Inside the CIA's Cold War-era plans for mind control, psychic spies, and one horrifying cat.Dennis Skley/Flickr Most folks might scoff at the idea that the American government would kidnap its own citizens and brainwash them with alternating rounds of torture and LSD — but that’s exactly what the CIA did from 1953 to 1973. The CIA brainwashing project was called MKUltra, and it was enormous. At least hundreds of researchers at 80 institutions spent millions of dollars over the project’s 20-year lifespan, using techniques ranging from sleep deprivation to shock therapy, killing several unwilling test subjects along the way.

The Runit Dome was constructed between 1977 and 1980 in order to contain radioactive waste from America’s Cold War nuclear tests — but it’s begun to crack.Public DomainThe Runit Dome was built to contain nuclear waste, but some experts warn that it’s in danger of falling apart. The Marshall Islands is a picturesque island nation tucked in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the Philippines. But among its coconut trees and crystal-clear waters is a huge concrete dome.

In 2016, 66-year-old Anita Cowen filed a restraining order against her roommate Scott Pettigrew, alleging that he was terrorizing her in her own home. Days later, Cowen’s dead body was found floating in her pool. Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and/or images of violent, disturbing, or otherwise potentially distressing events. Cathedral City Police Department Scott Pettigrew, the man responsible for the murder of 66-year-old Anita Cowen. In the Spring of 2016, Anita Cowen rented out a room in her California home to her younger coworker Scott Pettigrew.

These Winston Churchill quotes will dazzle you with their wit and shock you with their hate. You only thought you knew this man.“If you have an important point to make,” Winston Churchill once said, “don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver.” Well, Churchill had the rare ability to do both, delivering everything from historic pronouncements to pithy maxims with both pile driver strength and playful wit.

Fungi that bleed, hiss, and "throw their hats" — we've foraged nine of the strangest mushrooms in the world.Some might only think about mushrooms as a pizza topping, but the wide world of fungi is a much more stunningly bizarre — and sometimes visually upsetting — place than that. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of certain fungi. Once mature, they produce microscopic spores, like pollen, that may number in the billions in order to spawn.

Due to two centuries of inbreeding, the Habsburg family was ravaged by extreme physical deformities, including impotence, bowed legs, and the infamous Habsburg jaw.While marriages between biological relatives were common in the ruling houses of Europe well up until the last century (Queen Elizabeth II actually married her own third cousin), the Spanish Habsburgs engaged in the practice with particularly dangerous abandon. Nine out of the eleven total marriages that occurred among them during the 184 years they ruled Spain from 1516 to 1700 were incestuous.

On December 21, 1988, the deadliest terrorist attack in U.K. history occurred when a bomb planted on Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people aboard. AFP/Getty ImagesInvestigators examining the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 and looking for survivors. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 took off from London en route to New York City. Thirty-eight minutes later, the plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board as well as 11 people on the ground.

Though the arrowhead was discovered in the late 19th century, it wasn't until recently that scientists were able to learn about its cosmic origins.zvg/Thomas SchüpbachThe arrowhead found in Switzerland contained isotopes that do not naturally occur on Earth. At a Bronze Age dwelling in Mörigen, Switzerland, in the late 1800s, archaeologists discovered a 3,000-year-old arrowhead. For over a century, the artifact has been part of the Bern Historical Museum’s collection — but a recent analysis of the arrowhead has revealed shocking new information about the material used to make it.

Starting in the 1960s, Tony Alamo amassed thousands of followers by preaching about the end times — but he was later arrested for tax evasion, fraud, and child abuse.YouTubeFrom the 1960s until his arrest for child abuse in 2008, Tony Alamo led a disturbing cult and made millions by exploiting his followers. Of all the cult leaders throughout American history, Tony Alamo was perhaps one of the most baffling. Born to a Jewish family in Missouri in 1934, Alamo moved to Hollywood as a teen to work in the entertainment industry.

Tycho Brahe kept a drunken elk in his entourage, supposedly had an affair with the queen of Denmark, and totally changed our understanding of the universe itself.Wikimedia CommonsTycho Brahe dazzled Europe with his scientific acumen and has since fascinated historians thanks to his unusual private life. Some 400 years after his death, Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe remains relatively unknown to most people today. Nevertheless, his planetary observations and other celestial discoveries paved the way for future scientific breakthroughs that helped shape our very understanding of the world as we know it — and his private life was just as fascinating.