The Jökulsárgljúfur National Park (the name means "glacial river canyon") is Iceland's newest reserve. Sometimes referred to as "Iceland's Grand Canyon," the park possesses the country's largest gorge, verdant vegetation, bizarre rock formations and caves, the steep-walled valley of Ásbyrgi, and countless waterfalls. Other highlights include...Read more

One of the best known, and probably the most famous Bermuda Triangle incidents concerns the loss of Flight 19, a squadron of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers on a training flight out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida on December 5, 1945. According to Berlitz, the flight consisted of expert naval aviators who, after reporting a number of odd ...Read more

Sports historians have traced roller skating to the early 1800s when an unknown Dutchman sought to find a warm-weather equivalent to ice skating. He decided to attach wooden disks to shoes; after a short period of refinement, roller skating became a popular pastime in Holland. The sport attained even greater popularity among the North American ...Read more

The Roman emperor Commodus had all of the dwarfs, cripples, and freaks collected in the city of Rome and had them brought to the Colosseum, where they were ordered to fight each other to the death.

According to the Gregorian calendar, which is the civil calendar in use today, years evenly divisible by 4 are leap years, with the exception of centurial years that are not evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, the years 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not leap years, but 1600, 2000, and 2400 are

It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States that it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to and from the New World.

During an eclipse of the sun in 1868, spectral lines were located that were attributed to an unknown element that was called "helium," from the Greek word for "sun." Thirty years later, helium was discovered on Earth.

Bad weather on the way to the wedding is thought to be an omen of an unhappy marriage; some cultures, however, consider rain is considered a good omen. Cloudy skies and wind are believed to cause stormy marriages. Snow, on the other hand, is associated with fertility and wealth.

Cork comes from the bark of trees. Specifically, it is harvested from the cork tree, which takes more than ten years to produce one layer of cork.

2005 brought a new size to the G.I. Joe team with a line called G.I. Joe: Sigma 6. Based out of the storyline that started in 1982, the figures are in a larger, 8-inch scale and are accompanied by a television series and comic. However, while the more military-themed G.I. Joe is on hiatus, his spirit lives on in the wares of other companies such...Read more

During an eclipse of the sun in 1868, spectral lines were located that were attributed to an unknown element that was called "helium," from the Greek word for "sun." Thirty years later, helium was discovered on Earth.

Western singer and cowboy star Tex Ritter was born Woodward Maurice Ritter. He was nicknamed "America's Most Beloved Cowboy" and is likely best remembered for singing the award-winning title song in the Gary Cooper/Grace Kelly classic, High Noon (1952).

Mercury has been known since about the third millennium B.C. The planet was given two names by the Greeks: Apollo, for its apparition as a morning star, and Hermes as an evening star. Greek astronomers knew, however, that the two names referred to the same body.

The Roman emperor Commodus had all of the dwarfs, cripples, and freaks collected in the city of Rome and had them brought to the Colosseum, where they were ordered to fight each other to the death.

Goldfish lose their color if they are kept in a dim light or they are placed in a body of running water, such as a stream. They remain gold when kept in a pond or in a bowl with adequate illumination.

Scientists say that people who sleep less than average (less than 6 hours a night) are more organized and efficient than everybody else.

Bananas do not grow on trees. They grow on plants that are giant herbs and are related to the lily and orchid family.

The average pencil holds enough graphite to draw a line about 35 miles long or to write roughly 45,000 words. History does not record anyone testing this statistic. If you wanted to remove that line you'd have an easier time in the U.S.; Most pencils sold in America today have eraser tips, while

Kissing one's fingertips is a common gesture throughout Europe and Latin America countries. It connotes the declaration of "aah, beautiful!" The recipient of the kiss may be anything from a woman or a wine, a sports car or a soccer play. It is believed the gesture originated from the custom of the ancient Greeks and Romans who, when entering and...Read more

Mary Anne Nichols, Martha Turner, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Catherine Eddowes were London prostitutes who were murdered and dismembered by the notorious "Jack the Ripper" in the autumn of 1888. The perpetrator of these chilling atrocities was never found, although many theories as to