Constructed from scratch 30 years ago, Slavutych was intended to be a "paradise" after the infamous nuclear disaster — but it hasn't exactly worked out as planned.Getty ImagesFacade of an unfinished church in Slavutych, Ukraine. Chernobyl: the very name conjures up the images of never-ending fires, radiation poisoning, brutal deaths, and a population forced to carry on with DNA mutated by the nuclear fallout. All of this is true, and the disaster has captured the world’s imagination, not the least of which has crested in HBO’s hit series with the same name.

Just over 1,500 feet long and with a gross tonnage of 260,941 tons, the Seawise Giant — later renamed the Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, and Knock Nevis — was the biggest ship in the world.Geof Kirby/Alamy Stock PhotoThe Seawise Giant, once the biggest ship in the world, was so massive that it couldn’t navigate the English Channel. In the 1980s, a massive supertanker called the Seawise Giant took to the seas.

If Giulia Tofana's confessions are to be believed, then the lethal potion maker is among the most prolific serial killers in history.Giulia Tofana was a 17th-century professional poisoner who sold her signature concoction to wives that wanted to kill their husbands. Once she was caught, Tofana guessed that she was responsible for having provided the poison in 600 deaths which, in a way, made her one of the most prolific assassins in history.

Oluale Kossola, or Cudjo Lewis, was abducted by illegal slavers in 1860 and enslaved in Alabama, where he later began a self-contained African community once he was freed.University of South AlabamaCudjo Lewis at his home in Africatown, which was a West African settlement based in Mobile, Alabama. Over the course of nearly 400 years, more than 12 million Africans were abducted by slavers and shipped to Europe and North America. The process, known as the Transatlantic Slave Trade, was legally outlawed in the United States in 1807, but in 1860, one slaver violated that law — and shipped about 160 West African captives to Mobile, Alabama.

If John Pemberton was never in the American Civil War, he would never have become addicted to morphine and we wouldn't have Coca-Cola.Wikimedia CommonsJohn Stith Pemberton, the man who invented Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is so ubiquitous and world-famous that its easy to forget its captivating origin story — or even, that it has one worth a look in the first place. Everyone has heard the rumors it once contained cocaine, but only a sliver of the population knows anything about its inventor John Stith Pemberton.

In February 1978, five disabled young men vanished in a California forest on their way home from a basketball game, and though four of their bodies were found months later, the case continues to baffle investigators to this day.Twitter/Generation Why PodcastFrom left to right: Gary Mathias, Jackie Huett, Jack Madruga, Ted Weiher, and Bill Sterling. The five friends mysteriously disappeared in February 1978. On Feb. 24, 1978, five men from Yuba City, California — Jackie Huett, Bill Sterling, Jack Madruga, Ted Weiher, and Gary Mathias — made plans to go to a college basketball game in Chico, California.

Vin Mariani was advertised to reduce your hunger, aid digestion, cure the flu, and best of all, fill you with energy. Wikimedia CommonsA poster advertising Vin Mariani. In the last half of the 19th century, a new kind of wine was taking both Europe and the U.S. by storm. Invented by French Chemist Angelo Mariani, Vin Mariani was billed as a health tonic. It would reduce your hunger, aid digestion, cure the flu, and best of all, fill you with energy.

What happened on this day in history: The Great Chicago Fire starts, Martha Stewart goes to prison, and more events from October 8th. 1871: The Great Chicago Fire Starts Archive Photos/Getty ImagesThe aftermath of the Great Chicago fire. The Great Chicago Fire starts in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary at 137 DeKoven Street. Though its exact cause is unknown, the fire quickly spread and consumed a vast swath of the city four miles long and one mile wide.

Harold Allen died in December 2022, and now police say his wife Marsha Allen and stepdaughter Ashley Jones poisoned his root beer float with a chemical found in antifreeze.Jackson County Sheriff’s OfficeAshley Jones is accused of plotting to kill her mother’s husband by poisoning his root beer float. In November 2022, Ashley Jones and her mother Marsha Allen allegedly put a nefarious plan into motion. According to police, the two women were plotting to kill Marsha’s husband, Harold Allen, and they started conducting research on “various poisons” that would do the job.

When you try to find all 24 hidden critters in these photos, you'll understand why animal camouflage is such an effective tool for survival.For animals that have developed it, camouflage is often their first line of defense against predators and their best offense to catch their prey. Today, we look at 24 astounding examples of camouflage that make animals perfectly blend in with their environment: Viewing note: After each picture, the animal will be revealed in the following slide.