listosaur.com

In the 1960s, enclosed shopping malls were all the rage. Advertisements touted the benefits of shopping in a climate-controlled setting year-round and purchasing an array of specialty products under one roof. The malls dethroned downtown shopping districts and reigned in the American retail landscape throughout the 1970s and 1980s. But as the turn of the century approached, many malls began losing favor. Open-air town centers are rising in their place as Americans seek more convenience. One by one, once-thriving malls are toppling, their demise hastened by the recession. There are usually several factors behind a mall’s failure: increased competition, changing demographics, safety issues (real or perceived) and poor city planning. Here are 10 so-called dead malls with interesting fates.

A team of scientists raised eyebrows earlier this year when they estimated there are 8.7 million species on Earth. Some critics contend that estimate is much too low. Whatever the exact number, each year hundreds of new species of animals are discovered. Some are offshoots of known species, while others had been considered mythical until their discovery. Each year, scientists also rediscover species that had been considered extinct. Here are 10 species of the Lazarus taxon, 10 animals that were once thought to be either extinct or non-existent.

Making a movie entails great risk. Not only does the filmmaker run the risk of his movie not being liked, it may not even be seen by more than a few dozen people. In an effort to improve the odds, filmmakers often attempt to make the kind of movie that's been made before, replete with all the elements that made those earlier pictures hits. This is how movie clichés are born. Eliminating today's most tiresome clichés wouldn't put a dent in the phenomenon; new clichés would just take their place. Nevertheless, elimination is what they deserve. Here are 10 movie clichés that wore out their welcome long ago.

There are many famous islands in the United States, and most are famous in part because they’re tourist magnets. But you won’t find the likes of Maui, Nantucket, Hilton Head, Key West, Miami Beach or these other must-see places on this list. Instead, you’ll find an island that has been branded the “Forbidden Island,” one where the dead outnumber living residents 850,000 to O and another so remote Russia is only two miles away.

A Chinese warrior named Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War more than 2,000 years ago. Although the book’s exact origins remain obscure and some historians consider Sun Tzu to be a semi-mythical figure, his ideas have had an enormous influence on warfare through the centuries, with many famous military leaders studying the text. But his philosophy applies to more than just military conflict. In the modern world, businessmen, politicians, lawyers and even sports coaches have adapted the book’s principles. Here are 5 lasting influences of The Art of War.

American industrialist Henry Ford is generally credited with inventing the first assembly line, around 1913. The innovation allowed the Ford Motor Co. to sell millions of cars in a few years, a phenomenal feat at the time. Ford would certainly recognize some of the techniques he pioneered, such as the division of labor, on the modern assembly line, but he’d surely be amazed at the advances such as robotics and “clean rooms.” From microchips to beer, here are 10 interesting assembly line videos.

Remember the good ol’ days, when we only had addictions to booze, “hard drugs” and gambling to worry about? Our grandparents didn’t have “Crackberries” competing for their family time, and “Halo” was simply part of an angel’s attire — not a game played by teens until they drop dead. With all the conveniences provided by new technologies, many unexpected consequences arise because one thing is certain: Humans have always had a problem obeying the old adage, “Everything in moderation.”

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?”

Wind power. Solar energy. Electric cars. For years, we’ve heard about the coming shift from a fossil-fuel-based economy to one that uses renewable and sustainable energy. But while green energy initiatives are great in theory, they’ve had a tough time making their way into the average community or driveway. Beyond the technical problems facing clean energy, the issue has become politically charged, with scandals such as Solyndra and the BP disaster in the Gulf dominating the news. Here are five problems slowing the conversion to green energy in the United States.

So you’ve been to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Sedona and Niagara Falls. You’ve also been to Yosemite, Acadia and so many of the other popular natural wonders in America, you’re now wondering, “What next?” Here are five often-overlooked natural wonders in the U.S. you may not have considered, or even heard about, that offer otherworldly beauty.