Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, was published in 1838. He claimed the story to be based on true events. As it turned out, he was correct, but the events had not yet occurred.
One scene in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket visits a whaling ship lost at sea, taking with it all but four crewmen. Out of food, the men drew lots to see who would be eaten, the unfortunate decision landing on a young cabin boy named Richard Parker.
Forty-six years later, there was an actual disaster at sea involving the Mignonette. It became famous due to the legal consequences of some gruesome events on board, specifically the way the men drew lots and decided to eat their cabin boy: an unfortunate chap named Richard Parker.
The Ironic End of the Scientist Who Discovered R.E.M. Sleep
Although we spend, on average, one-third of our lives sleeping, the scientific study of the activity is relatively new. Officially known as somnology, the study of sleep began in earnest in 1936 with the discovery of different stages of sleep. It wasn’t until 1953 that the research really took off with the discovery of the…
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Interesting, Curious, and Freaky Facts about the Mighty Hoover Dam
When it comes to dams, there are plenty to consider. There is China’s Three Gorges Dam that is so big that it slows the earth’s rotation. There is another Chinese dam whose collapse was the greatest structural failure in history. There is the world’s largest dam that happens to have been built by beavers. And,…
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The First Driver to Exceed 100 km/h and His Freaky Prediction About His Death
It seems that every week brings reports of new advancements with electric vehicles. It’s easy to think electric cars are a new phenomenon, but they are nearly as old as the automobile, itself. The early electric automobiles were no second-hand substitute for the gas-powered alternative. The first automobile to go faster than 100 km/h (62…
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Commonplace Fun Facts 
OMG. This is a creepy story!
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