The man behind the Iron Mask

On November 19, 1703, a man who had spent 40 years of his life in several prisons throughout France was buried in Bastille’s Saint Paul Cemetery. Scripts by Voltaire and, mainly, Alexander Dumas, made this man one of the most famous prisoners of all ages, even if his name was never revealed. He is known as the man behind the Iron Mask. full text

Drugs for military uses

The Enduring Appeal of 'Friends'

The use of natural, chemical and pharmaceutical substances, even drugs, for the improvement of soldiers’ stamina and performance has been a well known practice throughout the years. Many substances, from coffee to tablets of amphetamines, have been used in numerous occasions ranging from the ancient Assassins to US Navy and Airforce pilots in Iraq and Afghanistan. full text

Perhaps no TV show has been able to transcend so many cultures like 'Friends' while maintaining all of its archetypal American qualities at the same time. It became increasingly popular across the world with each progressing season and continues to be popular even five years after the final episode was aired in 2004. full text

Cold Fusion - The Salvage From The Energy Crisis?

In 1989 the chemistry professors Stanley Pons and Martin Fleishman reported that they had achieved cold fusion in a palladium anode emerged in a solution of sodium deuteroxide in heavy water D2O. Due to a bad exactness of their report, only few other scientists managed to replicate their findings in the first place. The findings were then dismissed as due to misunderstandings and bad scientific practice, and the matter of cold fusion has since been regarded as a taboo area. full text

Mozart's Sister - Genius Denied

Maria Anna Mozart, beloved nicknamed Nannerl, was the elder and only sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As children, both were considered gifted musical prodigies and their father, Leopold, arranged tours to display their talents to the masses in the grandest capitals of Europe. Both children could play the most challenging pieces and could compose into notes any song they heard. full text

The Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls

Over the years, many mysterious "crystal skulls" have surfaced but many have been proven to be fakes. There are however, a few skulls that truly are mysterious wonders. The most famous of these is the legendary Mitchell-Hedges skull, named after the British archaeologist F. Albert Mitchell-Hedges. Its origin is believed to be in Central America. full text

Cryptozoology - Science of Hidden Animals

Cryptozoology is the science of hidden animals. The term was coined in the 1950s by Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans, who became president of the International Society of Cryptozoology when it was formed in 1982. full text

How to Explore the Night Sky Without a Telescope

You don't need a telescope to see a lot of wonderful things in the night sky. For example five of the planets are often readily visible with the naked eye. There are lots of amazing things you can see and this guide will help you find them. full text

Dinosaur Extinction: One Giant Mystery

Many different species in the history of life on this planet have simply ceased to be. Gone but not forgotten these strange animals leave evidence of their existence entombed in the sedimentary layers of the earth's crust. As fascinating as these fossilized discoveries are, what's even more fascinating is the mystery of what happened to them. full text

The Story Of The Guillotine

The device was perfected - though not invented- by Doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738 - 1814). The 'e' at the end of the noun is a later, British, addition. Ironically, he belonged to a movement seeking to abolish capital punishment altogether. full text

World War II Foo Fighters

In the 1938 comic strip Smokey Stover, a firefighter was known for his line, "Where there's foo, there's fire". From Smokey, aircraft pilots borrowed the term "foo fighter" to describe the various unexplainable phenomenon seen in the skies over Europe and the Pacific theatre during World War II. While Allied pilots initially thought the flying objects were German secret or psychological weapons, after the war it was discovered that sightings were also reported by the enemy, who had assumed the crafts were US-made. To this day, the sightings remain a mystery. full text

FEATURED ARTICLES

Ancient Greek Technology

Who said that the robots, the automatic doors and the locomotive are technological advances of the second millennium? Definitely not!

Bermuda Triangle

The piece of the Atlantic Ocean that became famous under this title is the focal point of one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.

The Philadelphia Experiment

Result of a man's creative fantasy or a fact that reaches the realm of science fiction?

The Final Frontier

The following text, hand-written in its original form, was found in the summer of 2003, in a sealed envelope, glued on the back-cover’s inside of an old book (edition of 1965).