Dancing Mania

In July of 1518 in Strasbourg, France, a woman named Frau Troffea walked into the street and started to dance. She continued to dance on the street for several days, and by the end of the week thirty-four others had joined her. By the end of the month there were around four hundred dancers in the streets. These people danced uncontrollably and in bizarre fashion; shouts, screams, and singing were reported to accompany hallucinations. Eventually, many would die from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion.

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What Happened to the Mary Celeste?

Sometimes Interesting

Merchant vessel Mary Celeste was discovered floating unmanned and abandoned in the Atlantic Ocean on December 4th, 1872. The ship had been at sea for over a month when found, and reportedly still had over six months’ worth of food and supplies on board. Cargo and personal belongings of the crew were found untouched – including valuables – although a lifeboat was missing. What The fate of the Mary Celeste’s crew remains unknown to this day, feeding the legend of the archetypal ghost ship.

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The Manhattan of the Desert: Shibam, Yemen

Sometimes Interesting

Deep in the middle of Yemen lays a town nearly two-thousand years old that pioneered skyscrapers. Shibam, a town of about 7,000 people, was founded sometime around the 3rd century AD. The town was built in its unique way to help protect residents from regional Bedouin attacks. Enormous clay walls were built around the city and residences were built upward rather than outward. Shibam is often referred to as “the oldest skyscraper city in the world,” and is one of the oldest examples of vertical urban planning.

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Falling From Airplanes

Sometimes Interesting

Imagine being seated in the back of a plane and, while you’re flying at 33,330 feet, the plane blows up in mid-air. After being knocked unconscious, you later wake up to find yourself on the ground and in much pain – but still alive, the only survivor. This is precisely what Vesna Vulović claimed, and for this she holds the Guinness Book World Record for having survived the highest fall from an airplane without a parachute.

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Town for sale, needs TLC: Klomino, Poland

Sometimes Interesting

The village of Klomino (located in northwestern Poland) is the only “official” ghost town in Poland. Originally known as Westfalenhof, it was a large garrison and training ground of the German Wehrmacht during World War II.

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Population Density Nightmare: Kowloon Walled City

Sometimes Interesting

Originally built as a Chinese military fort, the Kowloon Walled City became a residential enclave after the New Territories were released to Britain in 1898. The population boom occurred after World War II, when the Japanese occupation drove prostitution, gambling, and drug use out of downtown Hong Kong and into Kowloon. In 1987, its population numbered 33,000 within its 6.5-acre borders.

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Voynich Manuscript: World’s Most Mysterious Document?

Sometimes Interesting

Ever wonder what holds the title as world’s most mysterious manuscript? How about one written in the early 15th century comprising 240 pages – complete with illustrations – in a piece by an unknown author in an unknown language? Sound interesting?

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Diamond in the Desert: Kolmanskop, Namibia

Sometimes Interesting

Once a thriving diamond-mining town, Kolmanskop is now abandoned, fighting a constant battle against the sandstorms and Mother Nature in the Namibian desert. Founded in 1908 when a rail worker in the area discovered a diamond, Kolmanskop enjoyed nearly fifty years of history until the town was all but abandoned in 1954 when the diamond mines finally dried up.

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