In this area of Australia, harsh weather and mineral wealth mean one thing: life is better lived in the underground city of Coober Pedy.It is the number-one source of gem-quality opals in the world. It is also home to around 3,500 people of 45 different nationalities, many of them Europeans who arrived in the 1960s in search of fortune.
An underground hallway.Flickr Underground housing in Coober Pedy.Flickr A living room. Read More...
At 8 feet, 11 inches tall, Robert Pershing Wadlow was the tallest man in the world. But sadly, this "gentle giant" didn't live long.The tallest man in the world was born happy, healthy, and seemingly normal in size. On February 22, 1918, Addie Wadlow gave birth to an 8.7-pound baby named Robert Pershing Wadlow in Alton, Illinois.
Like most babies, Robert Wadlow began to grow over the course of his first year of life. Read More...
While many of us are grateful for the 40-hour work week, Medieval peasants worked far less than even that.Wikimedia CommonsCelebrating Peasants from the 18th or 19th century depicts a fairly jovial atmosphere at work.
When professor Juliet Schor released her book, The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, the average American was shocked. According to her research, they were working more days and taking fewer vacation days than a medieval peasant. Read More...
