Accomplice Mack Ray Edwards was a child murderer from California. Over a period of 20 years, he murdered six children—often burying their bodies under the freeways that he was helping to build. He carried out his first murder in 1953 when he kidnapped, raped, and murdered an eight-year-old girl. By Edwards’s own account, he threw her body over a bridge only to later return to the scene and discover that she was still alive....

In school, we learn some basic ideas about gravity. But these give rise to many misconceptions and gaps in our understanding of this important physical force. Here are 10 mind-bending theories and facts that you probably didn’t learn about gravity. 10 Gravity Is A Theory, Not A Law It is a myth that gravity is a scientific law. If you were to do an online search about gravity, you would probably see many articles popping up about the law of gravity....

As the founder of Listverse I get to take a few liberties with the types of lists we publish. Typically I don’t accept lists about fashion or “general living” tips but this happens to be a passion of mine so today I am taking one of those liberties today. This list is focussed on tips for men who have need (either regularly or only on occasion) to dress in something other than jeans and a tee shirt....

10Manhattan’s Floating Farmhouse Homes in Manhattan tend to be tall and made of brick. In fact, building houses from wood was banned in the 19th century to prevent fires. That’s why the wooden house on 203 East 29th Street looks like it’s from the 18th century. It’s almost like a three-story farmhouse flew in from the countryside, landed on top of a brick building, and squashed it. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the house’s origin....

Here are the top ten things that might shock you when you do them, but they are not illegal in the United States. 10 Baby Walkers Are Trouble Baby walkers are adorable toys that are good for a child’s growth. They help infants stand upright and walk by fluttering their tiny feet on the floor. But did you know that other nations have banned them? They believe they can impair an infant’s physical and mental development....

On top of this, you’ve probably read countless news stories about the franchise—good and bad, true and false. But here are some things that you likely haven’t read or heard about the fast-food giant that’ll take you by surprise. 10 It’s A Christmas Tradition In Japan To Eat KFC Although your traditional Christmas might consist of snow, a roast turkey, and mistletoe by the fire, Christmas in Japan is traditionally celebrated with KFC....

10Fight Club Warning: Above video contains strong language. The director of Fight Club, David Fincher, is relatively unique on this list, as he had enough clout to offer pushback against any perceived pressure or censorship from Fox. He ended up using this clout to very amusing effect when Laura Ziskin, president of production at Fox, objected to a line of dialogue from Helena Bonham Carter’s character Marla. The line was, “I want to have your abortion....

Nonetheless, countless well-intentioned people out there have answered the call to help the police in situations when they needed it most, taking up the opportunity to serve and protect those who’ve sworn to serve and protect. Here are ten times that Good Samaritans saved police officers. 10 Florida Traffic Stop When criminals attack, they often care little about who’s watching and where the confrontation with the police is taking place, as evidenced by an incident in March 2017 when a man attacked a police officer on the highway in broad daylight....

10The Center Of The Galaxy Smells Like Raspberries Or Rum It’s well known the galaxy is made up of stars, dust, gas, black holes, and dark matter. But did you know that the galaxy has a delicious scent? Thanks to the IRAM telescope in Spain, Max Plank Institute astronomers studying a dust cloud called Sagittarius B2 near the center of our Milky Way galaxy found the presence of the chemical ethyl formate (C3H6O2)....

But sometimes, Mother Nature herself also decides to give us an extra push toward the edge of extinction. Due to the paranoia of soldiers in the middle of war, simple things like a shooting star or a bird can take them by surprise, causing panic and destruction. Below, we have ten anecdotal examples of such situations, which show us how easy it is to end up destroying ourselves over a simple misunderstanding....

Experts contemplate the reasons why people are raging against the machine. One possibility is the overwhelming anxiety over job losses, estimated to affect over 375 million people by 2030, caused by robots entering the workforce. Another possibility may be the natural human tendency to fear outsiders. Robots may look and act somewhat like us, but they are not us. Frederic Kaplan at Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland wrote that this increasing unease between man and machine may occur because we are so similar....

SEE ALSO: 10 Reasons Millennials Are No Different From Any Other Generation One of the ways hipsters try to avoid mainstream trends is by creating their own, but many hipster trends are not new at all. Indeed, the following ten trends are decades, and sometimes even centuries, old. Perhaps if the hipsters spent less time schmoozing with Instagram thots and more time reading their Bible, they might have heard the ancient wisdom of Ecclesiastes 1:10: “Nihil sub sole novum” (there is nothing new under the sun)....

Royalty today like the Dutch royal family live quite like the rest of us, and others like the British royals still live in castles. Find out how they used to rub shoulders with the great unwashed and why! 10 The French Royal Family In the summer of 1791, the French royal family were forced to flee the revolt of the peasants and lower classes.[1] They were aided by Swedish count Axel Fersen in planning their escape, disguising themselves as a group of German nobility....

As we are about to find out, there are a bunch of different types of tourism, many of which do not conform to the basic stereotype of a tourist. These forms of tourism can be controversial and even dangerous. And even if they’re not likely to cause uproar or get someone killed, there are some bona fide weird ways to travel out there. 10 Jihad Tourism When the Syrian war was in full gear and the Islamic State (aka ISIS) controlled considerable chunks of Iraq and Syria, several Western nations faced a surge in citizens leaving to fight for Islamist groups like ISIS....