How the Elite 'Ghost Army' Duped Hitler

They were officially known as the Army's 23rd Headquarters Special Troops during World War II, but the unit's nickname suits it better: the Ghost Army. Made up of 1,100 soldiers who were artists, illustrators, sound technicians, etc., the Ghost Army had one mission: trick Hitler and enemy troops through...

Guy Finds $100K Comic in Wall of Old House

David Gonzalez bought an abandoned home in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, for about $10,000, planning to remodel it. But he ended up getting more than he bargained for—about 10 times more, to be exact. In the walls of the house, amid the newspapers used as insulation, Gonzalez found a...

Judge: Lesbian Couple Can't Live Together

A lesbian couple in Texas is claiming discrimination after a judge told the pair they legally could not live together. Carolyn Compton and Page Price have been sharing a household with Compton's two daughters, ages 10 and 13. But the judge said Price would have to move out, because of...

Indonesia Looks to Ban Black Magic, Premarital Sex

Indonesian lawmakers are considering a new criminal code that probably won't do much to hold the country up as a bastion of modern thinking. Among the proposals in the new code, drafted by a team led by a conservative Muslim scholar: Premarital sex: Five years in prison Singles living together:...

Lawmaker Comes Out as Atheist During House Prayer

The Arizona House and Senate typically convene with a prayer, which members take turns delivering. But Democratic Rep. Juan Mendez did something unusual yesterday: He took the opportunity to announce that he's an atheist (he referenced his "secular humanist tradition") and encourage other members not to bow their heads in...

Think You're Pretty Hot? You're Probably Wrong

The latest video in Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign featured women describing themselves to an unseen forensic sketch artist, who drew them as they were described by themselves and then as they were described by a stranger. The sketches based on the stranger's description turned out more attractive, hence Dove's message:...

NASA Wants to 3D-Print Pizza in Space

Still no jetpacks, but your inner 9-year-old has to be excited about this: NASA is developing a 3D printer that can print "nutritious and flavorful" food during space travel. The agency says its current space food is "not adequate in nutrition or acceptability through the five-year shelf life required for...

Inventor: I've Cracked Cold Fusion

This is either bombshell, world-changing news or "one of the most elaborate hoaxes in scientific history," reports Mark Gibbs at Forbes . An Italian engineer who claims to have achieved cold fusion—the holy grail of clean energy—says his E-Cat device has been deemed credible by an independent team of...

Nepal Furious About Phone Call Atop Everest

One more sign that climbing Everest just ain't what it used to be: When a British mountaineer got to the summit over the weekend, he pulled out his smartphone and gave the BBC a video billed as "the world's first live video call ... from the rooftop of the world." Now...

Freedom Goat Runs for Her Life, Snarls Traffic

It's hard not to root for the goat in this one: One believed to have escaped en route to a slaughterhouse snarled the morning commute along one of the busiest roadways in northern New Jersey today, leading police on a nearly two-hour chase. The small female eluded five Jersey City...

For $1.2K, Club Will Let You Peep Into Ladies' Bathroom

Be careful if you're a woman at Glasgow's Shimmy Club and find yourself having to use the restroom: It's installed with a two-way mirror, and clubgoers who want a look are charged as much as $1,200 to peep in. After complaints, Scotland's police force launched an investigation into the...

Fans Shell Out Thousands for Daft Punk Helmets

Want to make a few bucks? Figure out how to duplicate the odd, face-covering, sometimes rainbow-lighted helmets worn by the two members of Daft Punk, suggests the Wall Street Journal . There's apparently quite a demand for replicas of the iconic headgear worn by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, particularly...

Double Amputee Conquers Everest— Without Prosthetics

Sudarshan Gautam is missing both his arms, but that didn't stop him from achieving his dream: to reach Mount Everest's summit, which he did yesterday, according to his website . The Calgary man, 31, is the first double amputee to climb the mountain with no prosthetic limbs, Sun News reports. Gautam,...

Culprit in Irish Potato Famine Finally Discovered

Nearly two centuries later, researchers believe they have identified the pathogen that led to Ireland's deadly potato famine. To make their discovery, British, German, and American scientists sequenced DNA from samples of dried potato leaves collected between 120 and 170 years ago, reports PhysOrg. They identified the particular strain of...

Teen Faked Own Kidnapping Over Bad Grade: Cops

A 19-year-old college student was flunking English again, so he did what any struggling student fearful of mom and dad's wrath would do: faked his own kidnapping, police say. Aftab Aslam's parents got a text saying the Georgia Gwinnett College student had been kidnapped; if they called police, he'd be...

Rapist May Be Sentenced— Even Though He's Dead

A former police detective was convicted of kidnapping and rape last year—but before he could be sentenced, he committed suicide. But he's not off the hook: A California judge could still sentence Anthony Orban despite his death. "The only reason he is not here is because he volunteered to...

Inside Russians' 6mph Road Trip to Canada

Talk about a road trip: Russian explorers spent the past two-and-a-half months driving from Russia to Canada via the North Pole. But instead of car bingo and the alphabet game, they passed their time clearing the route with a pickaxe, gazing upon the aurora borealis, and spotting the occasional polar...

What It Was Like to Care for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev

Nine trauma nurses at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center were asked to care for suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev—and though many were uncomfortable with the idea, all of them agreed. The Boston Globe walks us through the six days they spent with Tsarnaev, from the four checkpoints they...

Scientist's Quest: Unlock Secret of Ancient Coins

Ancient coins, a map with an "X," a secret cave: It sounds like something out of a kid's book. Instead, it's an Australian professor's archaeological quest. During World War II, a soldier stationed on the Wessel Islands off northern Australia found several mysterious coins in the sand. Years later, a...

New in Factory Farming: Exploding Poop Foam

The latest thing out of industrial agriculture isn't too appetizing: Burbling up from the manure pits beneath factory hog farms is an oozing substance that's charmingly being dubbed "poop foam"—and it's un-charmingly explosive, reports Mother Jones . The ooze is wreaking havoc on large hog farms, trapping the toxic gases...

The Next Insect Invader: Crazy Ants

Rat-sized snails , red-eyed cicadas , and now ... crazy ants. That is the latest insect invasion to hit the US, with billions marching in from South America and setting up colonies in the South, the Christian Science Monitor reports. "The entire Gulf Coast is going to be inundated in a very short...

Everest Has Become a Huge Mess

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first American to scale Mount Everest. Back in 1963, it was a feat only a handful of skilled adventurers accomplished. Today, hundreds of often inexperienced, ill-prepared thrill-seekers attempt the ascent every year. Most now survive, but as a result, the mountain has...

Guy Mad at Neighbor's Tall Grass Torches House: Cops

There's probably all kinds of good ways to resolve an argument with a neighbor about mowing the lawn, but none involve two cans of gas and a match. That's what 58-year-old Phillip Roger Bennett used to set his neighbor's house ablaze, say police in Cartersville, Ga. Luckily, the neighbor and...

Want Health? Feed the Bacteria Living Inside You

Don't look now, but roughly 100 trillion bacteria live in and on your body. According to scientists, these microbes—especially the ones in your gut—may be fending off chronic diseases, moderating your weight, and strengthening your immune system. But our society's processed foods and war on bacteria are posing...

Navy Dolphins Make Amazing Torpedo Find

The discovery itself is notable enough: Navy specialists found a rare torpedo off the San Diego coast, an 11-foot brass gem called the Howell that dates back 130 years or so and was one of the first torpedoes to propel itself, reports dvids . Only 50 were made, and only one...

Some of Earth's Oldest Water Found

"Old" might not top the list of the adjectives you'd use to describe water, but that could very well change after reading this story: Scientists say they've found water whose age clocks in at no less than 1.5 billion years, making it the oldest cache to have ever been...

Rare Dialect Dying in US: Texas-German?

Another unique American dialect is fading into obscurity, and it's a safe bet that most never knew it existed in the first place: "Texas German." It's so unusual that University of Texas linguist professor Hans Boas tells the BBC he has "found no two speakers that speak roughly alike." And...

Alaska Town to Vanish by 2017

When it comes to the fate of the 350 residents of Newtok, Alaska, the Guardian pulls no punches: "Exile is inevitable," it writes. That's because their coastal village, located some 480 miles west of Anchorage, is in the process of being washed into the Bering Sea. As the Guardian explains...

Americans Are Cheating on Their Partners ... on Netflix

Are you guilty of "Netflix adultery"? That's secretly watching a video on Netflix you were supposed to be waiting to watch together with your significant other. According to a survey by the site itself, 51% of adults in committed relationships said they had or would cheat. Only 12% of those...

Mayan Pyramid Crushed—for Gravel

Archeologists have been horrified to discover that one of the largest Mayan pyramids in Belize has been almost completely annihilated by road crews looking for an easy source of gravel. The 2,300-year-old temple at the heart of the Nohmul complex—at 60 feet, one of the country's tallest structures—...