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Every discipline of science has its accompanying branch of pseudoscience. Chemistry has alchemy. Astronomy has astrology. There are those who would even refute Relativity and Newtonian gravity despite evidence to the contrary. Real science has predictive power, the ability to state something about the reality of the universe. And while scientists of old often financed their research by dabbling in astrology, alchemy and numerology, modern science has long sense parted ways with these black arts. Still, fringe ideas continue to persist and seem to find new niches to thrive and grow on the Internet. Just check out some of these very strange ideas about the Earth that persist to this day.

So you’re sitting around at a family cookout, trying to set up your brand-new smartphone. As you shake your head in frustration at some of the confusing steps, your grandfather speaks up: “It was so much easier when I was your age. You just picked up the phone and dialed a number.” Oh, really? New technologies have always frustrated us. Today it’s iPhones and our wireless router. A few years ago it was our DVD player. But despite what grandpa says, things weren’t easier in the so-called good ol’ days. As the following video clips show, our parents and grandparents had to be instructed about how to dial a phone, pack their car for a road trip … there’s even a video here on how a boy should ask a girl on a date. It’s enough to make the iPhone setup seem like brain surgery by comparison.

Seems you can’t believe anything you read or hear on April Fools’ Day anymore, as many respectable media outlets and organizations try to outdo themselves with an outlandish news story. If anything, the faster news cycle and the instantaneous nature of the Internet has fueled even more ridiculous April Fools’ pranks, which can now travel around the globe in a flash. Some even start March 30 and 31 to “gain traction” as everyone now expects them on April 1. Scientific organizations aren’t above concocting a gag or two around this date. What’s especially amusing is to see the mainstream media take these stories and rehash them as fact, sometimes for years to come.  Here are just few classic jokes in the science world from April Fools’ past.

Jimmy Hoffa, the notorious Teamsters Union leader who disappeared without a trace on July 30, 1975, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on Valentine’s Day 2013. Hoffa’s centennial birthday comes just a few weeks after yet another aging reputed mob boss, Tony Zerilli, claimed that he knows what happened to Hoffa, and that his body is located just 20 miles north of the suburban Detroit restaurant where he was last seen. It’s the type of claim that usually brings the FBI out with earthmoving equipment to dig up yet another yard or farm or field in Michigan in search of Hoffa’s body. But some contend that Hoffa is still alive. Speculation that the besieged union leader could still be alive or that he met his demise peacefully — from old age and not “two bullets to the hat” — are among 10 of the following obscure and/or bizarre theories floated by conspiracy buffs and mob insiders to explain the enduring mystery of Jimmy Hoffa’s fate.

The process of evolution is merciless. Creatures who adapt to their environment survive; those that don’t become extinct. In the process, some develop incredible traits that help them survive. Few evolutionary changes are as fun to look at as creatures that have developed camouflage as a defense mechanism. Here are just a few incredible examples of camouflage in the animal kingdom.

As the United States spirals deeper into debt, the federal government continues to spend, spend and spend taxpayer money on some really bizarre stuff. Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma brings 100 of these schemes to light every year in his annual Waste Book, and we took a look at the past three years to compile the senator’s greatest hits in terms of wasteful studies. Many of these studies are not only what most citizens, whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent, would regard as a waste of tax dollars, they’re totally bizarre as well. Here are 10 of these bizarre studies in all their glory, ranked from the least to the most expensive.

The late 1940s and 1950s were a strange time in the United States. With the rise of the Soviet Union, the U.S. government and the public became increasingly paranoid. Senator Joseph McCarthy stoked fears of communists lurking in every neighborhood, and many citizens built in-home underground fallout shelters in hopes of surviving an impending nuclear war. On the military front, the U.S., desperate to stay ahead of the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms race — especially following Russia’s launch of Sputnik in October 1957 — devised some truly bizarre nuclear weapons tests and programs. How bizarre? Well, one such project aimed to detonate a nuclear bomb on the Moon, simply as a show of U.S. strength. Here are the details on that strange-but-true plan and other forgotten top-secret U.S. nuclear weapons projects from that era.

One of the most enduring themes in the modern science fiction/horror genre is the zombie apocalypse. While zombies can be found in ancient lore and voodoo legends, modern zombies, as personified in entertainment such as the movie Shaun of the Dead and AMC’s The Walking Dead, can be traced back to the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead. Zombies have been seen as a metaphor for communism, apathy, and runaway consumerism in modern culture; there’s just something unsettling about a virus or bacterium that can get inside our skulls and manipulate us for its own nefarious purposes. But as the saying goes, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, so here are five strange but true zombie-like afflictions from the animal kingdom, including several that strike humans.

When we hear the term “witch hunt” today, we typically consider it a metaphor for things like steroid investigations and congressional inquiries. It’s not as if people still hunt down “real” witches the way they did in fiascos like America’s notorious Salem Witch Trials. Or do they? Real witch hunts do, in fact, still happen around the world, and they are shockingly on the rise. Here are some hot spots for these human rights violations.

None other than Capt. James T. Kirk once said that space is “the final frontier.” Many scientists have noted that the depths of the ocean, not space, represent the true last frontier in man’s explorations. But in recent years, some of our most remarkable scientific discoveries have come in our growing knowledge of the human body. We’ve mapped the human genome, made breakthroughs in fighting diseases, and gained new insights into how we develop, age, and eventually die. Here are a few mind-boggling numbers highlighting the incredible nature of the human body.

Sea monsters are just a myth — or are they? You tell us after checking out the following strange but true aquatic animals, some of which are monstrous-looking, monstrous-acting or both. Most of these creatures are perfectly harmless to humans; some we dare say are even kind of cute. But at least one can venture inside the human body and wreak havoc, especially if you don’t pay attention during your bathroom breaks near the Amazon River.

It’s been said that we’re all a bit eccentric in our own way. But what separates great minds from the rest of us? Is it the tenacity to attack a problem head on, or do great scientists truly have a different perspective on the universe than the rest of us? Stories of the peculiar habits of scientists abound, and have been popularized in fiction through the archetypal “mad scientist.” One could argue that unconventional thinkers are drawn to science to begin with, or perhaps their fame simply made their odd behavior more prominent. Either way, here’s a look at 10 of history’s quirkiest scientists who clearly marched to a different drummer.

Unidentified flying objects have been around since ancient times, although they didn’t get the tag “UFO” until the early 1950s, after a number of sightings in that era. The so-called field of ufology has conducted numerous studies investigating the phenomenon, but in many cases the research has created more questions than answers. Complicating the issue, the field has also lent itself to hoaxes ranging from faked photographs and videos of “flying saucers” to claims of bogus government agencies investigating alien activity. Here are five of the most intriguing UFO and alien-related hoaxes that went a bit further.

New technologies were everywhere in the 1950s and 1960s. The Atomic Age had hit full stride, jet engines and interstate highways had revolutionized travel and televisions had become common in most homes. People talked excitedly about emerging technologies, when they could heat food in seconds in space-age microwave ovens, or buy a $5,000 home computer … why, some experts predicted that people would one day use portable telephones. Auto manufacturers found themselves enamored with the future as well, building or designing sleek concept cars that included some options we now take for granted — cruise control, anti-lock brakes — along with some features that seem laughable in retrospect, such as cars powered by jet turbine or nuclear-powered (!) engines. Here’s a look back at 10 concept cars from that golden era.

Perhaps it was the hallucination-inducing absinthe those artsy film directors consumed back in the day. Or perhaps it was simply the humor and sensibilities of the time period. Whatever the filmmakers’ intentions, the following restorations of some famous films created between 1897 and 1911 are mind-twistingly bizarre by today’s standards. Feast your eyes on these films from the dawn of cinema, where you can watch Satan munching on a human, weird aliens, exploding heads, and toys killing other toys, with the added bonus of seeing primitive special effects pushed to the extreme.

When you think top-secret and strategic United States facilities, no doubt Area 51 with its “little green men” or the impenetrable Fort Knox with its real-life city of gold come to mind. But there are other bizarre strategic and storage sites scattered throughout the country that are virtually unknown to many Americans. Some were born out of Cold War paranoia; others arose out of a need to store items deemed essential for national security. While some of these facilities have a lifespan that can be measured in decades, others have been designed to last thousands of years.

Not so many years ago, the thought of a bakery solely dedicated to doggie delicacies and treats would have seemed ridiculous to most people. Well, that sort of pooch pampering is considered almost normal these days, but there are several relatively new trends in the veterinary world that are raising eyebrows. Welcome to the next generation of pampered pets. The following procedures will take a bigger bite out of your wallet than Fido’s baked goods, with some running more than $100,000. In the process, some family and friends just might question if you’ve gone crazy over Rover.

Have you ever committed genericide? Or been guilty of using a mondegreen? You almost certainly have, on both counts, possibly daily, even if you didn’t realize it at the time. As in many other professions, linguists have a number of extremely obscure terms they apply to everyday situations. Here are five bizarre linguistic terms that describe fairly common occurrences. Who knew there were words to describe these situations?

Flinging raw rice and breaking a glass underfoot to the shouts of “Mazel Tov!” may seem like strange ways to celebrate a marriage, at least if you’re not used to American customs. Even the American bridal tradition of wearing an all-white wedding dress is seen as very odd in other parts of the world. Bizarre as some U.S. wedding traditions may be, they certainly cannot take the (wedding) cake for overall wedding weirdness. Those honors go to these 10 strange wedding traditions around the globe.

When you think, “medical treatments through history,” you probably think of some nightmarish stuff — bloodletting, shock therapy, and more. But as gross or absurd as some of the following medical practices of “bygone” days may seem, like fashion, what goes around comes around. Some of these seemingly archaic treatments have made a comeback in recent years, as science has caught up with what the ancients knew all along.

Earth Day spins our way every April 22, giving us a chance to wear hemp shoes and eschew plastic bags for canvas totes in our bid to help the planet. Earth Day is a legitimate day of recognition, unlike other rather bizarre “awareness days” or “holidays” throughout the rest of the month. For example, National Zucchini Bread Day is celebrated April 25. If you hate zucchini, or bread, you can instead observe World Penguin Day, also held April 25. As for the rest of the year, be sure to mark your calendar for these bizarre awareness days.

This summer, Austrian Felix Baumgartner will attempt the skydive to end all skydives. From the edge of space, 120,000 feet high, the 42-year-old will leap into free-fall, breaking the speed of sound before hopefully parachuting to safety. Baumgartner and other current thrill-seekers on this list are redefining what it means to be a daredevil. And unlike the daring figures famed for a singular death-defying stunt, such as pitching over Niagara Falls in a barrel, most of these individuals have devoted their lives to consistently pushing the limits of what’s mortally possible.

There are more than 17,500 museums in the U.S. The following dozen (or so) force you to dust off your conception of what makes a museum. Instead of glass-covered cases with historical artifacts and educational placards, imagine wall-to-wall animated dolls in one corner and wall-to-wall clowns in another, or a dizzying array of human organs in jars. Stop shuddering and start investigating history you didn’t even know existed.

Think of your hometown. Even if it’s the smallest dot on the map, it’s probably known for something. Does it boast the biggest swing? Is it the home of Kool-Aid? Do people flock by the busload to see that giant ball of twine? The following represents a list of some of the strangest town mascots. Even if said mascot is bizarre or infamous, perhaps being known for something is better than not being known at all.

We expect certain things to explode or combust. We gather to watch exploding fireworks, watch in awe as old sports stadiums are imploded, and we depend on the military to deploy bombs to keep us safe. Our cars are powered by internal-combustion engines (OK, before you electric-car lovers beg to differ, you plug your cars into an electric grid still powered largely by another combustible energy source, coal). And we realize that rarely, explosive elements we use every day can cause unexpected destruction, as when natural gas explosions level homes.

This is a story about stuff you didn’t realize is explosive. Sure, you’ve probably seen the YouTube video of people dropping a popular candy in a soft drink and creating a rocket-like explosion. So we’ll skip that angle and present another five items you didn’t realize were explosive or combustible.

Mythological creatures come in all shapes and sizes, but it seems the same old creatures always hog the headlines. We constantly hear about gremlins, zombies, gorgons and cyclops — but now it’s time for some lesser-known creatures to shine. Ten of the more obscure mythological creatures appear below, a collection that includes messenger squirrels, horse-headed, human-bodied tricksters, and gigantic, thrashing catfish that supposedly cause earthquakes. Since it’s tough to rank bizarre qualities, these mythological creatures are ranked based on their alleged deadliness.

Day to day, the weather doesn't necessarily fascinate. It's sunny, it's cloudy, and sometimes it rains (or snows). The weather changes daily, but generally within relatively narrow parameters. Watch it long enough, carefully enough, however, have the good luck to be in the right place at the right time, and you might just witness some of the following strange weather phenomena.

Keeping exotic animals as pets might make a great conversation starter, although it’s tough to start a conversation if you happen to be dead. Certain exotic animals are known for their ability to maim and kill — not to mention they’re illegal to keep in many states and localities. The owners are at risk, especially if they have no clue on the proper care and handling of such creatures, but exotic pets can also pose a hazard to the community, the ecosystem and 2-year-old children who might look like supper. Even exotic creatures that are not deadly still run the risk of terrifying your family, friends, neighbors and any potential spouses on your list.

When you think of model builders, the image of someone hunched over a model airplane or car probably comes to mind. Model building has always been an exercise in patience, creativity and attention to detail, but for some models, those traits aren’t nearly enough. Imagine spending millions of dollars or more than 70 years working on a single model and you might understand the incredible effort involved in some of the following projects. Here are 10 unusual scale models from around the world.

You could truly say that conspiracy theories are more American than apple pie. Some theories have gained such credence with the public that they’re almost accepted as fact. For instance, polls have shown that 80 percent of Americans believe that the government is hiding knowledge of aliens; the same percentage of the public believes that an assassination conspiracy killed JFK. Below are the 10 most prominent conspiracy theories to emerge in the U.S. in the past 70 years. At least one example listed here once again demonstrates that truth is stranger than fiction.

It’s tough to get anywhere without a college degree these days, but it may be equally tough to get anywhere with a degree in Puppetry. Or EcoGastronomy. Or as a UFO reporter. Sure, the collection of strange but true college courses and degrees we’ve dug up sound like tons of fun — particularly if you like zombies, demons, and serial killers — but some could spiral students into massive debt in fields where there are few if any jobs available.

Some of the most enduring and perplexing mysteries involve mass disappearances, in which a group of people vanishes without a trace. Some disappearances can be plausibly explained, but others create more questions than answers. Over time, some theories become so outlandish that they seem to overshadow any scientific or logical explanation. Here are five strange mass disappearances in history that make you wonder, “What really happened?”

In another case of truth being stranger than fiction, earlier this year the FBI established a website containing thousands of files, formerly papers tucked away in file cabinets for decades. The ominous-sounding FBI Vault allows anyone to go online and sift through documents detailing everything from unexplained phenomena (UFOs) to investigations that seem ridiculous now (hundreds of pages dedicated to the immorality of a rock ‘n’ roll song or artist). You can check out the FBI Vault yourself — don’t worry, this won’t bring the Men In Black to your front door — or you can check out some of our favorite excerpts below. Please note that this is not meant to disparage the fine men and women who have worked at the FBI, or currently work for the agency, but these files, most from 40 or 50 years ago, reflect a very different era.

Urban legends are typically circulated to teach and warn — although most of the best ones do double duty as a tool to scare the bejeebers out of us. While legends run the gamut from the ridiculous tale of the woman who tried to dry her poodle in the microwave to the disgusting story of fast-food fare that was actually a deep-fried rat that fell in the fryer, it’s the scary tales that stick with us for life. Especially if you follow one legend’s directions on how to summon the malevolent spirit named Bloody Mary.

We all know the rumors of Elvis being alive and working at Walmart are bunk. But there are other notable and notorious folks who, although not employed by Walmart, may have lived far beyond their official date of death — if they had been granted an official date of death at all. Some disappeared into thin air and were never heard from again. Others allegedly resurfaced years later under assumed names. And one allegedly dead person may have toured the U.S. after his death in the form of a traveling, circus sideshow mummy.

Tarantulas, monkey brains and maggot-infested cheese known as Casu Marzu might be delicacies in other countries, but we here in America have our fair share of strange fare. And we’re not talking about deep-fried Twinkies, Spam or cheese you squirt from a can — the U.S. will always corner the market on chemically-laden and fattening foods. We’re talking about natural food you can club, shoot or otherwise cull from the land that can seem wholly unnatural to eat.

Scattered throughout Central and South America are ancient remnants of a once thriving civilization. Although the residents lived simple lives, their communities always produced some type of large-scale symbol that honored either their rulers or the gods in the sky. Using the simplest of tools, the creations ranged from straight lines more than nine miles in length to gigantic stone blocks miraculously transported from quarries nowhere near their final destinations. Some of these creations defy logic and any type of scientific explanation. Here are the top 5 ancient wonders of Central and South America.

When Bill Clinton ran for president, a decades-old photo soon circulated showing the then-16-year-old Clinton meeting President John F. Kennedy at the White House in 1963. The photo was a strange juxtaposition of eras, where past meets future. Here are five similar strange but true historic images where past and future collide.

Things that go bump in the night may not always be just your imagination — especially if they happen to eat your pit bull. Such is the case for this collection of 10 mysterious creatures that have reportedly been sighted throughout the United States, in some cases dating back centuries. The field of cryptozoology studies the existence of such “hidden animals,” or cryptids, and while it is dismissed as a pseudoscience by critics, cryptozoologists press on in their search for the following 10 creatures. Many traditional scientists point out that the existence of these creatures cannot be proven, although some admit they can’t be disproven, either.

The only thing creepier than a good ghost story is a good ghost sighting … or 10. With that thought in mind, we rounded up a list of the 10 most haunted places in America, in no particular order, based on the sites that kept appearing during our research. Some are closed off and crumbling, like Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery in Chicago. Others, like the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, are National Historic Landmarks. Most of the sites offer ghost tours; all have the ability to send a chill up your spine.

Saying rats are sweet and clean might strike some as more oxymoronic than talking about diet French fries. But rats really are clean, sweet — and intelligent — and make for some very cool pets. We’re not talking about scouring your nearest garbage dump, wharf or sewer drain and plucking a rat off the street. That’s akin to bringing home a feral dog. But we are talking about Norway rats, the same variety you find on the street that were instead bred to be domestic, usually with the intent of feeding reptiles. You can get Norway rats at pet stores around the world, with the savvy stores knowing they can jack up the price if they happen upon one with fancy patterns and colors. But even a high price is worth it for a pet rat based on all the rewards.

Cockroaches and rats aren’t the only things living in the New York City subways. The tunnels and tracks are alive with weird stories. The earliest subway line opened on Oct. 27, 1904, hauling its first fleet of passengers out of City Hall station. In the century since the debut ride, the system has expanded to more than 800 miles of track snaking through Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens, giving subway stories plenty of time and space in which to bubble, baffle and percolate. Here are five weird stories commonly shared by subway workers.

Not all tourist attractions are sunshine, light, and guys in giant mouse costumes. Some of them are downright frightening. Yet some people visit these places in hopes of seeing a ghost or something else bizarre. Here are five tourist attractions in the United States that will have you checking under the bed and sleeping with the lights on.

There are more than 18,000 cities, villages and towns in the U.S., according to the National League of Cities. Many of these towns boast strange or unusual claims to fame, so many, in fact, that it’s rare to find a town that doesn’t make such a claim. But some claims are definitely more offbeat, completely random or downright bizarre than others. Here are 10 American towns with unusual claims to fame. Those towns touting their status as the birthplace of American Idol finalists or obscure Olympic athletes need not apply.

From trademarks that literally take on a life of their own to children with do-it-yourself shrinking heads kits and all-too-realistic Tommy guns (I don’t recall such images on Leave it to Beaver), perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the following commercials is how just a few short decades ago, the masses likely didn’t flinch or bat an eye at them. Now, thanks to changing technology and social and cultural mores, these commercials are quaint and quirky at best and, at worst, degrading and dangerous.

Like religion and politics, UFOs stir passions. It’s been more than 60 years since the Roswell Army Air Field in New Mexico became the alleged final resting place for alien life forms. These supposed intergalactic travelers crashed in the desert, terrestrial navigation apparently not their strong suit. In the years since neither believers nor skeptics have managed to dominate the debate. An ABC poll in 2000 found that nearly half of all Americans and millions more globally believe we're not alone. Among UFO believers are these 10 famous people.

There were only two criteria used to make this list: one, the event must have happened in the Pacific Northwest and two, that it was verifiable. Sorry, no Bigfoot stories here, but if anyone ever proves his existence, he’ll certainly make this list.

For this list’s purposes, the Pacific Northwest is defined as the area composed of the states of Oregon and Washington. Those in Alaska will complain about that definition so one event from Alaskan history has been included just to keep the residents of the Frozen North happy. Having established the parameters, here’s a look at some of the strangest events in Pacific Northwest history.

Back in the day, almost everyone smoked cigarettes. Tobacco profits were instrumental in the growth of the original 13 colonies, and on into the 20th century, tobacco companies helped found hospitals, universities and other grand institutions. Even doctors as late the 1950s touted the benefits of cigarettes. Then came the groundbreaking warning from the U.S. Surgeon General in 1964 that . . . cigarettes are bad for your health! A few years later, in 1971, cigarette commercials were banned on American TV.

Thanks to YouTube, we can watch some of these commercials that today seem absurd, with doctors smoking in hospitals, cartoon characters taking smoke breaks and more. Sit back and enjoy 10 bizarre cigarette commercials. Please remember that smoking is not allowed in the theater.

The United States has many impressive national memorials and monuments honoring great presidents, concepts such as freedom and tragedies (see the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor). But for every such famous memorial, there are probably 100 others in the U.S. honoring bizarre incidents or obscure individuals. There are other memorials and monuments honoring worthy causes or individuals, but their size and/or design relative to their surroundings or legacy makes them stand out. Here are the top 10 unusual monuments and memorials in the United States.