Mysteries & Folklore: Definition and Stories | HISTORY

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Friday the 13th.

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Friday the 13th

The Fear of 13 Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries. While Western […]

History of Witches

Witches were perceived as evil beings by early Christians in Europe, inspiring the iconic Halloween figure.

Bermuda Triangle

Legend of the Bermuda Triangle The area referred to as the Bermuda Triangle, or Devil’s Triangle, covers about 500,000 square miles of ocean off the southeastern tip of Florida. When Christopher Columbus sailed through the area on his first voyage to the New World, he reported that a great flame of fire (probably a meteor) […]

Roswell

The Roswell ‘UFO’ Incident One morning around Independence Day 1947, about 75 miles from the town of Roswell, New Mexico, a rancher named Mac Brazel found something unusual in his sheep pasture: a mess of metallic sticks held together with tape; chunks of plastic and foil reflectors; and scraps of a heavy, glossy, paper‑like material. […]

Videos

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History of Zombies

Learn more about Counter‑Zombie Dominance, the Pentagon’s plan in case of a zombie apocalypse.

Loch Ness Monster

Loch Ness expert Adrian Shine discusses his involvement with the Loch Ness Project and recaps his decades spent working to uncover the truth behind the Loch Ness monster.

Was Atlantis Located in Ancient Greece?

Some historians believe an ancient Greek temple could be the palace of Atlantis described by Plato in his writings.

Bermuda Triangle

Researchers attempt to determine what has caused hundreds of planes to mysteriously disappear in what is known as the Bermuda Triangle.

Stories

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7 Early Imaginings of Artificial Intelligence

Humans have conceived versions of intelligent machines for centuries.

How Inca Mummies Ruled Over the Living

The most important members of Inca society continued to be treated as living beings after death—and provided a powerful link to the gods.

Before America Had Witch Trials, Europe Had Werewolf Trials

A few of the accused may have been actual pedophiles or serial killers, but many were beggars, hermits or recent émigrés who were tortured into confessions.

The Mysterious History of Cattle Mutilation

Unexplained livestock mutilations have been reported for centuries. Explanations range from common predators to UFOs.

This Day in History

This Day in History Video: What Happened on May 2

Mysteries & Folklore

St. Valentine beheaded

Mysteries & Folklore

Loch Ness “Monster” sighted for the first time, igniting the modern legend

Mysteries & Folklore

Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting

Mysteries & Folklore