People Are Riveted by this Man’s ‘Dark Family Secret’ that he Shared on Twitter

A Twitter user recently asked her followers to reveal a deep, dark family secret that they learned as an adult. In return, she (and all of us) were treated to a story that is simply amazing.

This is how it all began.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And this is the response she got from one guy that no one will forget anytime soon.

Photo Credit: Twitter,angrymantv

Other Tweeters weighed in after reading the incredible story and offered their thoughts.

Photo Credit: Twitter

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You Are Not Allowed to Enter These 10 Forbidden Places

There are many places around our mysterious planet that are too treacherous for humans to enter.

These 10 spots around the globe are full of intrigue…but don’t attempt to venture there. Beware!

1. Svalbard Global Seed Vault – Norway

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

In the Arctic Circle on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. If there was to be a catastrophic disaster, this place would preserve the world’s food crops and would restore the plant kingdom on Earth. It was built with that scenario in mind and can withstand earthquakes and explosions.

2. Ilha Da Queimada Grande (Snake Island) – Off the coast of Brazil

This place is called Snake Island for a reason. The island is located off the coast of Brazil and is known as the only place in the world that is home to the endangered venomous golden lancehead pit viper. The island is closed to protect the snakes and any human that would be unlucky enough to cross paths with them.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

3. The Catacombs – Paris, France

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A small part of these tunnels beneath Paris are open to the public, but 99% of the 170-mile long labyrinth full of skulls and bones is forbidden because people will almost certainly get lost and possibly never be found.

4. Poveglia Island – Italy

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This island was originally used to house victims of the plague during the reign of the Roman Empire. Rumor has it that the ground is made of 50% human ash because of how many bodies were dumped and burned here. In the 1920s, a mental hospital was built on Poveglia Island. It is illegal to visit and they say human bones still wash up on the shore.

5. Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – Ukraine

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster took place in 1986 and the entire area was abandoned. There are certain areas of Chernobyl people can visit, but a 19-mile zone is strictly off-limits because of high radiation levels.

6. Mausoleum Of The First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang – China

Photo Credit: Public Domain

This terracotta army of soldiers wasn’t discovered until 1974, and entry to Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is not allowed. The tomb here still hasn’t been excavated because researchers believe whatever is inside would not be able to be preserved by current technology.

7. Ploutonion At Hierapolis, aka Pluto’s Gate – Turkey

Photo Credit: Flickr,Carole Raddato

This site was once dedicated to the Roman god of death, Pluto. The cO2 concentration inside the gate was measured and researchers found that the gas inside pools and the bottom and forms a “deadly lake” when the temperature drops at night. The cO2 level would be enough to kill animals and humans.

8. Area 51 – Nevada

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

There are a million stories surrounding the super-secretive military base in the middle of the Nevada desert. One thing is for certain: the public is not allowed to enter the premises. The U.S. government actually denied the existence of Area 51 until 2013…so you know there’s a whole lot of top-secret experiments and tests going on there.

9. Surtsey – Iceland

A huge volcanic eruption that began in 1963 and lasted for three years formed the island of Surtsey. The land is now used only for scientific experiments. Scientists who work on the island are not allowed to bring any kind of seeds with them, lest their work be disturbed.

10. North Brother Island – New York

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This 13-acre island is located only three miles from Manhattan, but no one is allowed to enter. The island has a dark past and is currently abandoned. More than 1,000 people died when a boat caught fire near the island in 1904. The island then housed Riverside Hospital and Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary, the first person in the U.S. known to carry the disease. North Brother Island was abandoned until the 1950s when it became the site of a center to treat drug addicts. Today, the island is a bird sanctuary full of crumbling buildings that is off-limits to the public.

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Meet the Woman Who Changed the Lives of World War I Veterans by ‘Restoring’ Their Faces

World War I changed the way wars would be fought for years to come. An onslaught of new weapons and technology made the battlefield more brutal than ever before. As a result, millions of men across Europe and America, if they were lucky enough to return home, came back with terrible injuries.

One person who attempted to right these wrongs was an American woman named Anna Coleman Ladd. She was a sculptor who moved to France with her husband in 1917 and founded the “Studio for Portrait-Masks”. Ladd created masks for men who had been horribly disfigured in battle to give them some semblance of normalcy for the rest of their lives.

Take a look at these photos of Ladd’s incredible work during World War I.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Take a look at this incredible video that showcases Ladd’s work.

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Check Out These 7 Neat Facts About Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley gained notoriety for her sharpshooting skills in the late 19th and early 20th century. She could be seen performing in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and even displayed her shooting talents for royalty and heads of state.

Here are 7 facts about “Little Miss Sure Shot.”

1. She started shooting at 8-years-old

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Oakley (real name Phoebe Ann Mosey) grew up poor in rural Ohio. Her father died when she was very young and she was counted on to contribute to her family. She made her first shot at 8-years-old when she killed a squirrel. Oakley said of the beginning of her shooting, “It was a wonderful shot, going right through the head from side to side. My mother was so frightened when she learned that I had taken down the loaded gun and shot it that I was forbidden to touch it again for eight months.”

2. She offered to lead female shooters in wars

Oakley wanted to use her skills to help her country, and in 1898 she wrote President McKinley and offered 50 female sharpshooters for the Spanish-American War. She never heard back, but in 1917 she contacted the Secretary of War to teach women how to shoot for service in World War I. That never materialized either, so Oakley raised money for the Red Cross and military charities.

3. She beat her future husband in a shooting match

When she was only 15, Oakley matched up against a shooter named Frank Butler in a competition in Cincinnati. Oakley outshot Butler and the man lost the $100 bet he had placed on himself. The two got married the following year.

4. She emphasized her femininity despite her profession

Oakley shot guns for a living against men, but she did not shy away from her feminine side. She wore her own homemade costumes onstage and enjoyed “proper” female activities such as embroidery.

5. She performed for Kings and Queens

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Oakley was one of the stars of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The Old West imagery and mythology were so popular that the show toured Europe. Oakley performed for royalty across Europe, including the Queen of England and Italy’s King Umberto I.

6. She used her skills to pay off her mother’s mortgage

When she was a teenager, Oakley hunted animals and sold the meat to a grocery store in her native Ohio. She eventually earned enough money to pay off her mother’s $200 mortgage. Oakley said, “Oh, how my heart leaped with joy as I handed the money to mother and told her that I had saved enough to pay it off!”

7. She appeared on film as an actress

Oakley visited inventor Thomas Edison in New Jersey in 1894 and showcased her shooting skills for Edison’s Kinetoscope. The film was called The Little Sure Shot of the Wild West and you can watch some of the footage by clicking HERE.

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These 5 Historical Treasures May Have Disappeared Forever

Someone call Indiana Jones because this is not a drill: many historical relics are missing and historians and archaeologists fear they may be gone forever.

Take a look at these dazzling historical treasures that, as of today, are still nowhere to be found.

1. Crown jewels of Ireland

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Crown Jewels of Ireland have been missing since July 1907 when the regalia was in Dublin. The jewels belonged to the Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick. The thief (or thieves) also stole five collars of the Knight Members of the Order.

An intense investigation was launched but never turned up anything. Over 100 years later, the jewels remain missing.

2. Sappho’s Poems

Photo Credit: Public Domain

Greek poet Sappho lived roughly 2,500 years ago and was thought to have produced 9 volumes of writing. But so far, only a couple of full poems and a few hundred lines of various other writings have been discovered.

Even though Sappho’s writings are so old doesn’t mean they are gone forever. In 2014, an excavation of a trash dump in Egypt turned up two works of Sappho’s writing. Let’s hope more will be uncovered as years go by.

3. Fabergé Eggs

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Another Russian mystery that continues to confound historians and researchers. Before the Russian Revolution in 1917, the House of Fabergé was the largest jeweler in Russia. The company employed 500 designers and craftsmen to make elaborate works of art out of everything imaginable.

The company made a set of jewel-covered Easter eggs for Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II (known as the Imperial Eggs), who gave the eggs to their wives and mothers. Each egg contained a surprise inside such as a wind-up train or a singing bird and the shells were extremely elaborate. After the imperial family was overthrown and executed during the revolution, the Soviets took the eggs.

Stalin later sold off the eggs, and 7 of the 50 Imperial Eggs are still missing today. But keep your eyes open. In 2012 an American man bought an egg that he was going to use for its gold for $14,000. He found out he had purchased one of the Imperial eggs worth $30 million.

4. The Amber Room

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This is truly a captivating mystery. The Amber Room near St. Petersburg, Russia was gifted to the nation in 1716 and was decorated with jewels, amber, and gilding. The room was part of the Catherine Palace in a town called Tsarskoye Selo.

When the Nazis inched closer to St. Petersburg during World War II, the curators at the Catherine Palace knew they had to attempt to save the Amber Room. They hid the room behind wallpaper, but the Germans found the riches anyway. The Amber Room was broken into pieces, shipped to Germany and installed in the Königsberg castle museum.

After that, the fate of the Amber Room is unknown. Some believe it was destroyed during the war, while others think the extravagant room is still hidden somewhere. Pieces of the room turned up in Germany in 1997, but the whereabouts of the rest of the chamber remains a mystery. The Amber Room was recreated in 2003 near St. Petersburg and visitors are allowed to visit the room.

5. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Heist

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The biggest unsolved art heist in the world took place on March 18, 1990, at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Two men claiming to be police officers were buzzed into the museum. The men then tied up security guards and made off with 13 works of art worth $500 million.

There is currently a $10 million reward for the recovery of the pieces, which include works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, and Manet.

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Europeans Share Their Biggest “WTF, America?” Moments

Ever wonder what people from other countries think when they visit America?

In this AskReddit thread, European travelers share their biggest WTF moments about America.

1. Cherry pie

“Did a house exchange in New Jersey (from UK) and on the second day a neighbour came to the door with an actual cherry pie to welcome us and ask us to dinner. Was:

A huge confirmation of stereotype
Really touching and sweet (pie was also wonderful btw)
A bit weird because we knew our neighbours wouldn’t give a flying f-ck and we felt bad :/ “

2. Big country = Big cars

“I really wasn’t prepared for the size of the cars! I’m used to getting into cars by opening the door and sitting down, not climbing up. And we had a rental car, a Dodge of some sort, that was pretty much a tank, with tiny windows so you could barely see where you were going.”

3. Welcome to Florida

“In 2015 I went to Florida. We walked past a crazy golf place and a guy was holding an alligator in his arms, he also told me he had an 8-foot alligator in the back.

I’m from England, so I don’t think I’ll ever quite get over just how casual he was having a dang alligator in his arms.”

4. Free refills

“Went to some diner in Portland, Oregon and I ordered coffee. Half way in my coffee she asked me if I wanted a refill, I politely declined telling her I was short on cash. She laughed and said refills are free of charge, and to top of my amazed reaction she complimented my shirt. Needless to say, she cured my hangover and I fell in love.”

5. Why not?

“It was my second trip to California, I was only 18 years old. When I got out of the plane, as usual, I had to go through all those security checks. At the last checkpoint, the officer asked me whether I have anything in my suitcase that I didn’t mention on tis CBP thing. Then he asked for drugs and then for alcohol. I honestly answered all questions with “No” when surprisingly he asked me “Why not?”.

A bit confused, I told him that I knew, I wasn’t allowed to take drugs or drink alcohol in his country. He got interested and asked whether it was different where i’m from (Germany). Here the minimum age is 16 for light beverages like beer and wine and 18 for the other stuff like spirits. He was so interested, he kept asking stuff for like 5 minutes, not even minding the 100 people behind me. When he let me pass, he instantly turned towards the guy in the other checkpoint was like “Hey, did you know … ” “

6. Normal

“While in Florida, we went through a drive through and the lady couldn’t understand what i was ordering regardless of how slowly and carefully i spoke so, i decided to go inside instead where the lady behind the counter couldn’t understand me either, i am a northern brit but not too too broad an accent.

My little sister had to put on her Florida accent to order for us, the manager who eventually took the order said she was sorry as the staff were only used to “normal” English lol.”

7. Interesting points

“Boston: didn’t notice I had left Europe.

Houston: the people were as friendly as they were huge. And loud. Hugely loud. And loudly huge, I guess.

Nashville and other places I went kinda blend together in my head, except for the delicious food.

Oh, and the person who asked if my country had coins and traffic lights. I.. what.. yes? I mean.. wat.”

8. BACON

“Ordered a BLT sandwich in Las Vegas, I swear that sandwich was 90% bacon. Under a mount Everest of bacon were two tiny lurk warm tomato slices and a single leaf of lettuce almost apologizing for being there. 10/10 would visit America again.”

9. Made his day

“First time I flew to America, right at the airport I see this guy walking around just all dressed up like a cowboy and my day was just made right there.

They’ve always just been these fantasy characters from TV or movies, in the back of my mind I knew they’re real but no matter what you can never be prepared to really see one.

He wasn’t even a cowboy, just an American.

10. Into the great wide open

“The space. You guys have so much unused untouched space, it’s crazy. In Europe there is barely anywhere that isn’t owned or isn’t being used. In Europe we have protected forests, in America you have some unrestricted, uncontrolled forests that are massive!”

11. The horror

“I’m actually in NYC right now, so that was good timing! I’m from the UK.

Yesterday I went to Central Park and there were literally two guys just driving around on segways with giant a– snakes around their necks. Occasionally they’d take them off and drape them around the nearest random person. I was actually frozen with horror.”

12. We’re the best!

“I’m an Aussie who visited USA, hope it’s okay for me to crash this thread.

We LOVED our visit – loved the whole bloody place, but i was absolutely gobsmacked when I found Froot Loops with marshmallows. I genuinely did not think it was possible to make Froot Loops more unhealthy, but you guys did it – love your work!”

13. Friendly

“While walking around Austin, random people would just give me a “Hey, how’s it going” as they walked past. In the UK, if someone even looks like they might glance in your direction, it probably means they’re about to try selling you something. I probably offended a couple of them with how defensive I seemed…”

14. People pleasers

“In Florida, how amazingly friendly people were whilst talking absolute nonsense to make us happy. We are from Wales in the UK, this guy at a burger store asked where we were from and started to tell us how he loves Wales, then went on about how his mum lives there.

We asked what part of Wales does she live?

His reply, “Paris, I think”. “

15. The usual

“Pretty stereotypical stuff. Couple we stayed with were hugely nice but very religious and overweight. They voted for Obama and then Trump. Also drove us 4 hours for a daytrip! The bread is inexplicably sweet. A nice healthy pancake with blueberries for breakfast was actually five pancakes with blue syrup and whipped cream. I could get used to root beer floats though.”

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German Stonehenge May Have Been the Site of Human Sacrifices

When two archaeologists excavated an ancient site known as the “German Stonehenge,” they were expecting to uncover axes, animal bones, and drinking vessels. But André Spatzier and François Bertemes stumbled upon something much different – and more sinister.

Photo Credit: iStock

The duo found the dismembered bodies of 10 women and children at the site called Pӧmmelte in northeastern Germany. One body had its hands tied behind its back, and four of them suffered from skull trauma and rib fractures before death. The position of the bodies suggests they were thrown into a burial shaft. All of this evidence has caused researchers to question whether Pӧmmelte may have been used for human sacrifice. The site was used for 300 years before it was destroyed around 2050 BCE.

Photo Credit: US Air Force

Amazingly, Pӧmmelte wasn’t discovered until 1991, when it was spotted by aerial photographers after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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A Man Found an Amazing Collection of LGBTQ Artifacts Stashed Away in a Loft

When Gavin McGregor discovered two bags stashed away in his London loft, he didn’t think much about it until he took a much closer look. When he finally searched through the bags, he found that he’d stumbled upon a treasure trove of LGBTQ artifacts from the 1980s.

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor quickly realized that he had a significant time capsule of the LGBTQ scene.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And the second bag contained even more impressive finds.

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor also found the manuscript of a novel and tried to get in touch with the writer.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Bill Albert replied that he had submitted his novel to a short-lived publishing company that was run by two people: one now lived in South Africa and the other was Paud Hegarty, who had died from AIDS nearly 20 years ago. McGregor thought that the deceased Paud Hegarty might have been the man behind the artifact collection.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor decided to donate the collection to Gay’s The Word to honor Hegarty’s legacy.

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor said, “I’ve received fascinating, moving, personal memories and stories from a range of people already, telling stories and sharing memories.” What a great story.

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9 Cool Facts About Art

I love to paint, but I’m really, really bad at it. Still, it gives me a break from life once in a while, and that’s a good escape.

Enjoy these facts about painting, art, etc. while I try to improve my skills.

1. Very cool

Photo Credit: did you know?

2. Bob was the man

Photo Credit: did you know?

3. They should bring this back

Photo Credit: did you know?

4. Completely by hand

Photo Credit: did you know?

5. Stolen

Photo Credit: did you know?

6. Hahaha

Photo Credit: did you know?

7. Gay Street

Photo Credit: did you know?

8. Bob again

Photo Credit: did you know?

9. Tiny portrait

Photo Credit: did you know?

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Handy Infographic Shows the Most Spoken Languages around the World

This neat infographic was created by Alberto Lucas Lopez for the South China Morning Post.

As you can see, it breaks down the world’s 23 most-common languages that are spoken by over 4 billion people across the planet. Take a look.

Photo Credit: Alberto Lucas Lopez

Click HERE to view the full-sized image.

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