There is a website that will map out length and costs of traveling in Ancient Rome!

Ever wondered what it would be like to travel before the invention of Modern technology. Have a random interest in the history and culture of Ancient Rome? Then, you will love the website orbis.com. It is an elaborate website that allows you to examine and learn about travel just as people would have in the time of the Roman Empire. 

The Roman Empire was huge, stretching across three continents. It is estimated that about a quarter of the population of the world was under Roman rule. With such a large span of land and huge number of people under control, it’s necessary to have extensive means of transport from roads to river paths.

Orbis as a website is capable of taking into consideration all of the costs and additional factors that might affect travel in the Roman Empire. What a lot of people don’t realize is the amount of association between different cities has a lot less to do with physical distance, and a lot more to do with the actual cost of traveling that distance. 

Orbis takes into consideration actual historical roads and paths, sea routes, and seasonal factors. Check it out and let us know what you think!

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In 1911, two kids rode horseback alone from New York to San Francisco in 62 days!

The Abernathy brothers, Louis and Temple, lived in Oklahoma and were the children of cowboy and US marshal Jack Abernathy. Louis was known as Bud and Temple went by Temp. Without any adult supervision, the brothers took several cross-country trips and became celebrities at the time. 

Their first adventure was in 1909 when they rode from Frederick, Oklahoma to Santa Fe, New Mexico by horseback at the ages of 9 and 5! After returning home, they began to plan a second cross-country trip to New York. They wanted to meet Theodore Roosevelt who would be returning from a trip to Africa and Europe. 

So, in 1910 the boys rode from Oklahoma to Manhattan by themselves and were greeted like celebrities. They were even in a ticker-tape parade following right behind the car Roosevelt was in. 

The boys were propositioned a challenge in 1911 to ride from New York to San Francisco in just 60 days. They agreed to not sleep or eat indoors during the journey and if they succeeded, they’d get $10,000 as a prize. They managed to make the trip in just 62 days, lost the prize money, but set a record for the time elapsed on making the trip. 

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Ever heard of the Philadelphia Experiment? It's a conspiracy theory that the navy once had an invisible ship!

It sounds like science-fiction, but there was actually a campaign called Project Rainbow with the goal of making a ship invisible to enemies. Project Rainbow is also known as the Philadelphia project, and, though denied by the government, is a popular conspiracy theory. 

Though the story of what happened is very detailed, contradictions make the likelihood of it actually occurring a bit sketchy. In theory, the project relies on science discovered by Albert Einstein about electromagnetic radiation and gravity. Those who believe the navy succeeding in turning a ship invisible think that electrical generators were used to bend light and cause the ship to disappear from sight! 

Carl Meredith Allen was the main promoter of the theory about invisibility. Some people later said that he had a long history of mental illness. However, his story got enough attention from US officials, which propagated the myth of the Philadelphia experiment even more. 

Many of those who forwarded the story and added to its popularity relied on his proof and research. For this reason, many experts discount the theory. They also state other physical laws that make the scientific evidence cited by promoters of the theory null. What do you think: could we really use physics to make an entire ship disappear?

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The 1806 version of “Jack and Jill” has 15 stanzas and they face many misfortunes!

"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after. " That's the classic, shortened version you're probably familiar with. However, in different versions, it's much longer than that.

The rhyme was a song that was published circa 1765. The number of verses it actually contains varies from version to version. It is much longer than the nursery rhyme that we’ve shortened it to. Check out the source below to read the whole thing!

The rhyme is considered a nonsense rhyme for many reasons. The first, being that water is found at the base of hills, not at the top. Other parts of the rhyme were real, like the part about using brown paper and vinegar to fix Jack’s head. Vinegar and brown paper were used as a home cure to draw out bruises.

The origins of the rhyme or unknown, but like most, it is considered to be a complicated metaphor. 

One theory is that the rhyme is a version of a Norse mythological story. Another theory was that Jack and Jill were priests. No matter the purpose of the rhyme, you should know that earlier versions of the rhyme had 15 stanzas and that Jack and Jill were a very unfortunate duo. 

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Someone once tried to pay Mr. T to assassinate someone.

Laurence Tureaud, or “Mr. T” as everyone knows him, is an actor best known for his role in the television series The A Team and the movie Rocky III. He’s easily best known for his distinct hairstyle and catch phrase, “I pity the fool!” So the question is this: if you were looking for a hitman to kill your friend, would Mr. T be the first you would go to? 

The answer is yes for at least one man. Mr. T was once offered $75,000 to assassinate someone. He received a file in the mail and a $5,000 advance payment. According to Mr. T, “He offered me $75,000 to kill his friend. The last envelope and letter contained a round-trip airline ticket, first class, United. Plus there was $5,000 wrapped in a little package, fifty and hundred dollar bills. I tell you the honest truth, when I saw that money I didn't believe it was real." 

Mr. T flat out refused and tried to warn the victim, but he was too late. The man died in a car accident. Though assassination was out of his line of work, he often served as a bodyguard. He had two rules for accepting clients: A client couldn’t lie to him, and all clients had to shop around before coming to him. 

So if you need an assassin, you should look elsewhere. If you need a bodyguard, however, you’re in the right market. 

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