In 1911, Hiram Bingham, famed American explorer, stumbled across a remote Inca city atop a high peak in the Andes. The site was called Machu Picchu – perhaps the most famous ruin in the world. What was its purpose? Was it, like Bingham believed, a military fortress? Or did this glorious ruin have a secret purpose? From the mountains of Peru, Josh will follow in the footsteps of Hiram Bingham. He b
In the early years of anno domini, China experienced one of its most formidable and brilliant rulers in the personage of Qin Shi Huang, or 'The First Emperor of Qin.' By all accounts a visionary, Huang is now credited with laying the groundwork for the Chinese empire, setting forth the plans for the Great Wall (the first ruler to do so) and establishing the largest burial site on Earth - a site gu
For nearly two centuries, the Knights Templar were the most powerful order in the Medieval world, a fearsome and unstoppable Crusader militia. Then came accusations of unspeakable crimes. Who were the Templars, really?How did they become so powerful, so fast, and why did they fall just as quickly? Evidence hints that the Templars excavated under Jerusalem's Temple of Solomon. What did they find
They spend their days sifting through reams of market research data. They conduct endless surveys and focus groups. They comb the streets, the schools, and the malls, hot on the trail of the “next big thing” that will snare the attention of their prey–a market segment worth an estimated $150 billion a year. They are the merchants of cool: creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teena
In August 1988, the people of Burma defied decades of military oppression with one of the most remarkable popular uprisings of recent times. The demonstrators carried pictures of…General Aung San, the country’s greatest hero, led Burma to independence from Britain and founded the army that rules today. The demonstrators believed that if they carried pictures of Aung San that no soldier would har
Involved as a young adult in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he first studied mysticism with and made enemies of William Butler Yeats and Arthur Edward Waite. Like many in occult circles of the time, Crowley voiced the view that Waite was a pretentious bore through searing critiques of Waite's writings and editorials of other authors' writings. In his periodical The Equinox, Crowley titled
It isn't easy, running China, with its 1.3 billion people and 56 officially recognized ethnic nationalities. It's a vast mix of languages, living standards, beliefs and customs. Run it successfully, and you have a prosperous, innovative, powerful empire to rival any the world has seen. Make mistakes, and the chaos will be vast and terrible.China is run by the Communist Party, which bases its leg
"Everywhere today, every aspect of our lives is being violently reorganized. Everywhere there is war. A war without a battlefield. A war without an enemy. A war that is everywhere. A thousand civil wars. A war without end. The Fourth World War." We walked and these moments changed us. We saw the buildings burning and the pain in our neighbor's eyes. We rushed bayonets in the mountain and lines of
Greensburg, Kansas was hit by an EF5 tornado, the most powerful and devastating storm in American history (destorying 95% of the city).At 9:45 p.m. CDT on May 4, 2007, Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in width and traveled for nearly 22 miles (35 km). Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five perce