It is obvious that time can distort history. We know this, yet still cling to some whopping lies that have been perpetuated, sometimes for hundreds or thousands of years. Check it out:

1. Jesus Was Not A White Guy With Long Flowing Locks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Christianity has been the religion of choice for Western culture for well over a thousand years now, the most important figure in that religion, Jesus of Nazareth, has come to be popularly depicted as a white guy with flowing, sandy hair.

We know, of course, that Jesus was of Middle Eastern origin.

Moreover, scholars agree that he was a common man, and would have looked like a common man of his place and time. The above picture is an artist’s rendering, but Jesus would have looked more like the guy on the left than the guy on the right.

2. The Pyramids At Giza Were Originally White.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous ancient Egyptian Pyramids at Giza are a marvel, there is no question. However, they are a marvel that has endured erosion for millennia. If you can imagine, these monuments were much more awe-inspiring back when they were first built.

The original outside of these structures was white limestone that had undergone a laborious smoothing process by workers to remove the tool marks. The sandy bricks we see now are merely the base structure. The original limestone casting stones that must have caused the pyramids to shine brightly for miles have been looted, weathered, and borrowed for other nearby structures. Few originals actually still exist on the pyramids today.

3. The Statue Of Liberty Was Modeled After The Colossus Of Rhodes.

The history of the Statue of Liberty far predates the typical assumption: that it was built to represent American freedom from colonial rule.

While the history about the statue being a gift from France celebrating American freedom is true, the statue was meant to be a near-likeness of the Colossus of Rhodes, which watched over the Mandraki Harbor in Greece. The scale of the two monuments is even the same.

4. Velociraptors Had Feathers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popular depictions of the fierce velociraptor show them with a typical scaly lizard skin. This visual was burned into the collective idea of what the predator looked like by the movie Jurassic Park, particularly.

While the creatures could not fly, we know now that they did have a coat of feathers. This discovery was made in 1998 by paleontologists at the American and Field Museums of Natural History. Of course, the damage had been done already five years earlier by Spielberg and his army of movie animators.

5. The Ancients Knew The Earth Was Round.

It is a popular Western cultural myth that Columbus not only discovered the Americas, but debunked the idea that the Earth was flat in the process. We now know that Columbus deserves credit for neither of these discoveries, as scientists have uncovered evidence of ancient knowledge on both subjects.

In addition to Thales up in the graphic there, we know that ancient scholars such as Pythagoras and Aristotle knew that the Earth is round. Indeed, educated Europeans in Columbus’ time also knew that the Earth is a sphere. They did underestimate the circumference of our world, explaining why he thought he had arrived in Asia when he landed in the Caribbean.

6. Ninjas Looked Like Average Folk.

 

 

 

 

 

Movies and other forms of pop culture portray the esteemed ninja as a guy in the distinct mask and comfy black clothes.

However, to be a ninja was an art form. Skilled mercenaries are trained to be lethal, and to be lethal you have to be stealthy. Therefore, they dressed much like ordinary farmers, monks, merchants, and so on. After all, if you were trying to track the enemy, you wouldn’t want to wear clothes that screamed ‘Hey, I’m a ninja!’

7. Greek Statues Were Once Brightly Painted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archaeologists have gathered enough evidence from ancient texts to be able to draw a reasonable conclusion that the iconic ancient Greek statues once sported bright colors. Some of these texts even include illustrations of painted statues.

Over time, weathering events and natural wear and tear eroded the paint from the stone. However, Renaissance artists idealized this perceived minimalism, which echoed their own ideas on purity and strength. The oft-imitated austere white ‘Greek style’ was burned into consciousness from that point.

Ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced and lasting of the ancient civilization. The civilization coalesced around 3150 BC according to conventional wisdom. Their civilization has captivated the minds and imaginations of children and scholars alike, and for good reason. But there are some pretty uncommon facts about Egypt that many don’t know.

1. Both men and women wore makeup.

Makeup is seen by many today as something women use exclusively, but to the ancient Egyptians, makeup was for men and women alike.

They often wore large amounts of makeup because they believed it gave them special godly protection. Women often stained their cheeks with red paint and both sexes wore perfumes.

2. Egyptians domesticated numerous animals.

Everyone knows that Egyptians kept cats as household pets, revering them as god-like creatures, but they also had a reverence for hawks, dogs, lions, ibises, and baboons. These animals were frequently kept in Egyptian homes and were often mummified and buried with their dead owners.

3. King Tutankhamen may have been killed by a hippo.

There isn’t much known about the boy pharaoh Tutankhamen, but some historians now think that King Tut may have died from being crushed by a hippo. His embalmed body lacked his heart or his chest wall, which was unusual. He also had wounds that were likely bites from a hippo. Continue reading →

We’ve all heard that milk is good for you. It has vitamin D and calcium – both ingredients for strong bones and good health, right?

Today, some new data is casting some doubt on the claims. It turns out, scientists aren’t totally clear on how much milk actually helps your bones. Exercise and other sources of vitamin D may actually do a lot more for overall bone strength, as is demonstrated in societies that don’t drink milk. In milk-heavy communities, the rate of bone fractures is actually higher. Is milk to blame? Potentially.

Not only is milk not necessarily good for strong bones, a new study has found that there’s some real unhealthy stuff in milk.

The study, conducted in 2013 by CoBank, found fat content, flavorings, and added sugars contribute to childhood obesity, which has reached pandemic proportions in the U.S. and other western countries.

Milk, among other dairy products, is a major part of America’s obesity problem. Milk is one of the largest sources of saturated fats and has been linked to diseases like prostate cancer and diabetes. Continue reading →

An old soul is a special person – one who lives life a little bit differently. To put it simply, an old soul is one that has reincarnated many times, as opposed to a younger, fresher soul that may be walking this Earth for the first time ever.

Old souls tend to have different attitudes, habits, temperaments and frankly, they’re just old at heart. Because of this, old souls tend to have pretty universal problems in life.

Old souls love spending time alone.

Old souls tend to be more introverted than their younger counterparts. They find strength in solitude and are often very comfortable with themselves.

As a result, they may not enjoy doing things like hitting the bars or going clubbing. This is one area where old souls seem “boring” to younger ones, but they don’t feel boring.

Old souls attract people.

Old souls often attract people to them for their wisdom and good humor, but often times, the consequence of that is that their energies are drained. Old souls tend to be extremely empathic people, meaning lots of attention and interaction tends to drain them.

Old souls tend to be loners.

Old souls like developing meaningful relationships with people.

As a result, you won’t likely see them going to a rager of a party.

Instead, they prefer one on one interactions or small groups of friends together.

They prefer to spend their energy building a tight knit circle. Continue reading →

Himalayan pink salt is widely regarded for its numerous health benefits. This salt is way better for you than regular old table salt. It contains calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium too. It truly is the king of salts!

But not only is it good for your health when consumed, it’s good for your health to simply have around too. Chunks of pink salt have been popularized as small lamps that can help people with migraines, allergies, insomnia, some skin conditions, and other disorders.

G. S. Rahi, an assistant professor of Physical Science at Fayetteville State University has concerns about the relationship between ions and human health.

“As all living systems (including human beings) are bioelectric in nature, the electrically charged particles affect the way we feel and act,” says Professor Rahi.

“In natural setting a balance of positive and negative ions contribute to one’s sensations and perceptions. Atmospheric ions can affect health, well-being, efficiency, emotions, and mental attitude of human beings.” Continue reading →

We all love crystals but what do you actually DO with them, how do you use them, and how do you choose? These are some ways of using crystal power to enhance your life…

1) FIRST GET THE PERFECT MATCH

Generally a crystal that will be beneficial to you will feel right to you even though you may not be able to describe the sensations it creates. Sometimes a crystal may give off a regular pulse of energy; you may feel others as being very cold in your hand, or even warm.

2) CLEANSE YOUR CRYSTAL

Crystals can collect various forms of energy from emotions, thought, touch and many other sources. When other people handle your crystal, they leave their energy imprint on the crystal.

This isn’t “bad” however, in order to make your crystal truly yours, we suggest that you remove the stored vibration.

This is known as clearing the crystal. Take your magical gem and imagine a golden light radiating and filling your item. Or simply give your crystal sunlight or moonlight for 8 hours. Use your own instincts as you develop the methods that work best for you.

3) PROGRAM YOUR CRYSTAL

Your thoughts, visualizations, and feelings have an energetic charge; when you program a crystal to assist you in manifesting your desires and dreams you put that energetic charge into your crystal. Continue reading →