How can they justify this? What are these people trying to achieve? They’re questions we often ask, but that we rarely try to answer. The motives of terrorists, though, aren’t a secret. They tell us why they’re doing it every chance they get—and understanding them just might be the key to defeating the ideas behind Islamic terrorism. 10The Sykes-Picot Agreement In a propaganda video, ISIS called for the “end of Sykes-Picot....

10 Selfie Sticks The first selfie stick was invented long before the first handheld mobile device was made. This 1925 photograph, for instance, may show a couple taking a photograph with a camera attached to a stick. However, a selfie stick was definitely invented by the Japanese man Hiroshi Ueda in the 1980s. A photographer and worker at the Minolta camera company, Hiroshi made the selfie stick because he and his wife were unable to take pictures of themselves during a trip to Europe....

However, with the advent of the modern food system and the global need to bring safe food to all corners of the globe, many new ingredients have been used to keep our food safe for eating. The fact that people don’t have quite as much knowledge of the origins of their food anymore has caused many to become increasingly worried about what they are eating, and that’s made it increasingly easy for people to be fooled by fake food scares....

In many cases, the murder or disappearance is a direct result of the victim’s pregnancy and the potential scandal that it could have caused. As a result, suspicion will fall upon those who have a lot to lose if the child is born. 10 The Kerry Babies Case One of the strangest mysteries in the history of Ireland is the Kerry babies case. On April 14, 1984, a newborn boy was found stabbed to death on White Strand Beach near Cahersiveen in County Kerry....

10 Mojo Bag Mojo bags, or “prayers in a bag,” originated in West Africa, where charm sacks are used to drive away evil, bring good luck, or attract lovers. Most mojo bags are made of red flannel. There are also green bags for attracting money, white varieties for baby blessings, and even leather ones found in the West Indies. The contents of the bags change depending on the aims of the user and can be roots, herbs, animal parts, minerals, tokens, or amulets....

You would think, then, that all miracles would blow the mind—yet with so many miracles occurring, at least some are a little humdrum. Here are ten amazingly underwhelming acts of God. 10 Failing To Learn French St. Lutgarde found herself given over to a nunnery in the 12th century, not because of any particular piety but because her dowry had been lost to bad investments. With no prospects of a marriage, the life of a nun was the most respectable option open to her....

Da dum, da dum, da dum … But how realistic are these portrayals of shark attacks really? How much of what we see is fact and how much is fiction? On this list are 10 movies with shark attack scenes reviewed by shark scientists: Melissa Cristina Marquez – marine biologist, shark scientist, science communicator, tv presenter and author. She received her BS in Marine Ecology and Conservation from New College of Florida, where her senior thesis focused on Sex Specific Differences in Habitat use and Migratory behavior shown in great white sharks in South Africa....

Great White Pelicans roam the coasts of Eurasia, filling their multi-gallon bills with fish and other sea life. However, there are few limits to the pelican’s ability to swallow prey whole, and rather surprising larger animals may be targeted. Recently, a Great White was filmed at a London park capturing a live pigeon in its massive jaws, before swallowing the bird . . . alive. Not many avians are capable of simply swallowing another bird whole....

While outside institutions, such as the FBI, have played their part in adding to the mystique of rock and roll, the musicians themselves have been the predominant movers and shakers. Some bands have added to music’s rebellious image by trashing hotel rooms or dying before age 30. Others have kept their origins intentionally vague so as to create a general air of mystery, while a majority just let their music do the talking....

10Elsa Garcia Elsa Garcia was taken out of an orphanage when she was four months old. Her new caretakers were Pastor Joe Combs and his wife Evangeline—but they hadn’t adopted her. They’d stolen her out of her crib and locked her in their home, believing God wanted them to use her as a slave. For 20 years, Elsa was not allowed to leave the Combs’ home. From the age of five, Joe repeatedly raped her....

10Belief Was Considered A Pagan Superstition In the early Middle Ages, it was not respectable to admit to a belief in magic. St. Augustine, an influential late antique theologian, denied that demons could grant people magical powers, allowing only that they could deceive people into thinking they had magical powers. This line of thought was followed by most early medieval legal and theological writing. A Carolingian capitulary issued for the newly conquered (and newly Christianized) region of Saxony forbids killing a woman on suspicion of witchcraft on penalty of death, describing the crime as something done, “in the pagan manner....

Although these regions are always marked by their lack of precipitation, a variety of plants and animals with unique qualities call the desert home. In addition, these otherworldly landscapes hold more secrets than one might think. Millions of years of history are buried in the dunes and ice along with prospects for our future. Here, we explore a few unexpected discoveries and common misconceptions about these overlooked terrains. 10 How To Get Water From Air Cacti, desert grasses, and beetles have one thing in common—they collect water from the evening fog and use it to keep hydrated in the arid desert where lifesaving moisture is hard to come by....

One cold case may not be solved, however. The case of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, also known as the Cleveland Torso Murders, ran from 1935 until 1938. This was long before the collection and storage of forensic evidence was common, so the likelihood of finding possible DNA samples in the archives of the Cleveland Police Department are very slim. The unknown fiend is believed to have murdered and mutilated at least 12 people, most of whom were the working poor and homeless citizens of Cleveland....

10 Mini Guillotine During the French Revolution, guillotines that were 0.6 meters (2 ft) high were a popular children’s toy. Children used them to chop off the heads of dolls, birds, and mice. Interestingly, some salon hostesses also used these toys to amuse their guests. Small “enemy” dolls were filled with “blood” (perfume) and decapitated. When the mother of German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was asked to buy such a violent toy for her grandson, she replied furiously: Buy such an infamous instrument of murder!...

Nevertheless, many of us have been scared by a tree at some point or another—one with a sinister shape at night or a face-like feature we didn’t expect or scratching at the window in the dark. These examples are just people freaking themselves out, of course, but there might be something more than that to the following trees . . . 10 An Unbelievable Story In 1874, newspapers throughout the United States reported an amazing, and horrific, new discovery on the island of Madagascar off the coast of Africa: a man-eating tree!...

From studying the texts themselves, Bible scholars have come up with many theories on who actually wrote the scriptures. These theories provide serious challenges to traditional assumptions on Bible authorship. 10Moses Did Not Write The Pentateuch Jews and Christians widely believe that Moses wrote the first five books in the Bible. Beginning with some medieval rabbis, however, doubts about this claim have been raised. As an obvious starting point, Moses could not have written Deuteronomy 34:5–10, which speaks about his death....

“I don’t dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I’m dreaming for a living.”—Steven Spielberg So here are ten things you might not know about some famous filmmakers. 10 Ovophobia Alfred Hitchcock was the Master of Suspense. This brilliant filmmaker created scenes that will live on in horror history forever. However, in his personal life, he was peculiar and suffered from a variety of phobias. One of these included an intense fear of law enforcement, encouraged by his strict father, who would have him “put in jail” whenever he was naughty as a young boy....

There are a lot of oft-repeated facts about King: he’s battled drug and alcohol addiction, his wife Tabitha saved an early draft of Carrie (1974) from the trash, and he hates Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining (1980). With those better-known facts out of the way, this list looks to delve a little deeper. Here are 10 things you might not know about Stephen King. 10 He Directed the Film Adaptation of One of His Own Stories Many of Stephen King’s novels and short stories have been adapted for the screen, with King himself writing some of the screenplays and starring in cameo roles....

However, this isn’t to say we don’t know anything about the site. On the contrary, years of research and study have brought new insights into its long history, some of which have only added further questions. And, as we’ll see, though abandoned, history has a habit of playing out in and around these ancient stones. With that in mind, here are ten things you might not know about Stonehenge....

10Arguing Over Which Actor Was Better On May 10, 1849, an angry mob thousands strong, rampaged through the streets of New York, hurling paving stones and battling with the outnumbered police. Realizing they were losing control of the city, the authorities called in the militia, but a barrage of paving slabs forced the cavalry to retreat. Under heavy attack, the beleaguered infantry commander ordered his troops to fire into the air....