Anopsology
The raw facts about the raw-food movement
There are fad diets and fringe diets...and then there is anopsology, the belief that humans should eat only raw, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and (yes) meats.
Murano Glass
The mirror of Venice
A suburb of Venice has been famous for nearly a millennium for producing some of the world's finest and most distinctive glassware.
Groundhog Day
The strange ritual of marmot meteorology
Punxsutawney Phil makes a proclamation each February 2 about how much longer winter will last. His predictions are wrong so often as to defy scientific explanation.
Ultrasonic Mosquito Repellers
The convenient, pocket-sized, battery-powered hoax
You can buy a small device that supposedly drives away mosquitoes using ultrasonic waves. Unfortunately, mosquitoes don't seem to be the least bit bothered by them, but people keep selling them.
Deyrolle
Taxidermy heaven in Paris
An old taxidermy shop in Paris carries an odd collection of stuffed animals, including lions, tigers, zebras, and a giraffe. Creepy and anachronistic, it nevertheless has a strange appeal.
The Oak Island Mystery
Nova Scotia’s notorious money pit
Legend has it that a fantastic treasure is buried in a pit on an island in Nova Scotia. But after more than 200 years, every attempt to recover it has met with failure.
The Musée Mécanique
Good old-fashioned interactive multimedia
Before electronic video games, arcades were filled with electromechanical games, fortune-telling machines, and other amusements. Hundreds of these vintage devices live on in San Francisco's Musée Mécanique.
The Discovery of Radium
Marie Curie’s miracle cure
The miracle element that can both cure and cause cancer was once used in toothpaste and face creams. It may also have contributed to the death of its discoverer, Nobel prize winner Marie Curie.
Sandboarding
Dry surfing or hot snowboarding?
First skateboarding and surfing, then snowboarding; what next? Strap on a board and hit the dunes. People around the world have been sandboarding since at least the 1940s.
The Hurdy-Gurdy
Violin, bagpipes, and kazoo combined
A musical instrument that's quite odd by today's standards, the hurdy-gurdy was quite popular for accompanying dancing in the medieval period. And it's making a bit of a comeback.