New York hospital delivers 4 sets of twins in single day

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A Long Island hospital has welcomed a rare four sets of twins in a six-hour period.

The series of births at NYU Winthrop in Mineola started at 8:44 a.m. Wednesday when Brenda Alvarenga gave birth to Ava and Elena.

Shannon and Anthony Rogone then welcomed twins Sarah and Elise around 10 a.m. The births of Alexa and McKenzie followed an hour later to parents Darlene and Joe Sica.

Finally, Catherine and Joseph Monez welcomed twins Luke and Benjamin at 2:26 p.m.

The hospital's chief of maternal-fetal medicine tells Newsday two sets of twins born at NYU Winthrop on the same day is rare, and four is unheard of.

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Information from: Newsday, http://www.newsday.com

China's A.I. "City Brain" Has Been Manipulating Millions of People

China's artificially intelligent city supercomputer... that spies on everything.

It may be no surprise to many of you that China's communist government has been monitoring on its own citizens for years. What may be news to you is that it's been using an artificially intelligent supercomputer do more than watch but to actually manage city operations.

It is the "City Brain" in Hangzhou, China that oversees 9+ million people. It tracks the traffic of cars, bicycles, buses, trains, airplanes; tracks crimes, purchases, text messages, phone calls, social media, and much more. 

The government tries to justify its violation of citizen privacy with statistics of fewer traffic jams, car accidents, and crimes. While these are positive results, the loss of rights and the slippery slope of digital dictatorship are costs much too high to pay. A society whose entire information channels are censored by a communist state may simply be ignorant of the consequences and/or have accepted misleading notions repeated often enough. 

Because of this, China may be the perfect place to prototype the A.I. City Brain.

Tech moguls with near-celebrity status, such as Alibaba's Artificial Intelligence Manager Xian-Sheng Hua, seem to encourage people to not care about their rights because they slow down technological advancements: 

“In China, people have less concern with privacy, which allows us to move faster.”

This "City Brain" has been so "successful" saving bureaucrats money and managing busy city operations that there are plans for replicating it onto other cities and even all around the world. 

Why did Facebook's Marc Zuckerberg and Apple's Tim Cooke visit China together recently? 

 

Smile You're on Camera... Everywhere

Why is face recognition so popular? Even the new iPhone X has a 3D face scanner to unlock your device and grant access to your accounts. Is this technology just for taking better selfies? The reasoning of face recognition improving security has been debunked already. 

According to a China Central Television documentary, surveillance cameras recognize the faces of everyone it sees and displays their profiles in real time. 

In 2013, NPR reported that Chinese Communist Party security agents “privately confirmed turning cellphones into listening devices to spy on citizens."

Kryptowire is a security firm who found such spyware in US phones and reported it to our government. A $50, HD-display smartphone with fast data service sounds good except for... the backdoor that "sends the full contents of text messages, contact lists, call logs, location information, and other data to a Chinese server every 72 hours." 

The Chinese company that wrote the software, Shanghai Adups Technology Company, says its code "runs on more than 700 million phones, cars, and other smart devices." So this issue can easily spread beyond one high-tech city.

"The code comes preinstalled on phones and the surveillance is not disclosed to users," said Tom Karygiannis, vice president of Kryptowire.

That's right, the Chinese communist government's AI supercomputer has access to mobile devices. In freedom-loving America, we recognize such breach of privacy as an attack on our liberty itself even in the cloak of safety and efficiency. 

Beyond Surveillance: CITIZEN SCORE

In 2015, China launched a “social credit system,” called Citizen Score connected to 1.3 billion Chinese citizens’ national ID cards. It basically calculates all the data collected to score everyone on their behavior. The ACLU said the system leveraged “all the tools of the information age—electronic purchasing data, social networks, algorithmic sorting—to construct the ultimate tool of social control.” 

A Citizen Score, also linked to credit scores, could drop if a “friend” in social media did or said something the communist government considered inappropriate, bought certain video games, posted politically sensitive comments, or anything embarrassing the Chinese Communist Party. 

"No regime, however ruthless its leaders, vast its ambitions, or extensive its resources, can tyrannize its subjects without their active cooperation. Every police state ultimately requires the public to regiment themselves—and each other. In the age of social media, successful totalitarians will have to crowd-source state coercion – and China’s new “social credit” system, which will encompass that country’s entire population in 2020, is pioneering an approach that, if successful, will inevitably spawn imitators in the West."

Beyond Profiling: SEARCH & DESTROY

With such spying devices all around the world feeding a cloud-connected communist supercomputer with one of the world's largest standing armies and a history of mass murder of its own innocent civilians, there is plenty of reason for concern over genuine security and human rights for people all around the world. 

According to the authoritative “Black Book of Communism,” an estimated 65 million Chinese died as a result of Mao’s repeated, merciless attempts to create a new “socialist” China. Anyone who got in his way was done away with -- by execution, imprisonment or forced famine. For Mao, the No. 1 enemy was the intellectual. 

One example of victims of technological tyranny is the case of Cisco Systems custom-building and maintaining the "Golden Shield Project" used to monitor internet communications and target specific users that clarified the truth about the communist regime.

"In one marketing slide, the goals of the Golden Shield are described as to “douzheng evil Falun Gong cult and other hostile elements.” Douzheng is a Chinese term used to describe the persecution of undesirable groups. It was widely used by the Communist Party in the Cultural Revolution."

We the People > A.I.

People create and regulate governments, governments create and regulate corporations, all to serve the people. With all the technologies' data collection merging into a non-human controlling force without spirit or morality, humanity is in danger.

The sci-fi movies depicting robots controlling or killing humans was a warning to avoid such a path. Yet, it seems, some are racing down this trail pursuing electronic god-like superpower substitutes. Where is this desire to control everyone else coming from? Is it really human nature?

Despite improved efficiencies of city dynamic processes, we must focus on the fundamental purpose of these functions. For without noble or upright purposes to guide humanity onward and upward we will likely lose our way over time and bury ourselves in the entanglements of our own misunderstandings, thus creating conflicts with others and within ourselves. 

A supercomputer can handle vast and complex calculations yet how can it resolve the issues within our hearts? A.I. is not the solution to human error and may rather even classify humankind itself as the error to eliminate. Will A.I. attempt to control our free will to prevent ignorant human behavior? If so, how far would it go? What will happen if we try to compete with it? 

The real problems we face are of a human nature within ourselves. Giving authority of how we live over to such a computer, things may quickly go beyond our reach until we become helpless nodes under an electronic mechanism that will not listen to us.

Going back to the basics, living a traditional life in harmony with nature and the Tao, may actually be one of the greatest things to happen after all. 

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SOURCES: 

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3228444/security/skynet-in-china-real-life-person-of-interest-spying-in-real-time.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/us/politics/china-phones-software-security.html

https://www.cyberscoop.com/android-malware-china-huawei-zte-kryptowire-blu-products/

http://www.heritage.org/asia/commentary/the-legacy-mao-zedong-mass-murder

https://business-humanrights.org/en/cisco-systems-lawsuits-re-china

http://www.thedailyliberator.com/china-now-assigns-credit-scores-citizens-based-govt-loyalty-heres-terrifying/#ezWS3hyzV7IAg3wi.99

The Ultra-Rich Have Super-Luxurious Survival Bunkers

What will you do if a North Korean nuclear missile hits America?

What about natural disasters, an alien invasion, or zombie apocalypse? 

Well, guess what the ultra-rich are doing. They're buying underground bunkers! This is considered the ultimate insurance policy against terrorists, nuclear attacks, disease, zombies, you name it. And some of these rich people are investing A LOT in luxury. It seems like they're preparing to be down there for a long time or even looking forward to it; almost like a private penthouse millionaire club party that you're not invited to. 

American based company, Atlas Survival Shelters, plans to build ~1,000 new bunkers over the next year because demand for them has been growing. 

'Not having a bunker is a bit like not having car insurance,' Atlas founder Ron Hubbard, told The Times.

These luxury bunkers are not just popular in America. 10 bunkers are being built in Great Britain next year, more than anywhere else in Europe. The company claims they've built ones for $300,000 for 'A-listers from the UK' in Hollywood, according to The Times. 

Now, not all bunkers are being sold to people who want to stay away from everyone else out of fear of being attacked by desperate crowds during a disaster. Some people are building communities inside old missile silos with indoor communal hydroponic gardening. They'll even bring a doctor or two down with them. 

Surviving together as a community makes much more sense than hoarding resources alone in a big underground lair. Actually, these two contrasting perspectives may reveal why we've gotten to this dangerous point in history.

Company Vivos says its bunkers are the 'ultimate life assurance solution for a dangerous world' with one in South Dakota spread across 9,000 acres!

Check out some of these impressive underground mansions with pools, gyms, movie theaters, and even a rock climbing wall.

Don't worry, one of the worst things to do in an emergency is to panic. And don't get jealous either because that won't save you. One of the best things we can do to prepare for such a hypothetical apocalypse is to realize why we are all here and to fulfill our purposes in this life. This means looking beyond physical survival instincts, perhaps towards a life-changing spiritual experience.  

$1.3M Auction Bid Buys Albert Einstein's Theory of Happiness

By IAN DEITCH, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — While Albert Einstein's theory of happiness may be relative, it fetched $1.3 million at a Jerusalem auction on Tuesday.

The Nobel-winning scientist's musings, handwritten on a note, may not be as famous as his groundbreaking theory of relativity, but they still shed light on one of the great modern minds.

Winner's Auctions and Exhibitions said Einstein was traveling in Japan in 1922 when he was told he would be awarded the Nobel Prize in physics. In Tokyo, Einstein scribbled the note in German to a bellboy after he did not have cash to give him a tip.

"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness," it reads.

Gal Wiener, CEO of the auction house, said Einstein told the bellboy that because of his fame, the handwritten note "will probably be worth more than a regular tip."

Wiener said bidding began at $2,000 and quickly escalated, with the bidding war lasting around 25 minutes.

Another note Einstein gave the bellboy, which read "Where there's a will there's a way," was sold for over $200,000, Wiener said.

He would not identify the buyer or seller of either note.

Einstein was a founder of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and left it his literary estate and personal papers. He declined an invitation to serve as Israel's first president. Einstein died in 1955.

5 Ancient Secret Societies that Tried to Control the World

There is something about secret societies that make us immensely distrust them and undeniably fascinated with them at the same time. Even if we have no interest in being a part of one, we can’t seem to shake off the inherent curiosity we have to get to know as much as we can about them. Many of us regard these covert organizations as an elite selection of individuals who have more than enough wealth, power, and influence to further their own self-interests to the detriment of the rest of the world. We view them as a faceless evil lurking in the shadows, dictating the ways of the world and quietly enslaving most of the human society through their cunning schemes and careful plotting.  

This negative view on secret societies is largely founded on our natural wariness of anything shrouded with mystery and perpetuated by dozens of conspiracy theories about these organizations that have sprung up over the years. While we can’t say for certain whether or not some of these secret societies are guilty of surreptitiously trying to rule the world, we can confirm that hundreds of these groups have indeed been established across the globe to serve grand social, political and religious agendas. Some of these institutions date back to several centuries and even a thousand years. Many of them had long since been disbanded but a few of these old clandestine orders continue to exist today.

Here are five (5) of the oldest secret societies you may or may not know about.

#1 – Illuminati

Probably the most well-known and most infamous secret society on this list, the Illuminati historically refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, a secret society of freethinkers formed during the era of Enlightenment in the late 18th century. It was founded by Adam Weishaupt on May 1, 1776, and its objectives were to oppose the deliberate restriction of knowledge dissemination of that time; to decrease the influence of superstition and religion over public matters, and to stand against those who abuse state power. Though they were not legally permitted to form an organization, a large number of intellectuals and politicians was a part of this secret group, with some freemasons even joining the fray. Internal dissent and the government’s effort to expose the group and disband it completely led to the Illuminati’s collapse before the end of the 18th century.

While the original Bavarian Illuminati is long gone, several fraternal organizations that exist today claim to have descended from the original members of the 18th-century Illuminati and openly use the name for their own organizations. Conspiracy theorists, however, insist that the real Illuminati organization was not completely quashed and that its members for the past few centuries have orchestrated a variety of historical events to control global society and to establish a “New World Order” governed by atheist and humanist principles. Some have even gone so far as to say that the Illuminati are also Satan worshippers who are furtively plotting to bring the Antichrist into power.

#2 – The Freemasonry

The Freemasonry is a “not-so-secret” secret society whose presence is still widely felt worldwide today ever since the First Grand Masonic Lodge was founded in London back in 1717. While the existence of Freemasonry is public knowledge for the past few centuries, the group has managed to maintain its exclusivity and has kept most of its practices and activities under wraps. They refer to god as “The Great Architect of the Universe,” and they are known to use various architectural symbols. They strictly observe a ritualized style in conducting their meetings, and it is said that Masons are taught secret signs and handshakes that will help them identify fellow Masons.

The challenges of being a part of the Masonry does not end with a confirmed membership to the group. The organization observes a gradual and graded membership system. Initially, the Masonry only had two membership levels – the first and the second degree. However, in the 1750s, a third degree was introduced - a move which was met with outrage and led to the group’s split at the time. Today, the three degrees of Masonry are the Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft and the Master Mason. Being an Entered Apprentice equates to a basic membership to the organization. A Fellow Craft is required to pursue furthering his knowledge on masonry. Finally, achieving the degree of a Master Mason means being able to be a part of various Masonic activities.

#3 – The Rosicrucian Order

Said to have been founded by Christian Rosenkreuz back in the early 15th century, this secret society is regarded as one of the oldest ones ever formed. The order’s official symbol is a rose on a cross, and initially, the organization was just a very small circle of doctors who are also sworn bachelors. Each member of this secret society took a vow to always tend to the sick, maintain the strength of the secret fellowship, and to select a suitable disciple to replace him in the event of death.

The Rosicrucians ultimate objective as a group is the “universal reformation of mankind,” and to them, this meant turning to occultism as well as other religious beliefs and practices. Members of this secret society essentially believed that they possessed secret knowledge that have been passed on to them from the “esoteric truths of the ancient past” about “nature, the physical universe and the spiritual realm.”

The secret Rosicrucian Order reached the peak of its glory during the 17th century with the publication of the group’s three manifestos. All of Europe was fascinated with the revelation of the existence of a covert brotherhood of sages and alchemists who were dedicated to transforming the political and intellectual landscape of the continent through the arts, sciences and religion. There are even rumors that this secret society was the hidden force operating behind every major war or revolution that occurred for the last several centuries.

#4 – The Hashashin

Also known as the Nizari Ismailis, the Hashashin was an enigmatic order composed of Muslim assassins that operated during the medieval period in the Middle East. This secret organization was formed by Shia Muslims who separated from a larger sect and decided to form a coalition in the late 11th century in hopes of building a utopian Shi’ite state. The Nizari did not have a large army so the group had to resort to various tactics like psychological warfare and orchestrating assassinations to accomplish their goals and defeat their enemies. While the term “assassins” refers to the medieval Nizari sect as a whole, those who actually complete the assassination missions are referred to as the “fida’i.” By using these warriors, they managed to eliminate many of the sect’s enemies, including caliphs, sultans as well as the leaders of the Crusaders of that period.

The Hashashin met its downfall at the hands of the Mongol Empire in the late 13th century, permanently losing their political power and influence as an organized sect. With the destruction of the Nizari, the remaining members of the fida’i class found a means to survive using their skillset by operating as contract killers. It is said that they charged a fixed rate for their services and were employed as mercenaries by various rulers. Records about the Nizari Ismailis has been lost or destroyed so much of what we know about them today is labeled by experts as more legend and myth than real facts.

#5 – The Brethren of Purity

The oldest and the most mysterious secret society on this list, the Brethren of Purity was formed around the 8th or 10th century by Muslim philosophers in Barsa, which is located in modern-day Iraq. Not much is known about this organization’s structure as well as the identities of its members in the past. However, they may have been followers of Shiism – a branch of the Islam religion which holds on to the belief that the prophet Muhammad had selected Ali ibn Abi Talib to succeed his position.

The Brethren of Purity followed a hierarchy with four levels: the “Craftsmen,” the Political Leaders,” the “Kings,” and the highest is the rank of “Prophets and Philosophers.” Members of the Brethren had also compiled a massive compendium titled the “Epistles of the Brethren of Purity,” which contains the organization’s esoteric teachings and philosophy on fifty-two treatises, including theology, natural sciences, mathematics and psychology.

The Brethren also strictly observed their rituals and traditions, especially on how their meetings are scheduled and how they are conducted. For example, they regularly held meetings for three evenings every month. The first meeting is set in the beginning of the month during which speeches were given. The second meeting is scheduled in the middle of the month, and it is allotted for topics about astronomy and astrology. And the third meeting is around the end of the month during which members of the order would recite hymns rich in philosophical wisdom. They also held feasts and lectures.

It cannot be said for certain whether the Brethren of Purity has completely been disbanded or if a branch of this secret society remains active to this day. At present, a large number of Muslim and Western scholars have made it their mission to identify the members of the Brethren of Purity and establish the period or century in which they were most active.

The five organizations we have just enumerated are just a few examples of dozens of mysterious secret societies that have been formed for the last thousand years. Most of these old elite orders have long been abolished or exposed, and those that remain until today no longer conduct most of their business in the shadows.

But can we say with absolute certainty that secret societies like the original Illuminati and the Hashashin no no longer exist today? It’s hard to be that confident. And even if they’re really gone for good, many contemporary elitist groups and mysterious organizations have already taken their place. They might go by different names now, but their objectives are perhaps not so different from those that came before. Maybe these faceless entities are still trying to change the world but the manner in which they try to do so has already changed as well.

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SOURCES:

http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/the-biggest/new-world-order-the-5-oldest-secret-societies/

http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/10-elite-secret-societies-history/

https://www.ancient-code.com/here-are-3-of-the-worlds-most-mysterious-secret-societies/

https://www.ancient-code.com/the-five-most-influential-secret-societies-in-history/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-grecian/the-most-exclusive-secret_b_5398914.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminati

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rosicrucians

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassins

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brethren_of_Purity

Madagascar's Red Cross works to curb deadly plague outbreak

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Madagascar's Red Cross is stepping up efforts to stem a plague outbreak that has killed 30 people and spread into urban areas.

Red Cross officials said Friday that the situation is particularly worrying because pneumonic plague, which is spread from person to person, has occurred for the first time in non-endemic areas and crowded cities. It says cases of bubonic plague, transmitted from animals to people through flea bites, occur almost annually in Madagascar.

Aid workers say there have been 194 cases of plague, mostly pneumonic. The Malagasy Red Cross mobilized 700 volunteers to work on community education, tracing people who have been in contact with plague victims and other health initiatives.

The outbreak began after the death of a 31-year-old man in Madagascar's central highlands in late August.

10 Reasons Why People Are Scared and Creeped Out by Clowns

Clowns. They are everywhere, and the mere sight of them can send someone running. And who shouldn’t be scared out of their wits when they see one? Those painted faces and the leering grins that seem to be keeping a dark secret.

Once upon a time, clowns were an enjoyment when the circus was still a big thing. However, due to some strange twist of fate, many are now terrified of these circus performers. It even has a psychological term called “Coulrophobia” or the fear of clowns.

To many, the fear is mainly because clowns look creepy or they weird people out but, just like the pasty makeup they put on, something sits just beneath the surface of this phobia, and not many of us ask about it.

So today, we are counting down the reasons why people are absolutely terrified of clowns.

10. Popular Culture

Let’s start with the obvious. Movies and TV have a large impact in our daily lives. Popular culture has such a hold on us that it can influence the way we think and the way we feel about things.

Fear is a normal part of our lives because, without it, our species may not have reached this point of existence; and according to studies, human beings have two kinds of fear: innate fear and learned fear. Innate fear is something that we may already have to begin with such as the fear of heights or tight spaces.

Learned fear, on the other hand, is contributed by factors we come across in our environment on an almost regular basis. People’s fear of clowns may be explained by events that have happened during their lifetime. It would not be a surprise if people see clowns as murderous psychopaths because they attribute it to John Wayne Gacy, one of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century that dressed up as a clown to lure his victims, most of whom are children.

But perhaps, the biggest contribution ever made to coulrophobia was the publication of Stephen King’s best-selling novel “IT.” The novel follows a group of friends who decide to face their childhood demon: a creature disguised as a clown called Pennywise. What drove people’s fears even further was when it was later on adapted onto the big screen with Tim Curry in the title role.

9. The Painted Smile

There is something about that almost permanent smile painted on a clown’s face that can send shivers down anyone’s spine. What is even more unnerving is that the smile makes it all the more difficult to tell when the person in makeup is showing real emotions. Imagine trying to interact with a person who never stopped smiling even for a second. The image just conjures up the terrifying face of Conrad Veidt’s character in the silent film The Man Who Laughs or even The Joker himself.

In a publication called Psychology Today, an article outlines that a clown’s painted smile limits the emotions that we can interpret on his face. It creates an optical illusion leading our brain to believe that the face is smiling despite the fact that we can distinguish his makeup from his real lips. It also does not help to a person’s anxiety whenever a clown asks them to smile back. Best case scenario is that the anxiety is fuelled by the awkward situation or the annoyance towards the clown.  The resulting fear, in some cases, is piled on by the pressure to interact.

8. Medieval Origins

The Medieval Fool or the Court Jester was the precursor to today’s modern circus clown. It may even be said that the Jester was the precursor to the profession of stand-up comedy.

However, despite what we know of the Fool or the Jester as presented to us by movies, we have really just hit the tip of this harlequin iceberg.

While they do, in fact, provide an amount of entertainment in the King’s court, the court Jester was also a satirist who would poke fun even at those who hold the highest and most influential positions in government without losing his neck.

Andrew Stott, an English professor, specializing in what is called the “clowning culture” points out that “the medieval fool  was continually reminding us of our mortality, our animal nature, of how unreasonable and ridiculous and petty we can be.” He also adds that these Fools and Jesters have a distinct and tenuous grip on life and society that allows them to see it from an almost morbid perspective.

He continues that “clowns have always been associated with danger and fear… they push our understanding to the limits of reason, and they do this through joking but also through ridicule.”

What may be driving the point home here is that a deeper kind of fear towards clowns is that they may remind us of our own insecurities and fear that we try to hide with an imaginary mask the same way they hide their faces behind paint and makeup.

7. Unpredictable and Untrustworthy Tricksters

People thrive when they are in a daily routine. It can give anyone a sense of security knowing that things are going as planned and on schedule; it brings normalcy in an otherwise chaotic environment.

Clowns, however, are the antithesis of order and normalcy. What is normal about fitting two dozen people in a tiny, two-door car? The idea that they can be disruptive is something that most people find unbearable. Their irrational characteristics make them walking nightmares to people who find peace in being in control.

The fact that clowns wear a thick layer of makeup, a kind of mask, gives them license to abandon normal social behaviors and norms. By definition, clowns continuously push the limits of what people can tolerate until they eventually snap. Beneath all that color, we are never sure what they plan to do next, and that alone can cause some serious mental anxiety.

6. Not Funny Anymore

People’s attitudes towards comedy and what’s funny change with time. Decades ago, we would be rolling on the floor with laughter at the slapstick antics of the Marx Brothers or Charlie Chaplin. Today, physical comedy or prop comedy isn’t as funny as it used to be.

The discomfort that is attributed to clowns may also stem from the fact that their brand of funny has long since expired. In a time where topical humor gets more giggles than a pie in the face, clown comedy is quite obsolete.

Children and adults alike may end up confused or anxious when they are expected – or, at the worst, forced – to laugh at something they simply do not find funny or amusing. The underlying social pressure and social anxiety brought by this have a much bigger impact in children when their confusion switches to terror because they simply do not know how to react to the situation.

5. Mass Hysteria

Sometimes we become afraid of something because most people are afraid of them. Going back to “learned fear,” our survival instinct depends upon what our current environment is. For example, you may not have a fear of riding elevators and then, one day, the one you are on breaks down leaving you trapped for a good hour or two. Such a situation can create a kind of trauma that will rewire your brain into alerting you about potential danger the next time you ride an elevator.

The same goes with clowns. For a time, people with coulrophobia aren’t as many but in 2016 when the “Killer Clown” phenomenon was making waves on the internet with people dressing up as clowns and pranking innocent passers-by, suddenly coulrophobics have been popping up left and right.

It is the result of mass hysteria that, suddenly, people are finding themselves in fear of clowns even when they never had any kind of trauma with them in the past.

Mass hysteria, in psychological terms, is a phenomenon in which an illusion is shared by a group of people that sees or identifies something as a threat or imminent danger. No matter how ridiculous or illogical it is, the result is mass panic.

The “Killer Clown” phenomenon swept different parts of America and Europe most especially, and the fear of clowns spread like wildfire even to those who have not experienced this morbid fad.

4. Stranger Danger

In the same vein as the murderous John Wayne Gacy and the French Killer Clown named Jean-Gaspard Deburau, clowns have been associated with the phrase “Stranger Danger.”

The past fifty or so years have seen a spike in the concern over suspicious characters who want to spend time around children. Many depictions of child predators in movies and television are usually dressed as colorful circus clowns who bait children with sweets or a funny story.

What’s tragic about this is that these predators exploit an image that is normally associated with comedy, fun times, and laughter. Clowns as a figure of fun are mostly shown by Ronald McDonald, the poster boy for McDonald’s fast food. Sadly, Ronald McDonald’s innocent image has been forever tainted by the twisted motivations of some people.

These days, people think twice when a clown offers them a free balloon.

3. The Unknown

In a study conducted by Dr. Penny Curtis of the University of Sheffield, she noticed that clowns gave a vast majority of the children in a hospital pediatric ward “the creep” when faced with an image of a clown. The discovery was made after polling 250 children between the ages of 4 to 16 to find out how they felt with images of clowns. Even more surprising was that the youngest participants of the study showed that they were uncomfortable with the images even if they have never seen a single horror movie with a clown in it.

Dr. Curtis then concluded that children found clowns frightening because of their abstraction. For example, when we are shown an image of a puppy, we know that it is a puppy. We know how to categorize it. However, an image of a clown is something alien that is challenging to place in a category to many people. Its abstraction makes it hard to pinpoint what it is or what it should represent.

2. Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma is, perhaps, one of the main reasons why people develop an irrational fear of clowns. A bizarre experience may leave a degree emotional or psychological damage as we grow older and clowns seem to take the top spot of childhood traumas.

In one story published in Psychology Today, a woman recounts her experience as a volunteer on the Bozo the Clown TV show when she was a child. She narrates that she was forced to sit on Bozo’s lap where she can see that he was frowning despite his painted smile. Also, she recalls that Bozo smelled of alcohol.

Unable to know what she was supposed to do, she panicked and began to vomit all over Bozo who began hurling curses in front of the already frightened child. It was this experience that completely shattered the image of the happy clown in her head and, from then on, related the experience to being near clowns.

It is highly likely that many adults have been in a similar situation - whether in birthday parties or the circus – that planted the seed of their fear towards clowns.

1. The Uncanny

What better way to top this list off than with the father of modern psychiatry himself?

In 1919, Sigmund Freud published a paper called “The Uncanny.” In this paper, Freud explains that we can be easily frightened by something that is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He uses the example of a body with a severed head or limbs saying that we will immediately zero in on the body part or body parts that are different rather than the ones that are still intact.

Putting it in the perspective of clowns, there is a degree of familiarity with a clown’s entire look. A clown has human features: a pair of arms and legs, hands with fingers, nose, ears, feet, et cetera. However, despite his human features, a clown’s anatomy tends to be exaggerated. Depending on the clown, he or she may have large feet; a big, red nose; a pasty white face; or a large mouth.

Similar to a child seeing an amputee, our attention tends to focus on the exaggerated. A child may not understand why an amputee is missing certain limbs and panic. Translating it to a person’s fear of clowns, people will notice the differences in a clown’s anatomy and become immediately uneasy or develop anxiety.

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So there you have it! 10 reasons why people are scared and creeped out by clowns! What do you think of today’s video? Let us know in the comments section.

SOURCES:

1. http://listverse.com/2017/02/10/10-psychological-reasons-why-people-are-afraid-of-clowns/

2. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/reasons-people-scared-clowns-theres-8982180

3. https://www.livescience.com/56066-why-people-afraid-of-clowns.html

4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/why-are-we-so-scared-of-clowns/

10 Most Badass Princesses in History

Forget Ariel, Jasmine, and Merrida. Disney princesses may have an appeal to us, but history has a lot more to offer when it comes to princesses who are the definition of "badass."

They are not your typical damsels in distress that get abducted by dragons and kept in stone castles. No. These women fought in wars or gained their title by keeping ten steps ahead of their male counterparts. Of course, it also helps a little if you are related to Genghis Khan or a Spartan.

So buckle up and sharpen your swords! We are counting down to the 10 most badass princesses in history!

#10 - Urraca of Zamora

One of the five children of Ferdinand I The Great of Spain, Urraca was destined for greatness as she was able to fend off an advancing army intent on taking her city.

At the death of her father, Ferdinand I, she and her siblings were each bequeathed lands to which they can rule it as their own city-states in peace. Of course, if there is anything that history has shown us is that he – or she – who has the largest amount of land gains control of a significant portion of a territory or country. This was the case with the eldest of Ferdinand’s children, Sancho.

Deciding that he wanted all the lands to himself, Sancho effectively overthrew each of his siblings, leaving Urraca last. When Sancho reached the city-state of Zamora, his little sister was more than prepared, and Sancho’s armies were not able to enter Zamora’s walls. In a final attempt to topple Urraca, Sancho surrounded Zamora to prevent anyone from coming in or out, hoping to starve its citizens and Urraca.

The princess, however, was not deterred by Sancho and set up a plan to assassinate her brother – which was carried out successfully – and take down the family bully.

#9 - Tomoe Gozen

While she was not considered a princess or of royal birth, Tomoe Gozen deserves a spot on this list because being a female samurai is pretty much an equivalent of being a badass warrior princess.

The life of Tomoe Gozen is one of the few to have been ever recorded of a woman who rode to war. While female samurais were not completely uncommon in Japan, they are quite a few, and Tomoe was one who has exhibited an extraordinary amount of talent in martial arts, archery, and swordsmanship.

Her skills, therefore, earned her a spot in one of the history’s most respected and iconic warriors: the samurai.

Her greatest, recorded, the accomplishment was when she fought side by side with her husband in the Gempei War. As records of her life show, Tomoe single-handedly killed a group of advancing soldiers and decapitated their leader as he attempted to dismount her from her horse.

While historical records about her were kept as accurate as possible, her later years became clouded in obscurity. One account has it that, after the Gempei War, Tomoe retired her sword and entered a monastery where she lived out the rest of her life. In another story, because her husband did not survive the Gempei War, it was believed that Tomoe Gozen took her life through the ancient ritual of seppuku.

#8 - Olga of Kiev

She embodies the age-old saying, “Hell Hath no Fury As a Woman Scorned.” Olga of Kiev lived a peaceful and prosperous life in the Ukraine around the 10th century AD until her husband, Igor, was brutally murdered by invading Drevlians.

Believing that Olga was of weak stock because of her gender, the Drevlians forced her to marry one of their princes, which she did consent to. Still scorned by the killing of her husband, Olga led a group of Drevlians to a pit, which was dug overnight, and buried them alive!

She continued her systematic purge of the Drevlians and lured their most elite and influential citizens to bathhouses that she set on fire, burning alive that faction of the Drevlians in her domain – and during her husband’s funeral, she managed to get 5,000 Drevlians drunk and wiped them out.

As a final stroke to her vengeance, she returned all the pigeons that were offered to her as a sign of peace by the Drevlians but not before powdering their feathers with bits of sulfur that burned their town to ashes.

#7 - Nanny of the Maroons

On the shores of Jamaica in the 18th Century, escaped slaves built communities to protect themselves from the British. With the help of a member of the Ghanaian Royal family named Nanny, they were able to fend off the British effectively.

Coming to the shores of Jamaica on her own free will, Nanny helped the escaped African slaves, called Maroons, set up a lookout system across the entire island that would communicate through telegraph should British ships be spotted and prepare to defend their community.

Among many other systems she put in place, Nanny was even able to develop a potent herbal mixture that knocked their enemies out cold by its fumes alone.

Celebrated as a hero, her face can be found printed on Jamaican $500 bills, as well as having her name on several schools, buildings, and institutions around the island country.

#6 - Lili’uokalani

She was the last reigning monarch and Queen of Hawaii. Spending her life on the throne protecting the native people of the islands and fiercely campaigning against the annexation of the United States, Lili’uokalani used brains and diplomacy and avoided violence as a means to maintain sovereignty and independence.

In one move, she attempted to pass an amended constitution that would restore power to the native people of Hawaii as well as grant her more political power to fend off any US involvement in their affairs.

Unfortunately, in 1898, she was forced off the throne and Hawaii was finally claimed by the United States. During her lifetime she advocated for peaceful resistance and resolutions to conflict, and despite losing her country to the Americans, she continued to preserve Hawaiian identity by curating all things related to its people and culture.

Not all of us may know this, but among her various contributions to Hawaiian culture was a song that she composed called “Aloha Oe.”

#5 - Zhao Pingyang

Pingyang lived in the 7th century AD when the Sui Dynasty was on the verge of crumbling. Originally, she was not of any royal descent, being only a daughter of a governor.

However, in this turbulent time, her father saw an opportunity to topple the Sui Dynasty through rebellion. As her father amassed a force to take on the Emperor, he warned Pingyang and her husband to leave their home – which was a stone throw’s away from the Emperor’s palace – because they would soon be labeled as enemies of the state and will likely be executed on sight.

Pingyang urged her husband to leave town first to join the rebel army. On the way to meet her husband and her father, Pingyang sold her family’s estate and used the money to raise an army to help bring down the Sui Empire.

Eventually, she began to lead an army of 700,000 soldiers from one victory to the next that the Emperor assembled a special force just to kill her. Unfortunately for the Sui forces, Pingyang and her army were able to rout them, destroying the Emperor’s hopes of ridding the rebellion of their female leader.

The Sui Dynasty was later toppled and replaced by the Tang Dynasty with Pingyang’s father as the country’s new emperor.

In honor of her daughter’s victory and contributions to the successful rebellion, the Emperor commemorated her with a military parade and bestowed her with the title of “Zhao, ” and she was crowned as princess of the Tang Dynasty. She was only 20 years old.

#4 - Chiomara

At the height of the Roman Empire when they marched from one country to the next; conquering, pillaging, and abducting women, they came across a tribe of people that were on their list of subjugating next.

As part of bringing the tribe to their knees, the Romans abducted a woman named Chiomara who was, incidentally, the wife of the chief.

While with the Romans, Chiomara had to endure some abuses and sexual assaults. One centurion promised Chiomara that she would be returned to her tribe if a ransom in gold would be paid in her exchange.

Eventually, the tribe agreed to pay her ransom and she was returned. While the centurion was busy counting the gold, Chiomara ordered her rescuers to behead the centurion, and they did. To add more insult to injury, Chiomara took the head of the centurion and carried it like a trophy as she walked back home. Meeting her husband, the chief, she throws the centurion’s head at his feet and declares, “Only one man who has lain with me shall remain alive.”

#3 - Isabella of France

Called the “She-wolf of France,” Isabella had it hard from the beginning when she was married to her, presumably homosexual husband, Edward. It was even said that to keep her from losing power, she had to also build an alliance with Edward’s lover.

It was when Edward found a new lover that Isabella’s life went upside down.

During a failed skirmish in Scotland after the death of William Wallace, Edward suddenly decided to flee and abandoned Isabella and her entourage. Before they were captured by the advancing Scottish army, Isabella, her entourage, and a few knights that stayed with her managed to steal boats to escape back to England.

Unfortunately, Isabella did not receive a warm welcome back home. Her lands and her many estates were confiscated, and her household staff were thrown in jail. To add more salt to the wound, her children were sold off to her political enemies.

Sensing that trouble was closing in on her, Isabella regrouped in her home country of France and raised an army and returned to England to overthrow Edward and his new lover, Hugh. She was later joined by multiple factions during her campaign who were equally fed up with Edward.

Sensing that they are close to being cornered, Edward and Hugh fled but were caught. Hugh’s father, who was Edward’s adviser and Isabella’s fiercest political enemy, was also captured and sentenced to be dragged by a horse, hanged, and decapitated.

Hugh suffered a much harsher fate. Like his father, he was dragged by a horse, hanged until he was mostly dead, then disemboweled and decapitated with his head put on a spike on display at the London Bridge.

Due to Edward’s existing political influence and allies outside of England, Isabella had no choice but to place him behind bars where, according to historians, he “accidentally died.”

#2 - Khutulun

She was the real Warrior Princess, and that title was well deserved. After all, what other title could you be given if you were the great, great granddaughter of Genghis Khan and your family ruled a third of the globe for centuries?

Known for her independent spirit, Khutulun was a Mongolian Royalty whose reputation preceded her wherever she went. Part of her life was chronicled by Marco Polo himself where he took note of her incredible abilities in wrestling among many other impressive skills.

Her political ambitions were fueled by her father from whom she learned the fierce military strategies of the Mongol army.

Naturally, her father wanted her to marry and bear children to carry on the legacy of her bloodline but, not wanting to be married off to anyone, Khutulun issued a challenge to anyone wishing to court her: that he should beat her in wrestling before she consents to be betrothed.

Another condition was that if a man lost to her challenge, he must give her a horse.

She ended up with 10,000 horses before she finally consented to be wed.

#1 - Rani Lakshmi Bai

Before you ask why Khutulun did not make it to number one, hear us out on this and you will be surprised why Rani Lakshmi Bai landed the top spot on today’s list.

Born in 1835 in India, Lakshmi Bai was the daughter of one of India’s Prime Minister’s aides who gave her the opportunity to grow up in a royal setting. Not content to just sit around and learn needlework or other tasks usually designated to women during that time, Lakshmi Bai spent a great deal of her youth learning to use a sword, mastering archery, and wielding guns.

Married to a prince at the age of 12, Lakshmi Bai’s road to power was being paved for her. Soon enough, her husband became raja, and they adopted a son to complete their family. Unfortunately, her husband died and a certain Lord Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, cited a legislation called the Doctrine of Lapse to justify seizing her family’s lands and further stated that, according to the British government – who was occupying India – Lakhsmi Bai and her son were not of royal descent and therefore was forced out of the throne.

After emotionally and mentally recovering from the trauma dealt with her by the British Empire, she began gathering an army of men and women to rebel against the Empire. Taking on the mantle of their leader, she led her army of rebels head on against British soldiers with her adopted son strapped to her back. You heard that right. Now if that isn’t the most badass thing in history, I don’t know what is.

Labelled by her enemies as “the most dangerous of all rebel leaders,” Rani Lakshmi Bai was eventually killed at the Battle of Gwalior while charging and firing at the man who had shot her in the back.

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And that wraps up our 10 most badass princesses in history! Let us know what you think by commenting below!

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Sources:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19478_5-real-princesses-too-badass-disney-movies.html

https://www.nylon.com/articles/badass-women-in-history

http://flavorwire.com/514284/10-badass-princesses-youve-probably-never-heard-of

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/10/127504/disney-rejected-princesses-jason-porath-book#slide-21

Five Crossbreeds with Messed Up Evolution

It’s fascinating to think that crossbreds are essentially the legos of the natural world; only instead of plastic bricks and toy blocks, different animals mixed and matched until something far more interesting, eye-catching, and fun to play took shape. But much like overpriced lego blocks, crossbreeding generally does not come without a cost.

Artificial selection, otherwise referred to as selective breeding, is a rather convenient way of phrasing our ability as human beings to proactively shape the evolution of other animal life forms to serve our preferences, curiosity, and often times entertainment.

What follows is a list of popular crossbreds that, despite their domestic prominence, suffer from mutations that have negatively affected their evolution.   

1. Large Tail Han Sheep

Also referred to as Fat-Tailed Sheep, the Large Tail Han Sheep is a domestic Mongolian sheep that is best known for its excessively large tails and hindquarters. It is widely believed that the Large Tail Han Sheep was originally developed in the agricultural regions of Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces. Today, this sheep is most commonly raised in the Northern parts of Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia.

The distinctive physical profile of the-the Large Tail Han Sheep is specifically designed by professional crossbreeders to keep most of the subcutaneous fat of the animal localized in their tails. The purpose of localizing the sheep’s fat store is to make it rather convenient for people to harvest the fat as cooking oil after the sheep is dead. Fat stores of the sheep have been extensively used in most Arab and Persian cuisines during the medieval times.

Despite being tough and durable, the unique physical features of the Large Tail Sheep has made it suitable only to the plains. With an oversized tail weighing as heavy as 25kgs, the Large Tail Han Sheep has a difficult time moving around during grazing.

2. Dong Tao Chicken

The Dong Tao Chicken, fondly called as Dragon Chicken, is a domesticated fowl crossbreed that is most recognizable for its disproportionately oversized feet. This crossbreed got its name from the town where it is believed to have originated from---the small provincial village of Dong Tao in Khoai Chau District that sits 30kms from Hanoi.

Due to its limited numbers, the Dong Tao chicken is one of the few a rare domesticated chicken breeds in the world. Prized for its delicious meat, the Dong Tao chicken was once only bred exclusively for the consumption of royal families.  To this day, the Dong Tao Chicken remains a rarity because of the notorious difficulty that is involved in breeding them.

The high demand for the meat of the Dong Tao Chicken in conjunction with its constantly short supply has allowed it, as a commodity, to command an unreasonably high price, with a pair of Dong Taos selling for as high as P2,500USD.

Today, the Dong Tao Chicken is now mostly raised by professional chicken breeders. Still, much like the in the olden times, its meat can only cater to the wealthy who can afford to dine in luxury restaurants where it is almost exclusively served.

3. Damascene Goat

The Damascene Goat, also known as the Damascus Goat, regularly claims the title of “The Most Beautiful Goat” in Middle Eastern goat pageants, which are very popular in the region.  In 2013, the Damascus Goat named Qahr won the prize for the Most Beautiful Goat in the Mazayen al-Maaz competition held in Riyadh.

The Damascene Goat is a breed that is native to the Middle East. Today, it is most prominently raised in Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria. Sometime in the 19th century, the British introduced the breed to Cyprus where it picked up the name Damascus Goat. The Damascus is so popular a breed that it is prominently referenced in a number of classical works in Arabic Literature.

It is not unheard of for professional goat breeders to breed Damascene Goat specifically for acquiring its many pronounced physical traits. The Damascene Goat is best known for its short and snubbed nose and its undershot jaws. If anything, the physical mutations of the Damascene Goat are rather similar to that of the Bulldog.

The mutation that is responsible for the facial contortions of the Damascene Goat has yet to be fully understood. But apart from its unique cosmetic traits, the Damascene is also a dairy goat breed that is raised by farmers for milk and meat production.

4.  Gibber Italicus Canary

Bird breeding methods, over the years, have progressed to the point where it has allowed breeders to practically control everything about the bird---from shaping their skeletal formation, to manipulating their feather color, density, and softness., to modulating their natural birdsong. The Gibber Italicus Canary is exactly the result of such bird breeding methods.

The Gibber Italicus Canary is a product of intensive close inbreeding efforts made by Italian breeders. Much like most inbred crossbreeds, this canary is prone to inbreeding depression that typically results to a host of health problems, including compromised fertility, high offspring mortality, and a shorter lifespan, among others.

The Gibber Italicus is considered to be among the most fragile canary breed in the world. It is specifically bred by bird hobbyist and breeders who appreciate the Gibber Italicus’ eye-catching humpbacked body, balding head, and skinny profile. To enthusiasts of this bird breed, the ideal Gibber Italicus Canary possesses a figure seven shaped body, long stiff legs, and unfeathered breastbone area,

This strangely appreciated weak and weird appearance of the Gibber Italicus, however, does come with a cost. This canary is notorious for producing offspring that have very low chances of survival, most of which are already dead in the egg.

5. Bubble Eye Goldfish

People have a particularly long relationship with the goldfish. For the longest time, the goldfish has been an aquarium staple. Having been specifically cultivated for purposes of ornamentation, the goldfish has undergone countless crossbreeding that it now comes in different shapes, and sizes---the strangest of which comes in the form of the Bubble Eye Goldfish.

It took many years of selective breeding and genetic tinkering to craft the distinctive appearance of the Bubble Eye Goldfish. The Bubble Eye Goldfish is most recognizably known for its grossly oversized, fluid-filled sacs that bubble under its eyes. These sacs or eye bubbles are known to occasionally deflate, and even burst. Punctured eye bubbles could easily result to injury and infections.

Among those considered as good specimens are with clean, unmarked back, and eye bubbles that closely match, both in color and size. Apart from its distinct eye bubble, the Bubble Eye Goldfish is unmistakable for its malformed, upward-turned eyes, and irregularly curved spine, and lack of dorsal fins. The traits that make the Bubble Eye Goldfish distinctive do not come without a cost, though. This breed of fish is abnormally fragile, even in carefully controlled environments. Their eye bubbles are too delicate to the point that the Bubble Eye should be kept away from moderately aggressive fish.

Through various selective breeding methods, professional crossbreeders have long acquired the ability to pinpoint and encourage specific traits in animals which they find appealing. Conversely, crossbreeding also has allowed us to eliminate specific characteristics in animals that we don’t particularly care for.

Despite the number of widely popular crossbreds, from American bulldogs to Savannah Cats, what remains relatively unknown to many people is the fact that it doesn’t take many qualifications to start messing around with the otherwise natural evolution of animals.

10 Legendary and Mysterious Libraries of the Ancient World

It is often said that knowledge is wealth and in the ancient world it is something that is well guarded more than gold or jewels. The colossal libraries ancient civilizations like the Greeks and the Egyptians built are testaments to the fact that all the riches of the world will always pale in comparison with knowledge and learning.

These days, when information comes to us lightning-quick at the touch of a button, we tend to underestimate and undervalue the privilege we have of unfettered access to almost anything that we want to know and learn. It is a little bit tragic that the sense of appreciation that we have for information and learning is eclipsed by our continuously shortening attention spans because of all the media we consume on a daily basis.

In today’s list, we take a step back thousands of years to days when information and knowledge are stored and jealously guarded in giant libraries that are often the first monuments to be destroyed and sacked in times of war or invasion. Libraries that have shaped the world we now know of and the civilizations that have walked the earth, each contributing to humanity’s progress.

So here are 10 legendary and mysterious libraries of the ancient world!

Number Ten: The House of Wisdom

Called by historians as the Cradle of Civilization, ancient Mesopotamia – now modern day Iraq – was once one of the world’s centers for learning. Alongside Greece, Egypt, and Rome, Mesopotamia had one of the largest institutions of learning built in the 9 AD at the heart of the city of Baghdad.

Known as The House of Wisdom, it was built during the reign of the Abbasids. The House of Wisdom’s “collections” revolved around literature from Persia, Greece, and India. Also, among the library’s collection are manuscripts on mathematics, philosophy, science, medicine, and astronomy.

The books alone were enough to serve as lures to scholars from neighboring regions in the Middle East and among them are the mathematician and one of the fathers of Algebra, al-Khawarizmi; and the philosopher al-Kindi.

The House of Wisdom was the epicentre of Islamic intellectualism and academia for hundreds of years until it was sacked by the Mongols in 1258, tossing many of its extremely valuable manuscripts and books into the Tigris. Legend even has it that the famed river turned black due to ink dissolving into its waters.

Number Nine: The Twin Libraries at Trajan’s Forum

The ancient Romans are no strangers to accumulating codices and scrolls filled with anything from mathematics to philosophy. Knowledge and information are cornerstones of their empire that lasted centuries.

A Roman emperor’s love of monuments has helped erect one – or two – of the ancient world’s largest libraries.

Around 112 AD Emperor Trajan completed the construction of a wide, multi-use complex at the heart of Rome. Within the bounds of this Forum are plazas, markets, and temples. However, its crown jewel is one of the Roman Empire’s famous libraries.

Split in two, the twin structures housed numerous works and texts in Latin and Greek – separately housed – and were built on opposite sides of Trajan’s column, a massive monument to celebrate the emperor’s military victories.  Containing a collection of about 20,000 scrolls in rooms made of elegantly crafted marble and granite, historians are still debating when the twin libraries ceased to exist. With only texts referencing them until the fifth century AD, experts can only assume that it stood for at least three centuries.

Number Eight: Villa of the Papyri

One of the last ancient libraries to have survived well into the modern day, the Villa of the Papyri has withstood catastrophes including the devastating eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Located in Herculaneum, Italy, the ruins of the Villa was buried deep in the ashes of Vesuvius that miraculously kept at least 1,785 of its scrolls preserved when the library was unearthed by archaeologists in 1752.

Technically the Villa was a house and not a library by any definition. Supposedly owned by Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesonius, Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, the massive home – aside from its impressive private library of texts on philosophy – boasted a collection of bronze sculptures and the most stylish and impressive architecture of that century.

Number Seven: The Library of Pergamum

Constructed by the Attalid Dynasty in the third century BC in what is now the country of Turkey, the Library of Pergamum was home to an impressive collection of 200,000 scrolls on varying subjects.

Located within a temple complex devoted to the Greek goddess Athena, the Library was considered to have become the “competition” of the Library of Alexandria according to the ancient chronicler, Pliny the Elder.

Apparently, both libraries sought to amass large collections of texts as well as establish rival schools of thought.

The rivalry between the two libraries allegedly reached fever pitch that Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt halted the exportation of papyrus to Pergamum hoping that it would cripple the library. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan and only turned the city of Pergamum as one of the leading producers of parchment paper.

Number Six: Nalanda University

Moving further south of Asia, the Nalanda University in Bahir, India, is considered to be oldest university in the entire world as the first European university only popped up in 1088, a whole six centuries later.

What is even more exceptional about Nalanda is that the university provided education to thousands of students all across Asia.

Its nine-storey library was nicknamed “Dharmaganja” or Treasury of Truth and “Dharma Gunj” or Mountain of Truth because it was highly praised for the largest collection of Buddhist texts among other writings and literature. Helping spread philosophy and the Buddhist faith, Nalanda has nurtured thousands of followers until it was destroyed by Turk invaders in 1193. Due to the university’s immense size, legend tells that it took the Turks months before they could completely reduce its foundations to rubble.

Number Five: The Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima

Before it was destroyed around 638 AD by invading Arabs, the Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima or simply the Library of Caesarea, had the largest collection of ecclesiastical and theological texts of the Ancient Christian and Jewish world.

As the center of Christian education and scholarship, the library was also home to a large collection of literature from Greece and other neighboring regions. Mostly the texts are primarily historical and philosophical but nonetheless valuable as the place was frequently visited by important historical personalities such as Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazareth.

The church father Origen was mainly responsible for the library’s inventory of 30,000 manuscripts but during the purge initiated by Emperor Diocletian, the library and many of its contents were destroyed. Afterwards, it was rebuilt by the bishops of Caesarea only to be completely torn down, brick by brick, by Arab invaders.

Unfortunately, not a single manuscript from the library’s collection survived.

Number Four: The Library of Aristotle

Built in the first century BC, the library of Aristotle was part of a larger structure called the Lyceum where he was sought by many of his students and spent time learning from one of history’s most influential philosophers.

300 years after Aristotle’s death, a geographer named Strabo chronicled one of the most detailed accounts of the philosopher’s magnificent collection in his Geographia XIII, 1, 54-55, saying that Aristotle was “the first man, so far as I know, to have collected books and to have taught the kings in Egypt hwo to arrage a library.”

Upon Aristotle’s death, the Lyceum was bequeathed to Theoprastus. Even before his death, Aristotle heard of the jealousy of the Attalid empire of his library and desired to covet it for the Library of Pergamum. When Aristotle died and the Lyceum passed on to a new owner, it was then decided that the library’s entire collection be hidden and kept safe underground.

Unfortunately, despite this noble effort, many of the books were damaged by moisture and the remainder of the collection were sold to a man named Apellicon of Teos.

Number Three: The Imperial Library of Constantinople

Most of the history of the Imperial Library of Constantinople is shrouded in mystery. Many would point out that it was built out of necessity to preserve texts that were already in danger because of deterioration.

It was in 357 AD when Byzantine Emperor Constantius II decided to build the imperial library where many of the deteriorating Judeo-Christian scriptures could be copied onto vellum, a material that lasts longer than papyrus. Although Constantius II was only mostly interested in religious texts, the Imperial Library still managed to salvage many other books and scrolls that housed the knowledge of the Greeks and Romans.

In fact, many of the surviving texts from the ancient Grecian world that survives today were copies from the original manuscripts of the Imperial Library of Constantinople.

Number Two: The Library of Alexandria

Built by Ptolemy I in 295 BC, the Great Library of Alexandria holds a prestigious title in history as a “Universal” library where scholars from all over the world would visit, share ideas, and study from over thousands of texts that it offers.

It was, in fact, the intellectual crown jewel of the ancient world. Texts and scriptures on subjects like history, law, science, and mathematics can be browsed among its collection of 500,000 scrolls.

Many visiting scholars that decided to remain and live in the library complex received stipends from the Egyptian government just for conducting their studies and copying texts. Among its visitors were Euclid and Archimedes.

Its demise is still a question that seeks answers. Supposedly, the library burned down in 48 BC when Julius Caesar set fire to Alexandria’s harbor when he was at war with Ptolemy XIII. However, many historians believe that a blaze could not have easily destroyed the library and it may have still survived for a few more centuries. Some scholars, on the other hand, argue that the library met its end during the reign of Roman emperor Aurelian in 270 AD while other experts place its obliteration somewhere around the Fourth Century AD.

Whatever the case and however it fell, the Library of Alexandria remains to be one of history’s greatest achievements both architecturally and academically.

Number One: The Library of Ashurbanipal

Known as the world’s oldest library, it was built and founded for the “royal contemplation” of the Assyrian ruler Ashurbanipal in the 7th Century. Basically, it was one massive private study.

Constructed in Nineveh in modern-day Iraq, the library had a collection of around 30,000 stone tablets written in cuneiform. What’s even more impressive is that the tablets were organized according to subject matter. Most of them being archival documents of the royal court, the collection also included a number of literary works including the 4000-year old Epic of Gilgamesh.

Ashurbanipal was a known book-lover and obtained many of them through looting from conquered territories including Babylonia.

Today, most of the surviving tablets are housed and cared for in the British Museum in London.

While the Library of Ashurbanipal may not be as glamorous as the Library of Alexandria, it is most interesting to note that his collection helped pave the way to the history of the written word through cuneiform.

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Sources:

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-impressive-ancient-libraries
http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/05/30/11-most-impressive-libraries-from-the-ancient-world/
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/10-magnificent-ancient-libraries-filled-with-knowledge/
http://listverse.com/2016/12/09/10-mysterious-libraries/