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After living in the sports-crazed Land Down Under, I declared that Aussies could turn the act of flossing into a “sport.” I meant the statement in jest at the time, but after finding these playground games and otherwise normal activities transformed into professional sports leagues, I realize that almost anything can evolve into a sophisticated athletic organization. It helps if the organization has faithful advocates and followers, tournaments in Las Vegas, cool uniforms, a Hall of Fame and, of course, ESPN2 coverage.

The United States has signed hundreds of treaties, both domestic and international, in its history, and most of them are fairly self-explanatory — treaties have ended wars, fostered environmental protection and secured new territory. Other treaties, however, seem strange in retrospect. Here are five such treaties that seem unusual to our modern sensibilities.

Everyone these days seemingly wants to lose weight quickly, but studies have proven that those who lose weight more slowly at 1 to 2 pounds a week are more successful at maintaining their weight loss than those who try the quick fix. Making the decision to be healthy is the first step to weight loss and the good news is you can do it with these five easy and effective tips.

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.

With so many new movies hitting theaters every time we turn around, it's difficult for any one picture to stand out from the cinematic crowd. But one thing we never forget is a surprise ending, a movie that dares to be different before the final credits roll. Looking back at the 10 movies on this list, it may be easy to see those endings coming now, but we shouldn't flatter ourselves — these endings shocked us at the time. The majority of these movies are relatively recent, and there’s a reason for that — the more exposure we have to a film's ending, the less surprising it comes to seem over the years. And obviously, this list is prefaced with not just one, but 10 spoiler alerts. If you haven't seen these flicks and intend to, stop reading now. Better yet, see them and then come back later.

Politicians at the national level live in a public spotlight, with their every move scrutinized. Their comments are studied and parsed for meaning. So it’s strange how often famous politicians get saddled with words they never used, or they’re credited for originating a phrase they borrowed from someone else’s work. This was understandable before the modern era — there were no tape recorders or video cameras and record keeping was shaky. But even today, thanks to social media, once a politician gets stuck with a quote, it will be endlessly circulated until everyone forever links the politician and quote. Here are 10 famous quotes or misquotations that are frequently misattributed to politicians, including a couple of recent ones to show how such a phenomenon develops.

Throughout modern history water has been relatively inexpensive, so it was quite a surprise to many when it became trendy in the 1990s for people to pay premium prices for bottled water. Today, bottled water has become a multi-billion dollar industry, as people drink it for convenience, taste and even glamour. Many people just feel bottled water is purer and healthier than tap water. Unfortunately, the evidence does not support the prevailing wisdom. Here are five strange but true facts about bottled drinking water.

Few people stop to think when they board a commercial flight that it has been barely more than a century since two bicycle makers named Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first 12-second powered flight in 1903. Since then, aviation technology has grown at an exponential pace, with the first propeller-driven planes giving way to jets, which have now been surpassed by planes that can fly into space. Here are 10 technological developments and events that have defined modern military and civilian aviation.

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.

You see it every year in sports — a former all-star player, his skills greatly eroded, is released by his longtime team. Rather than retire, the player starts looking for another team, hoping to milk one more mediocre season out of his career. One attribute that makes great athletes special is their supreme self-confidence, but that becomes a negative if they’re convinced they can still perform when age and injuries have sapped their skills. The result can be sad to behold. Think Willie Mays in his bumbling stint with the New York Mets. Or Rickey Henderson playing in the minor leagues in his late 40s. Or Franco Harris shuffling around with the Seattle Seahawks.

On the other hand, some athletes know when to leave, walking away in their prime, or as champions. Here are 10 athletes who went out with a bang, at or near the top of their game. Some went out the sweetest way possible, winning a championship in their final hurrah.