Perhaps The Richest Person Who Has Ever Lived Wikimedia Commons Perhaps the richest person who ever lived, Mansa Musa I has (despite being at the center of one of history’s most interesting stories) largely been forgotten by history due to a lack of focus and study on Africa, from which he came. Musa became emperor of Mali in 1312 when then-emperor Abubakari II deputized Musa to temporarily assume his role. Through trading gold and salt, which were found in abundance in West Africa at the time, Musa amassed an enormous fortune.

The Fearless Mercy Dogs Of World War I Library of CongressThousands of mercy dogs served during World War I, bringing medical supplies and comfort to wounded and dying men on the battlefields. Though the famous dogs we’ve covered so far all had names and well-known stories, some heroic dogs toiled in anonymity. That was certainly true for the tens of thousands of so-called mercy dogs who helped soldiers during World War I.

Elizabeth Short, a.k.a. “The Black Dahlia” Wikimedia CommonsA mugshot of Elizabeth Short from 1943, when she was arrested for underage drinking. The “Black Dahlia,” Elizabeth Short, was an aspiring actress who wanted be famous more than anything else in the world. She never could have imagined, though, how she would earn it: as the victim of a brutal murder that has haunted America for decades. On January 15, 1947, a young woman and her three-year-old daughter stumbled upon the body of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short.

Not only are fossilized crocodile tracks an extreme rarity in Asia, but these seemed to have been made by a bipedal species that ran after its pray like an ostrich.Dr. Anthony RomilioThe ancient croc was over 13 feet in length, had razor-sharp teeth — and weighed nearly 1,000 pounds. A team of archaeologists from the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) have discovered ancient footprints near Sacheon City in South Korea.

Jim Carrey’s Impoverished Vagabond Youth Vimeo/Cogent BengerJim Carrey spent his childhood living out of a van and his nights working as a janitor after eight-hour days at school. Jim Carrey was 32 years old when he became a Hollywood superstar. From Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask to Dumb and Dumber, his breakout year in 1994 was the stuff of legends — and saw him earn $20 million per picture.

The Tragic Stories Of Freak Show Performers: Schliztie — “Pinhead” MGMSchlitzie, whose real name was possibly Simon Metz. One of the most prolific freak show performers, “Schliztie” appeared in most major circuses of the 20th century, including Dobritsch International Circus, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and the Tom Mix Circus. He was born around 1901, with a condition called microcephaly. This condition causes a small brain, skull, and head, as well as an underdeveloped body.

Peter: The Wild Boy Who Became A “Human Pet” Wikimedia Commons; National Portrait GalleryThe portrait on the left adorns Kensington Palace and was later used to study Peter’s condition. Discovered naked and alone in the German wilderness in 1725, “Peter the Wild Boy” was about 11 years old when he was rescued. It’s believed that he was abandoned by his parents, who likely couldn’t afford to raise him. After he was discovered, everyone called him Peter, but no one knew if that was actually his real name.

Dakotaraptor, a new dinosaur species discovered in South Dakota, is a far larger relative of the Velociraptor.A new species of raptor was found in South Dakota this week, and it’s one of the biggest ones yet. The Dakotaraptor, aptly named after the state of its discovery, was 16 feet long with nearly 10-inch claws. An artist rendering of what the Dakotaraptor may have looked like. The fossils date back to the Cretaceous period around 66 million years ago, the era that saw the emergence of some of the most well-known dinosaurs, including the Triceratops, the Pteranodon and, of course, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Researchers say the bronze hand features the earliest written example of Vasconic, a mysterious ancient European language group that may be related to modern Basque.Aiestaran, M. et. al/Antiquity Publications Researchers examine the bronze amulet, which bears mysterious Vasconic inscriptions. In 2021, researchers were excavating an ancient settlement in Spain’s Navarre region when they discovered a bronze amulet shaped like a hand. Now, they believe it bears the oldest known inscription written in a Vasconic language.

Massive military hospital complexes were set up across France during World War I — and now archaeologists have uncovered one near Savenay, along with a trove of items left behind by American soldiers.INRAPAn aerial view of the Gagnerie du Tertre excavation site in Savenay. More than a century after Allied forces signed an armistice marking an end to World War I, French archaeologists have unearthed an American military hospital from the war.