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commander islands

from stellar’s sea cow, extinction posted in history by pete_nice

Measuring up to 30 ft long and weighing 8.8-11 short tons, Stellar's Sea Cow was "discovered" in 1741 by the Bering expedition at this location (the only confirmed area where they were ever seen).

A relative of the manatee, the massive sea mammal was a slow-moving and social creature with no teeth (just keratinous plates). True to form, the gentle creature was hunted to extinction by 1768.

Great job, guys.

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gimghoul castle

from secret societies posted in history by pete_nice

Built in 1924 out of 1300 tons of rough stone, this castle is the home of the University of North Carolina secret society known as the Order of Gimghoul.

The Gimghoul Castle (also known as the Hippol Castle) has an origin tale stemming from an 18-year old student, Peter Dromgoole, supposedly killed in a duel over a fair maiden at the location. His blood is said to have stained a rock that guards the castle's entrance to this day. There are other versions of this story that are equally melodramatic.

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wrangel island

from mammoths, extinction posted in history by pete_nice

Located in the Arctic Ocean off the Siberian coast, Wrangel Island is thought to be the last known location for wooly mammoths.

Research indicates that the mammoths were inhabiting the island as late as 2000 BC, which is nearly 5,000 years after they are thought to have gone extinct on the mainland.

Today, Wrangel Island is home to a weather station and to Chukchi (indigenous Arctic) fishing villages.

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ryugyong hotel

from north korea, totalitarianism posted in history by pete_nice

From reddit: "The Ryugyong Hotel is an unfinished 105-story, 330 metres (1,080 ft) tall pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea. The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors.

Construction began in 1987 but was halted in 1992 as North Korea entered a period of economic crisis after the fall of the Soviet Union. After 1992 the building stood topped out, but without any windows or interior fittings.

In 2008 construction resumed, and the exterior was completed in 2011. It was planned to open the hotel in 2012, the centenary of Kim Il-sung's birth, but this did not happen.

A partial opening was announced for 2013, but this was also cancelled. As of 2017, the building remains unopened."

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word origin: sardonic

from word origin posted in history by prof_improbable

Webster's dictionary defines the word sardonic as "disdainfully or skeptically humorous : derisively mocking."

The word originates from the ancient peoples of the island of Sardinia off the Italian coast (from Wikipedia):

In 2009, scientists at the University of Eastern Piedmont in Italy claimed to have identified hemlock water dropwort (Oenanthe crocata) as the plant responsible for producing the sardonic grin.

This plant is the candidate for the "sardonic herb," which was a neurotoxic plant used for the ritual killing of elderly people in pre-Roman Sardinia. When these people were unable to support themselves, they were intoxicated with this herb and then dropped from a high rock or beaten to death.


That is so totally metal.

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