10 Barking Off Squirrels “Barking off” was a type of squirrel hunting popular in America in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was created in the backwoods of Kentucky and popularized by renowned frontiersman Daniel Boone, who was famous for his marksmanship. The goal of the contest was to hunt squirrels, but not by shooting them. Instead, the hunters would shoot the bark right below the squirrels. The impact was strong enough to shatter the bark and create a concussion blast powerful enough to kill the squirrels....

One of the strangest implications of this theory is that, if true, fictional universes aren’t fictional at all—that there exists in physical reality worlds where our favorite characters are actually real and go about their lives. But what happens when we can’t get their stories straight? Today’s Hollywood, where reboots, remakes, and retellings are all par for the course, could be seriously screwing with the space-time continuum—changing some characters into totally different people, altering the dynamics of entire worlds in weird ways, or even bringing whole worldlines crashing down on a whim....

Some Indians, fiercely embracing exactly the same modernity that those in the West take for granted, resent that their country is still known for its sacred cows and its bizarre rituals. Stereotypes can be difficult to swallow. But they shouldn’t resent this list: it reflects only one small and fascinating shade of the enormous, incredible, multi-faceted country that is India. People from South India ‘celebrate’ the Theemithi festival by walking barefoot across a pit filled with burning hot firewood, or sometimes glowing charcoal....

10The Mapinguari 9The Lukwata One of the more legendary entries on our list, the Lukwata is a Sudanese cryptid said to lurk within the swamps around Lake No. It is usually described as a great serpent up to 30 meters (100 ft) in length. According to a 1937 article by Captain W. Hichens: “its eyes flash deadly fire and . . . it feeds on men and large animals, which it seizes with monstrous bristling tentacles protruding from its muzzle....

With its center situated at Clonegal Castle in Ireland, the Fellowship of Isis has a global community of over 24,000 members, of any religion. The Fellowship’s aim is to promote the ‘divine feminine’ and educates her members about the relationship that can be formed with a Goddess. Members can be ordained into priesthood through ritual (long distance is not a problem, as members of the fellowship can ‘ tune in’ to you) and can be as active as they want to be....

10 An Essay on the Principle of Population In 1798, Thomas Robert Malthus identified a potential problem in his native England that would soon affect the globe. In his day, infant mortality was falling, and people were living longer lives. This was great news—except for the fact that food production wouldn’t be able to keep up. The reason was simple. Population increases geometrically, roughly doubling every 25 years, but food production could only increase arithmetically....

The lethal injection was first introduced in the 1970s in the United States and, until very recently, has been the ready answer for those sentenced to death. It spread to several countries and is widely regarded as the best method of execution available. Maybe it is, but recent research has raised the question: Is the injection truly painless? And, if not, what can replace it? 10 A More Humane Execution The initial proposal for lethal injections came during the Enlightenment when a humane method of execution was highly sought after....

10 The Life Of Brian Monty Python’s story of Brian, a hapless citizen of Roman Judea who is mistakenly identified as the Messiah, caused a massive firestorm upon its release in the UK. Michael Palin and John Cleese even had to debate the film on BBC Two with Malcolm Muggeridge, a Catholic journalist, and Mervyn Stockwood, Anglican Bishop of Southwark. After watching the debate again, Cleese commented that he “was astonished ....

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Bloodcurdling Religious Rites 10 It’s Called Hinduism The terms “Hindu” and “Hinduism” are anachronistic and do not refer to any ancient texts of Hinduism. The term refers to the people of the Indus River region of India. “Hindu” and “Hinduism” likely came from the Persians who invaded the Indian subcontinent and who may have referred to the people of the river valley using the word “Hindu,” which means “river....

Yet for all its clout, the EU remains something most people are broadly ignorant about. If you’re from outside the continent and feel perplexed every time phrases like “Eurozone,” “European Economic Area,” and “What the heck is EFTA?” get thrown around, you’ve come to the right place. 10 Every European Country Is A Member Let’s get this out of the way. Plenty of journalists like to use “Europe” interchangeably with “the EU....

The once-banned items on this list range from sports to beverages to even holidays. And the holiday we are talking about here isn’t just any holiday but Christmas. The fact that the ban was issued by a Christian sect even makes it more surprising. 10 Football Football (or soccer, if you prefer) has a turbulent history in England and Scotland, where it has been banned several times. Edward II of England issued the first ban on April 13, 1314, prohibiting the sport in London....

As with all big questions, very smart people are attempting to answer this one. Here are some theories that have been put forth. 10 We Perceive The World In Slices Of Time Scientists have been unable to agree whether perception of our surroundings flows unimpeded like water or is perceived incrementally, like images in a flip book. Researchers have developed a model which posits that it is a little of both....

Even if you aren’t a superstitious person, just being in these places can be unnerving, knowing the horrible things that might have occurred while they were still operational. Histories of poor living conditions, torture, and murder make these places particularly unnerving. Here are 10 of the creepiest abandoned jails in Europe. 10 Isle of Procida Prison This Italian prison lies on the island of Procida, high atop a cliff. In fact, it has some of the best views of the Bay of Naples available on the island....

Yes. Go digging through the Clinton closet, and you’ll uncover more skeletons than in your average medieval plague pit. 10Cozy Ties To Hideous Regimes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Algeria are disparate countries with different histories. They do have one thing in common: a callous disregard for human rights, something Clinton seemingly ignored when accepting megabucks off their despotic leaders. Over the years, the Clinton Foundation accepted tens of millions of dollars from countries with appalling attitudes toward women, gays, and religious minorities....

Since 1964, the state has been battling leftist rebels in an orgy of violence that has left 220,000 dead and has become the longest currently running civil war in the world. But it’s not the sheer number of victims that makes Colombia’s conflict so horrifying as much as it is the awful sadism and hideous atrocities that have accompanied it. 10The Assassination That Sparked A Deadly Riot Although its roots stretch back much further, the origins of Colombia’s current conflict can be pinpointed to a single day: April 9, 1948....

While some cultures prefer the more somber affairs we associate with Western funerals, many opt for a more upbeat and celebratory atmosphere. This is often the case when the belief system supposes that there’s an afterlife of some kind, whether that’s a veil from which they watch over the living, a period of reincarnation, or a plain where they’re reunited with other ancestors or loved ones that have already passed on....

Top 10 Truly Terrible Television Series 10 Adventure Time Animated tv show Adventure Time has always been a home to many dirty jokes. Set in a post-apocalyptic world and centering around the adventures of a boy named Finn, and his magic dog Jake in the magical Land of Ooo. The show was broadcast on Cartoon Network, and ran from 2010 to 2018. Throughout its 8 year run, the show was always a source of controversy for parents due to the content of some of its jokes....

Well, nearly always. While most of us today are aware of Putin’s excessive human rights abuses or the Armenian Genocide that Turkey insists never happened, there are still plenty of crimes getting swept under the rug. For reasons of realpolitik, propaganda, or simply to keep the money flowing, some immensely powerful people would prefer you didn’t know about the following. 10Imperial Japan’s Kidnapping And Sex Slavery In 1932, Japan opened its first “comfort station....

10 VVA-14 Nuclear submarines were a key part of Cold War strategy for both the Soviet Union and the United States. Due to the damage that submarines could do during a nuclear war, both sides developed complex countermeasures for detecting and destroying them. One of the best ways to destroy submarines was by using specially designed anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft fitted with a variety of torpedoes and sonar systems. Of all the ASW aircraft from the Cold War, none were stranger than the Soviet Union’s VVA-14....

10Yuka Woolly Mammoth Though researchers have found multiple specimens of well-preserved woolly mammoths in the past, Yuka is by far the more strikingly well-preserved to date. The remains of this 1.8-meter (6 ft) baby woolly mammoth were accidentally discovered in August 2010 in Yakutia, a remote region of Siberia. The animal was between six and nine years old when it died, and its carcass is estimated to be about 39,000 years old....