For most of us Veterans Day just means a chance to enjoy an extra day off from school or work. However this November 11th, be sure to spend a few minutes on its true purpose, by acknowledging the men and women who have served in our armed forces. These include the members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and the Coast Guard....

The Tasmanian tiger that roamed the jungles of the Australian mainland over 2,000 years ago and those of the island of Tasmania until about the 1930's, has been declared extinct since the early 1980's. But that hasn't stopped reports of 'sightings' in both areas. Unfortunately because the people that purportedly saw the tiger were caught off-guard, there have never been any clear pictures or videos to prove that it is indeed the ancient animal. Now, a group of International researchers have arrived in Tasmania to scout the forests and solve the mystery of whether the tiger is alive or extinct, once and for all....

Ever since Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun (Tut) - the Egyptian pharaoh that ruled over 3,300 years ago, scientists have been haunted by the mystery surrounding the death of the 19-year old boy prince....

About forty years ago, an Italian man by the name of Bruno decided to start a restaurant or Osteria in the middle of the forest near Treviso, Italy. So, he bought a few pounds of sausages, a grill and some wine and opened shop. In order to attract customers he put his metalworking skills to work and built a few simple rides....

Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated annually on November 1st & 2nd to honor deceased family and friends is enjoyed across Latin America. However the festivities differ in each country. Mexico commemorates the day by offering the departed with their favorite foods, Haiti by playing loud music and drums and Guatemala by flying giant hand-made kites over cemeteries....

With retirement benefits being slashed across the world, it is refreshing to hear that a police department in England is planning to add to its obligations by paying pension benefits to their retired police dogs who like their owners, have spent their lives protecting the public....

Japan has long been known for its cat cafes - places where the pet-starved residents of the country can enjoy a hot cup of java whilst being nuzzled by some loving kitties. Now there is a new trend that seems to be emerging across the country's capital, Tokyo - owl-themed cafes, complete with the live nocturnal birds in tow!...

On Sunday, November 3rd, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs all over the world will celebrate Diwali. Also called Deepavali, which means row of lights, the ancient celebration is the biggest and most eagerly awaited of all Indian festivals....

A little worn out after all the Halloween festivities? Then you are in luck because this weekend, it's time to 'Fall Back,' which means that at 2 am on Sunday, November 3rd, most Americans will add an extra hour to their day by moving the clocks back. This age-old tradition that goes all the way back to World War One is observed in other parts of the world too - However, the dates differ, with most changing their clocks about a month earlier....

On Saturday October 26th, over 500 dogs of various breeds ranging from terriers to Chihuahuas to Bulldogs, arrived suited in elaborate costumes to strut their stuff at the country's biggest Halloween canine parade. Now in its 23rd year, Tompkins Square Dog Parade, which doubles up as a fund raiser, is famous for the extraordinary lengths owners go through, to help their pooches win the coveted 'Best in Show' title....

Drive-thru windows of fast food restaurants all over America are reporting a new sharp rise in a new trend - Customers 'paying it forward', meaning that they pay for the purchases made by the car right behind them. Why? Because they just want to perform a random act of kindness....

With its intricate layout, incredible architecture and advanced water and sewage systems, the 5000-year-old city of Mohenjo Daro in the province of Sindh in Pakistan, was once hailed as oldest and best preserved ancient cities ever found. Now, this amazing monument of our past, is in danger of disappearing completely, unless something is done soon....

A notorious Somali pirate that terrorized the seas for years is now finally behind bars in Belgium. While that is certainly newsworthy, what is even more so is that Mohamed Abdi Hassan literally handed himself to the lawmakers not because he was sorry, but because he believed they were filmmakers and he, the star of their next blockbuster!...

One of the most poignant memory recalled by some of the 900 survivors from 885-feet long luxury liner Titanic that sank on April 15th 1912, was that of the orchestra playing the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee", to try calm the panicked passengers as they made their way to the lifeboats....

While scientists have built many artificial organs individually, they have never before been put together to create an entire human body. Rex or as he has recently been renamed Frank (after Frankenstein), the world's first fully functional bionic man has just changed that. Now on display at the National Air And Space Museum in Washington D.C., the human clone was assembled in three short months using state-of-the-art organs that were donated by 17 manufacturers - A good thing given that the total cost came to about $1 million USD!...

When the government partially shut down on October 1st, after lawmakers were unable to reach an agreement on what is usually a routine matter - Passing the Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund normal government programs - most political pundits predicted that it would last just a few days. They were obviously wrong....

It has taken over a decade and faced numerous design hurdles, but the new $100 USD bill that Americans fondly call 'Benjamin' finally made its debut on October 8th, 2013. The largest U.S. denomination in circulation, it is not surprisingly, the most recognized form of U.S. Currency worldwide....

Meet Jeff Wilson AKA Professor Dumpster - an environmental scientist and the Dean of Huston Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. The reason for his unusual nickname? He has decided to live in a dumpster for the next year - Yes, the kind that you might find filled with trash behind a restaurant or in an alley....

As we get ready to celebrate Columbus Day on October 14th, here is some food for thought. What if it was not Christopher Columbus, but Chinese Admiral Zheng He that discovered the new world almost seven decades before the Spanish explorer set foot on the island in the Bahamas that we now call San Salvador? That, is something that amateur British historian Gavin Menzies has been asserting for years and he now has new evidence to prove it....

Most people are grossed out by insects and believe them to be just a nuisance. However, a group of students from Montreal-based McGill University think of them as protein that can be used to feed millions of malnourished people worldwide, an idea so powerful that it won them the prestigious 2013 Hult Prize on September 23rd....

When luxury cruise liner Costa Concordia struck a rock in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the shore of Italy's Tuscan Archipelago and collapsed on its side on January 13th, 2012, salvage engineers knew that they had a nightmare on their hands because a rescue operation of a ship this size, had never been done before. To make matters worse, the liner lay right in the midst of the Pelagos Sanctuary, an environmentally protected area of the Mediterranean, which meant that even a small misstep could turn into a disaster....

When the Los Angeles branch of Bonhams Auctioneers placed a rare $4USD gold coin up for bidding they knew they had something special. However even the experts were stunned when on September 23rd, 2013, instead of the expected $1.5 million USD, the coin fetched $2.75 million USD, placing it amongst the 10 most valuable US coins sold at an auction....

Given the advances in technology and learning methodologies, it is a natural assumption that modern-day US students have it harder than those that were educated in 1912. However, the recent discovery of an eighth grade test paper set by educators at Kentucky's Bullitt County School District a century ago, seems to indicate that things were not as easy as one would have thought!...

Living in an era when airplanes can run on autopilot with no humans at helm, it is hard to imagine that there was once a time not too long ago, when pilots in the USA had to navigate their way across cities using rudimentary aviation maps and . . . ginormous arrows!...