The Eiffel Tower Was Originally Designed to Be Torn Down After 20 Years
Built for the 1889 World's Fair, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be dismantled in 1909. It was saved by an unlikely use…
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Art
Creative masterpieces and artistic achievements that defy belief
10 Amazing Stories
The World's Largest Cathedral Was Carved by a Single Monk Over 18 Years
In Spain, a single Spanish monk hand-built one of the largest non-state-funded cathedrals on Earth — using almost enti…
Banksy Built a Shredder Into a Picture Frame That Destroyed the Art as It Was Sold
In 2018, Banksy's "Girl with Balloon" sold for $1.4 million at Sotheby's. The moment the gavel fell, the painting began …
The Mona Lisa Has No Visible Eyebrows — Renaissance Fashion Required Shaving Them
Look closely at the Mona Lisa: she has no eyebrows or eyelashes. Renaissance ideals of beauty included shaved foreheads …
Medieval Stained Glass Windows Were Engineered as Solar Calendars
Medieval cathedrals used stained glass windows as solar calendars. On specific saints' days, sunlight aligns with marker…
Michelangelo Painted the Sistine Chapel Ceiling Standing Up — Not Lying Down as We Thought
For centuries, popular belief held that Michelangelo lay flat on his back to paint the Sistine ceiling. In fact, he stoo…
A Painting Donated to a Charity Shop Was Found to Be a Lost $26 Million Masterpiece
In 2014, a painting donated to a Connecticut charity shop for under $30 turned out to be Renoir's "Paysage Bords de Sein…
A Taped Banana Sold for $6.2 Million at Art Basel — Then the Buyer Ate It
Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" — a banana duct-taped to a wall — sold for $6.2 million in 2024. The artwork is, conc…
A Japanese Artist Creates Hyper-Realistic Food Sculptures That Fool Even Cameras
Japanese plastic food (sampuru) sculptors create photorealistic models of meals so convincing that visitors often try to…
Ancient Roman Concrete Has Grown Stronger Over 2,000 Years — Modern Concrete Cannot
Roman seawalls have stood for 2,000 years and are now stronger than the day they were built. Modern Portland cement degr…