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In 1986, three men volunteered to die in order to save hundreds of thousands of people, but most of us have never heard of these unsung heroes. When a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine began releasing deadly radioactive material, workers didn’t know what to do.
More than twenty men hired by an oil company hacked through the Ecuadorean jungle. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by a large group of indigenous people called the Cofan. The newcomers were clearly outnumbered. In the last five years, several oilmen had been beaten or killed by various tribes inside the jungle.
Brian McGuinn waded through a sea of more than nine tons of garbage. He came to the dump because just days before, he accidentally threw away his wife’s $10,000 diamond engagement ring. Brian needed to find that diamond ring. It was a symbol of his marriage, of his love for his wife, and of their promise to share the rest of their lives with each other.
When something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t true at all. The story of Karl Rabeder who was once a millionaire, is one of those stories. He had a nice house, fancy cars and he stayed in expensive, five star hotels. But one day, he decided to give it all up. Well, at least that’s what he claimed to do.
One of the biggest medical price hikes in history and the most expensive hip-hop album in the world have both recently been in the news. At the center of both stories is Martin Shkreli, who some have called the most hated man in America.
Imagine entering a world hidden from the naked eye. From where you stand, everything looks normal. Cars roll by, people cross the street, but then suddenly you see a face pop up from underground. Just as quickly as it appears, it vanishes.
In the 1950’s China was working to transform from an agricultural society to a communist industrial society. Their leader, Mao Ze Dong, wanted to completely reshape society, and his efforts didn’t stop with humans. One of the strangest reforms of this period was an order to exterminate sparrows and other pests.
At first glance, everything seems ordinary. Sisa leaves for work at 6 am, wearing traditional men’s pants, ready to spend the day shining shoes or laying bricks. But most people in the neighborhood know that Sisa has a secret. Despite the men’s clothing and shaved head, she is actually a woman. She’s spent more than four decades posing as a man so that she could work alongside them.
Throughout his life, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus wore many hats. He was a humble farmer, an aristocrat, and a member of the patrician class. He was given absolute power over the people of ancient Rome on two occasions and voluntarily gave it up each time. What made Cincinnatus famous in his time – and a legend in ours – is the fact that he was an honorable man.
The parable of King Solomon and the baby is a famous one. Two women came to the king fighting over the same baby. They both claimed to be the baby’s mother and asked the king to be the judge. Solomon said the only fair thing to do would be to cut the baby in half.
The oldest tree in the world died one day in 1964. Its name was Prometheus, and Donald Currey cut it down. It was not only the oldest tree, but the oldest living thing ever recorded. Currey wasn’t an un-caring logger or farmer making room for crops. He was a 30-year-old graduate student doing research into climate change throughout history.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the actions of one person can actually make a difference in the lives of others. The world’s problems seem too big for any one of us to do something about. But the story of Rajesh Sharma, a shopkeeper in New Delhi, shows us that just one person can make a world of difference…
‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ Is this idiom wrong? In the African nation of Mauritania, big is beautiful. Some women even visit “fat farms” where they gorge on large quantities of high calorie foods, hoping to return home a bit rounder. Meanwhile, weight-loss camps are gaining popularity in many western nations.
Did you know that living in a city is actually pretty bad for your happiness? Studies show that you’re more likely to be happy the smaller the city that you live in. But with 5 billion people living in cities by 2030, is there a way we can change the unhappiness found in cities?
Scientists say that life began in the oceans. While humans have evolved into land dwellers, there is a unique culture of people who, for centuries, have spent most their lives on the ocean.
When Nahara steps from the boat onto dry land, she begins to feel …
The internet gives us new ways to connect with each other that we couldn’t imagine just 20 years ago. Instant communication through email, skype and social media is supposed to bring people together. It’s supposed to make keeping in touch easier, help spark new friendships, and help people rediscover old ones. It’s supposed to make the world a smaller place.
There are places on this planet full of turmoil, where armies wage war against each other. But what many people don’t know is that another kind of army exists, and they don’t shoot guns. An army of nuns rescues victims of human trafficking around the world. They do this by disguising themselves as prostitutes and laborers.
While dogs have been used for protection for thousands of years, parrots are a new twist. “Run, run, you are going to get caught,” cried Lorenzo the parrot as the police arrived. Lorenzo was one of 1,700 parrots trained to warn their drug-dealing owners in Barranquilla, Colombia. Lorenzo’s warnings weren’t enough to stop the police from arresting four men and seizing 200 guns, a stolen motorcycle and a large amount of drugs.
Texas millionaire and hunter Corey Knowlton recently paid $350,000 to kill an endangered black rhino in Namibia. There are only 4,000 to 5,000 black rhinos left in the world, and now there is one less. While it’s easy to paint Corey as a monster, he says that hunters like himself are endangered animals’ best hope for survival.
In 1921, Ada Blackjack sailed to the Arctic’s Wrangel Island. She had no idea it would be a life and death struggle to survive. The petite woman was hired as a seamstress for the risky journey. Her travel companions were four men and a female cat, called Vic. Blackjack was born in 1898 in Alaska. She was a Native American Inupiat woman, but raised by white Methodist missionaries. They taught her to cook, clean, sew, and read the bible. They didn’t teach her the hunting and survival skills of her native tribe.
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