Most laws are supposed to apply broadly, to citizens, companies, or at least some recognizable category of people. But every now and then, a government has skipped that step entirely and written legislation with one particular person already in mind. These are not hypothetical examples or strange local ordinances that technically affect only one resident. […]

The post 10 Laws Written for Exactly One Person appeared first on Listverse.

Movie sequels usually arrive within a few years of the original, allowing filmmakers to continue popular stories while audiences are still familiar with the characters. But some follow-ups take decades to reach the screen. Production problems, changing creative plans, unavailable actors, financial concerns, rights complications, or uncertainty about whether a sequel is even necessary can […]

The post 10 Movie Sequels That Took Decades to Arrive appeared first on Listverse.

About a billion people live in deserts today. This is not a new fad. Humans have walked across the dunes since prehistoric times. However, most of us have no interest in moving to an oasis and trading our car for a camel. Living in a desert is hard. But ancient cultures once mastered these dry […]

The post 10 Remarkable Archaeological Sites Hidden in the Desert appeared first on Listverse.

Forget masked robbers, getaway cars, and elaborate bank vaults. Some of the biggest heists of the modern era have required little more than laptops, stolen credentials, clever code, and an understanding of systems holding billions of dollars in digital assets. Cryptocurrency has created a new kind of crime story. Hackers have stolen fortunes without ever […]

The post 10 Cryptocurrency Heists Straight Out of a Hollywood Movie appeared first on Listverse.

Most engineering is about preventing failure. Strengthen the bridge, reinforce the machine, make the component last longer. But sometimes the smartest design does the exact opposite. Engineers deliberately build a sacrificial response into a system, creating something meant to break, melt, corrode, deform, or release at exactly the right moment. It sounds counterintuitive, but there […]

The post 10 Things Engineered to Fail on Purpose appeared first on Listverse.

Broadway is full of musicals inspired by real people. Alexander Hamilton, Eva Perón, and Fanny Brice have all proved that history can make great theater. But for every smash hit based on a famous figure, there are plenty of shows that fail to find an audience. Some of these productions had acclaimed composers, Tony-winning actors, […]

The post 10 Historical Figures Behind Epic Broadway Flops appeared first on Listverse.

The early history along the eastern coast of North America is rife with otherworldly tales of terror and tragedy. Wayward and forlorn spirits are said to mourn the premature deaths of those close to them, while still others are believed to be the ghosts of long-dead victims, wronged but never avenged. Here are ten obscure […]

The post 10 Sinister & Shadowy Ghosts Haunting the Atlantic Coast appeared first on Listverse.