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Beginning in 1939, American films were banned from the country. Instead, there was now a huge demand for films produced by the Universum Film-Aktien Gesellschaft (UFA), the main studio controlled by the Nazi Party. All these changes made things a bit tricky for German starlets. Actresses who refused to join the Nazi Party were blacklisted from the German film industry. Many other actresses fled the country, expanding their careers to other parts of Europe....

But for as long as there have been bad smells, humans have been trying to cover them up—and so perfume was created. Here are ten facts about the history of perfume and why it is much weirder than you think. 10 The First Named Chemist Was A Perfumer Perfume has a long history, and it is partly through the desire to smell nice that many of the techniques used by later scientists were developed....

10 The Pirate’s Pocket Watch On June 7, 1692, the town of Port Royal, Jamaica, was destroyed by a major earthquake. Shortly before noon, residents heard a thunderous cracking noise before feeling the earth shake violently and watching half their city slip into the sea. Three centuries later, historians began to explore the underwater ruins. The most famous artifact recovered from the ruins was a pocket watch manufactured in the Netherlands around 1686....

Dir: James Cameron, 1991 The first film to create a realistic CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) character in a major movie. Technological advancements have greatly impacted the cinema experience, and ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ foreshadowed the CGI (and other film technology such as animatronic(s)) dinosaurs of Jurassic Park (1993)) and set a precedent for ‘The Matrix’ (1999) and ‘Avatar’ (2009) to continue to build on the technological tools for filmmakers to use....

10Arnolfini Portrait The Arnolfini Portrait, painted in 1434 by Dutch artist Jan van Eyck, is regarded by art historians as one of the most important paintings in history but also a constant source of controversy. For starters, the painting is done in oil—something conventional nowadays but pretty rare in Western European art of the early 15th century. This allowed Van Eyck to fully explore his talent for detail in ways that have seldom been seen in other paintings....

What caused the great depression? The Great Depression was a dramatic, worldwide economic downturn beginning in some countries as early as 1928. The beginning of the Great Depression in the United States is associated with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. The depression had devastating effects in both the industrialized countries and those which exported raw materials. International trade declined sharply, as did personal incomes, tax revenues, prices and profits....

10 Woman Defends Herself Against Rapist On May 24, 2012, a woman in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, was out walking with her two children, 11 and nine years old, when a man named Mkhululi Ndubeko approached her near a bar and tried to stop her. She kept walking, but Ndubeko upped the ante by removing his pants and exposing himself to her in front of her children. She called for help just as he knocked her down and jumped on top of her....

10 Pillar-Dwelling Fifth-century Syrian saint Simeon Stylites was the first famous “Stylite,” or pillar-dweller. In his time, the usual practices for an ascetic included fasting, self-harm, and solitary confinement in tiny spaces. Simeon felt it was his calling to do these acts . . . while also living in isolation atop an 18-meter (60 ft) column, completely exposed to the elements. His fellow monks became concerned and asked him to abandon either the idea or the monastery....

10 The ‘Kwaker’ Poisoner1845 On January 1, 1845, Sarah Hart was found writhing on the floor of her home in Slough. A doctor was summoned, but it was too late. She died soon after of poisoning with prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide). Her neighbor saw a man dressed as a Quaker leaving Sarah’s house in a hurry shortly before she was found. After some inquiries, Slough police uncovered a man matching the description, who had purchased a train ticket to Paddington station in London....

10 Orlando Massacre On June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, age 29, opened fire at Pulse, an Orlando gay club, killing 49 patrons. Mateen had pledged allegiance to ISIS and prayed at a mosque at least four times per week. The motive for the attack is firmly believed to have been Mateen’s hatred of homosexuals, as evidenced by his father’s statement after the massacre that God Himself would punish gays for their lifestyle....

Our list below will cover ten heroes whose powers are seemingly pointless. With so many attempts at creating new heroes, they can’t all be winners. Jazz, Squirrel Girl (seriously?), and the Almighty Dollar are just a few of the incredibly silly heroes that have been created over the years. Some of them even have catchphrases that are worse than their names and powers. Maybe these comic book editors are the real supervillains....

As all of the following people lived before the (at least partial) recognition that some people are transgender, we do not have enough information to say with certainty which gender they truly identified with—so there may be some pronoun jumbling involved. Here are ten historical cross-dressers: There was little room for romance in the brutal lives of pirates in the eighteenth century, despite the plethora of fictitious narratives told about them....

Freaky funerals, Tootsie Rolls on the battlefield, and even a prank from outer space; I challenge you to tell me history is dull after checking out these forgotten tales of bygone silliness. 10George Washington’s Insult Comedy The painting of General George Washington crossing the Delaware River with his men is right up there with the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom, dignity, etc. However, as is usually the case, the story behind the piece is considerably less noble....

Who chooses which tracks breathe such rarified air. Sometimes it’s the artist themselves. Other times, it’s a collaborative effort between the musicians, producers, and the label. By and large, the potential hits are chosen by those who sign the paychecks. As is the case with any gamble, you win some and lose some. And these 10 winners deserved their spots on the singles charts. 10 “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles “Here Comes the Sun” was the first track on side two of The Beatles’ last recorded album, Abbey Road....

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Things Americans Get Wrong About Their Own History 10 Tony Kaye Went Down in American History X Tony Kaye has good ideas. Most of them have nothing to do with American History X though. Previously known for directing music videos, American History X was Kaye’s chance to become a household star. The resulting film was a lauded triumph. The movie’s dark and mature tale of the glorification of violence led to cartoonish antics off screen....

Some of the people who made these journeys went through unbelievable experiences—and they made it back alive. 10 Five Americans On A Lifeboat Sailed Through A Typhoon Calvin Graef, a prisoner of war aboard a Japanese vessel, was cooking rice when he heard his captors in a panic. US ships had found them, but this wasn’t the rescue he’d dreamed of. The US ships had fired torpedoes and destroyed the Japanese ship with Graef and other prisoners of war still trapped on board....

What’s the mark of a successful action movie hero? Being able to establish the strength and presence of your character early in the film, and, love or hate Steven Seagal, in his movies over the years, especially the early ones, he’s been able to do this. As Lt Col Travis, leader of a US Army Special Forces Team tapped to take a major commercial airliner back from a vicious group of terrorists hell bent on forcing a chemical called “DZ-5” down our American throats, Seagal was as convincing as any of his prior characters before this....

10Warka Water Ethiopia has the least access to clean drinking water among all African countries. Women and children from most villages have to travel many hours a day to collect water, which is oftentimes dirty and contaminated from being shared with livestock and other animals. “Warka Water” is a solution designed by two Italian engineers and is based on a very simple principle. It traps water vapor from the air through condensation....

Occasionally, we’re reminded of the damage that can be done by something growing in our bodies, like when a terrifying flesh-eating microbe decides to eat away at us. Other times, small, unseen organisms can hijack our minds and alter our behaviors and even our perceptions. But beyond the usual pathogens, sometimes the organisms that grow on or in us are actually visible (or at least their effects are). Here are ten cases of infestations that actually took place inside people’s bodies....

10The Temple People StructuresMalta And Gozo The Temple people existed on the islands of Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean for about 1,100 years (from 4000–2900 B.C.) then simply vanished without a related culture to succeed them. As far as archaeologists can tell, the cause of their disappearance wasn’t invasion, starvation, or disease. It’s possible that religious extremism and environmental factors contributed to their demise, but no one really knows. Archaeologists are studying the islands to learn more about these mysterious people....