For centuries, people in the Michoacan state of Mexico have celebrated the arrival of millions of vibrant monarch butterflies every October. Local lore states that the beautiful orange fluttering creatures are the spirits of deceased loved ones who arrive just in time to participate in Mexico‘s jubilant Day of the Dead celebrations. The Monarch Butterfly…
In the mid-1800s, a young surveyor in what we now know as Colorado Springs named Rufus Cable stated that an array of whimsical red rock formations that he had stumbled upon while in the line of duty were so stately and beautiful that they looked like a meeting place for the gods. Thus, one of…
Canada is home to some of the loveliest natural scenery on Earth, so when a Canadian natural wonder is popular—you know that it is one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous sights that you will ever see. The Bruce Peninsula Grotto—which is often simply referred to as The Grotto—is without a doubt one of Canada’s most…
In the late 1800s, British author and doctor Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a novel called A Study in Scarlet about a discerning detective named Sherlock Holmes and his brainy companion Dr. Watson. Thus, the most celebrated fictional crime-solving duo in history graced the page for the first time. It is estimated that Sherlock Holmes…
In 1948, enterprising shoe salesman Mahlon Haines decided that the best way to increase sales at his ever-expanding collection of shoe stores was to build a giant shoe-shaped house in York, Pennsylvania that would pique the interest of passing motorists. Haines reportedly requested that an architect build a house that looked like a work boot…
Neon lights bring to mind the glitz and glamour of show business, seedy late nights on the Las Vegas Strip, and retro businesses doing their best to get customers through the door. In 1981, a collection of artists decided that the neon lights of the world were an underappreciated art form that deserved their own…
If you fly in an airplane over Winslow, Arizona and look out the window, you will spot a single large moon-like crater in the desert. The crater was caused by a sizable meteorite that smashed into planet Earth approximately 50,000 years ago—when mammoths and mastodons were as plentiful as coyotes and deer. Arizona’s arid climate…
During the Bronze Age (1100-800 BC), a group of people known as Celts lived in Ireland. Celts believed that forces such as wind, rain, and even moonlight were associated with spirits that had the power to grant favors to humans—if said spirits were treated with respect. Bronze Age Celts built structures—such as stone circles that…
