Mary Ann Patten came from a seafaring family and married a sailor, Joshua Patten, who soon became a ship's captain. That ship, Neptune's Car, had a cursed history, but Joshua was game to command, and Mary accompanied him. She studied navigation while they sailed around the world. On their second voyage, Joshua fell ill, and the first mate broke his leg. The financiers behind the voyage wouldn't wait, and replaced the first mate with the first guy they found, William Keeler.  

Keeler proved an incompetent shitheel in record time. His list of infractions are staggering: he’d sleep through half his shifts; he set course through reef beds; he had to be ordered to do simple tasks; and finally, he just outright refused to do some tasks, like putting out sails. About a month in, Joshua put him in chains and confined him to his cabin.

While he didn’t have many other options, this choice proved deadly for Joshua.  He’d relied on Keeler to keep the course while Joshua slept. But with Keeler gone, the ship facing constant gales of snow and sleet, and no other crew members able to handle navigation — the second mate was illiterate, the third an idiot — Joshua had to stay up all day and night.

Increasingly, he relied on Mary to help confirm the position, course, and speed. He recognized she was a better mathematician than he was, even when he wasn’t out of his mind from staying up all day and night.

But by the eighth day of staying up, it became clear Joshua was out of his mind from more than that. After navigating to the Le Maire Strait, he collapsed. He’d developed pneumonia, which only exacerbated the undiagnosed ailment he’d started the voyage with: Tuberculosis meningitis.

That's when Mary took command of Neptune's Car. She was 19, pregnant, and had a sick husband to care for. The weather was horrendous. Keeler tried to incite a mutiny. Read the story of Mary Patten and the ship she commanded at Rejected Princesses. -via Strange Company 

The whole idea is definitely nightmare fuel, but yeah, it happens. Millions of spiders falling from the sky, as if they were descending from the clouds in a rain shower, until they cover the ground. In fact, there could be spiders floating above you right now! And that's why we invented houses.  

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Simon Whistler of Today I Found Out explains how spider rain happens, and why it is often seen as a good thing. Not by me! Luckily, spider rain is more likely to happen in Australia, where nature is always out to get us anyway. -via Laughing Squid

Beatles fan and photograph collector Dave Seabury thought he was familiar with all the photos taken of the Fab Four, but a contact sheet of images he found a garage sale in the 1980s was a mystery. It was only years later that he figured out the pictures were taken at the final Beatles concert on August 29, 1966, at Candlestick Park. But who was the photographer? In 2015, Seabury began earnestly investigating, but found nothing. He decided to print the 70 images and exhibit them for the 50th anniversary of the concert.   

When the final images were printed, everyone who saw them agreed that the photographs were indeed as special as Seabury believed them to be. Unlike the usual hero shots that tend to be the stock-in-trade of rock photography, the pictures enlarged from Seabury’s contact sheet were oddly intimate, especially considering they were taken during a 37-minute set in a San Francisco baseball park before more than 25,000 screaming fans. These were not the four cocky lads from Liverpool who had made such a splash on “The Ed Sullivan Show;” instead, the pictures showed four pensive men, who had only recently decided among themselves that this would be their last live concert together. It was almost as if the mystery photographer knew their secret, too.

Still, despite the quality and artfulness of the images, would Seabury and his cohorts really be permitted to present an exhibition of photographs if they didn’t even know the name of the photographer? That question became increasingly urgent to Dave Seabury as the August 29 deadline loomed.

The exhibition came and went, and it set in motion circumstances that led to the eventual identification of the photographer. That's when the story really gets weird, involving Bob Dylan, Richard Avedon, and the Zodiac Killer, and the reason the contact sheet ended up in a garage sale in the first place. Read the whole story at Collectors Weekly.

Dr. William Horatio Bates was a well-respected ophthalmologist in New York City at the turn of the 20th century. He was wealthy and appeared happy to those who knew him. One night in 1902, he wrote a note to his wife explaining that he was going out of town to perform surgery. Six weeks later, Dr. Bates turned up working at hospital in London, with no memory of his previous life! He didn't even recognize his wife, who sailed to England to help him.

The doctor was reluctantly persuaded to join Mrs. Bates at the Savoy Hotel for a period of rest and recovery. There, he dimly recalled being called away from New York to board a ship and perform an operation on someone with a brain abscess.

Confused but relieved, Mrs. Bates planned to stay in London for as much time as necessary for her husband to recover from his ordeal, and for some further memories of his previous life to surface again. Her hopes, however, were dashed when Dr. Bates abruptly walked out of the Savoy two days after taking up residence there, disappearing once more into the London crowd. Mrs. Bates never saw her husband again.

But that wasn't the end of Dr. Bates. Years later, after his wife died, he turned up again, far from New York and even further from London. And that's when things really got weird. Read about the mysterious adventures of William Horatio Bates at Mental Floss. 

It's desperation time for the spring semester. This guy apparently didn't do all that well on his midterms, because he has better things to do than study. But he has a good grasp on what the real world is like. The professor wouldn't fair so well in his plan, since she is not only a woman, but is old enough to have gray hair. This comic was based on something mentioned in the book The Case against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money by Bryan Caplan. The comic is from Zach Weinersmith at Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

Have you ever seen a five-foot crow? Actually, this is a Kenku, a bird-like, humanoid creature in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. To outsiders, this one sure looks like a crow! Rah-Bop built this costume of her D&D character she calls Rue. Notice how the mouth moves naturally. The eyelids move, too! And those claws, on both hands and feet, are awesome. Most of the feathers are foam, but some are chicken feathers.  

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She posted an explainer on the costume with links to tutorials on the various details like the eyes and feet, and more pictures, and also an FAQ page. Keep your eye out for this costume at the next con. When not playing D&D or working on costumes, Rah-Bop is an illustrator. -via reddit 

A young cat has discovered a miracle in winter time. He can walk on water! The ice-covered pond lets him get really close to those tempting, wriggly fishies!

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The problem is, he got his sporting activites mixed up. He thought he was fishing, but he's really ice skating! He's about as good at it as I am. -via reddit

Common sense will tell you that venting your emotions will make you feel better, but it's always good to have empirical evidence. A new study shows that torturing a voodoo doll of your boss is an effective way to restore a sense of justice and morale in the workplace. The study was led by psychologist Lindie Hanyu Liang from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, whose team conducted two experiments.  

In the first experiment, the team took over 195 full-time employees and asked them to recall and visualise a workplace interaction from their past where their supervisor had treated them with hostile behaviour, such as being rude, making negative comments, or failing to acknowledge their hard work.

Then it was payback time.

After the flashback, some of the participants were encouraged to take out their frustrations on a virtual voodoo doll that represented their supervisor, using an arsenal of punishment tools – such as pins, pliers, fire – to exact their revenge for a delicious, vindictive minute.

Those that did this reported experiencing significantly reduced perceptions of injustice after the voodoo doll session, compared to other participants who didn't get a chance to symbolically retaliate against their manager.

Liang said that other methods of venting appear to be just as effective -like throwing darts at a target with the boss's picture on it. It might be a good idea to try that out of your supervisor's view, or in any place where bystanders could be hurt. Read more about the research at Science Alert. -via Mental Floss

(Image credit: BeatrixBelibaste)

It's sad to see that after all this work, young girls are still subject to the pressure of outdated expectations from their peer group -even when they just assume those pressures. N.J.Simmonds Tweeted this the other day:

My 7 year old daughter's crying in bed right now because she wants to wear her Star Wars t-shirt to school but is scared her classmates will laugh because she likes 'boy stuff'. I'm so sad/angry for her. Please RT and comment so I can show her how awesome girl #StarWars fans are.

Holly aka Leia (@absolutspacegrl) works for NASA. She responded.

Hi NJ! Because of Princess Leia I work at NASA now. Star Wars is awesome! I go around the country speaking about NASA and Star Wars and science and STEM. Star Wars gave me these opportunities!!! It's not for boys, it's for everyone!! May the Force be with Her!

— Holly aka Leia (@absolutspacegrl) March 7, 2018

Keri Bean (@PlantaryKeri) contributed this picture of herself at work.

Howdy. I'm NASA Rey. I cosplay as Rey while driving Mars rovers and flying NASA's TIE fighter. pic.twitter.com/Rw0yAceIfx

— Keri Bean (@PlanetaryKeri) March 7, 2018

Ashley Eckstein (@HerUniverse) sent a picture, too.

My name is Ashley, I am the voice of Ahsoka Tano, I’m a girl and I LOVE Star Wars! Please tell your daughter she is not alone and that @starwars is for everyone, girls too! Here’s a photo of me wearing my #starwars shirt! pic.twitter.com/cr4qPkEBhL

— Ashley Eckstein (@HerUniverse) March 7, 2018

And Mark Hamill got a word in, too.

Just tell her to feel free to use this gesture if her classmates give her any grief. "Boy stuff"? PLEASE! The Force is, & always will be strong with females here on Earth & in galaxies far, far away.
- mh pic.twitter.com/lAI4AGr0sc

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 8, 2018

Simmonds gave us the end of the story.

Her school is wonderful, as are her classmates, but most 7-year-olds worry about fitting in - no matter how much their parents remind them to be confident and be themselves. Her fear of ridicule was completely unfounded though because she had a great day at school in her favourite T-shirt and none of her friends made any comment about her outfit.

You can read the highlights at Twitter Moments or the entire thread here.  -via Mark Hamill

The story of King Midas comes to us from Greek mythology, but if you didn't know that, you might guess that it was an Aesop's fable. Fables always have a lesson hidden in them. If that lesson isn't obvious enough, the storyteller will end with: "And the moral of the story is..." In the case of King Midas, it's "Be careful what you ask for." At least in the first part. The complete tale has a second part I'd never heard before.

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The folks at TED-Ed have quite a few illustrated myths from ancient cultures available. We posted Thor in the Land of Giants last month. There's also the tale of Arachne, Cupid and Psyche, Prometheus, Icarus, and others. -via Digg

Lisbon’s Pavilhão Chinês, or Chinese Pavilion, is unique among the many bars of a unique city. It's as much a museum as a watering hole, with interesting art, toys, souvenirs, and antiques displayed on every wall and in every nook and cranny. Travel bloggers Mike Powell and Jürgen Horn spent some time there and took a lot of pictures for your enjoyment.

Luis Pinto Coelho purchased this property in 1986 with the intention of displaying his collection of curiosities. The idea for a bar didn’t come until later; he and his friends spent so much time drinking and hanging out in this cozy space, it was a natural progression. Today, the Pavilhão Chinês has become one of the coolest joints in Lisbon.

See a lot more of the Pavilhão Chinês and a review of a couple other Lisbon bars at For 91 Days.

The glut of home renovation and house flipping shows on HGTV and other channels have people hankering for an "updated" home. One reason is for resale value- any changes should make the home easier to sell in the future. Another reason is to stay current with architectural trends.    

Remodeling and other house-fussery has become a national pastime. In 2015 alone, Americans spent $326.1 billion on renovating. Previously contained to affluent households and the glossy pages of architecture magazines, remodeling has been transformed by 24/7 media like HGTV and websites like Houzz, Pinterest, and Dezeen. While older media, like early issues of House Beautiful, discusses the process as mastering the careful art of interior design, newer media is more neurotic and self-loathing, describing houses in need of renovation with words like “dated”, “immature,” or “wrong.” Whether presented as a self-improvement project (update your house lest you be judged for owning a dated one) or a form of self-care (renovate because it will make you feel better), the home remodel is presented as both remedy and requirement.

Instead of falling prey to this thinking, take a moment to consider this simple idea: There is nothing wrong with your house.

Let's be honest. If your roof or your pipes are leaking, there is something wrong with your house. The argument here, from Kate Wagner of McMansion Hell, is that you shouldn't go into debt just to make your home conform to current house trends, especially since those trends will change before you can pay off the project. Unless you are deep into the house flipping business, remodels should be approached with the idea of making your home a place you'll be happy to live in for the price of the changes. Read more about the fad of trendy remodeling at Curbed. -via Metafilter, where you'll find plenty of house stories.

Electronic mind control, psychological manipulation, bestiality, and sensory deprivation. Don't try this at home.

1. The Real World: Mental Hospital Edition

This is the true story of three schizophrenics, who all believed they were Jesus Christ. It wasn’t long before they stopped being polite and started getting real crazy. In 1959, social psychologist Milton Rokeach wanted to test the strength of self-delusion. So, he gathered three patients, all of whom identified themselves as Jesus Christ, and made them live together in the same mental hospital in Michigan for two years.

Rokeach hoped the Christs would give up their delusional identities after confronting others who claimed to be the same person. But that’s not what happened. At first, the three men quarreled constantly over who was holier. According to Rokeach, one Christ yelled, “You oughta worship me!” To which another responded, “I will not worship you! You’re a creature! You better live your own life and wake up to the facts!”

Unable to turn the other cheek, the three Christs often argued until punches were thrown. Eventually, however, they each explained away their conflicting identities. One believed, correctly, that the other two were mental patients. Another rationalized the presence of his companions by claiming that they were dead and being operated by machines.

But the behavior of the schizophrenics isn’t even the most bizarre part. Far stranger was the way Rokeach tried to manipulate his subjects.

Before smartphones took over the world, you would often see a magazine rack in someone's bathroom. Magazine articles are short or long, and you selected what to read by how long you thought you'd be in there. That's exactly the idea that John Javna had while sitting on the toilet one day in 1987. The first Uncle John's Bathroom Reader was published in 1988, which makes the series 30 years old now.

“John created it … based on the tradition that the whole family read a lot in the bathroom, and so did the whole world,” Gordon Javna told an Oregon newspaper in 2016. “I cracked up when I heard the idea from him, but it made a lot of sense.”

The first edition of the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader, released in 1988, was a collection of short articles, like brief histories of various subjects and origins of words or phrases. Credited to the Bathroom Readers Institute, the books were a success. Sequels were released the following years until the brothers, along with a team of freelancers, were producing 10 titles a year.

How did the Bathroom Readers become so successful? We'd like to think that Neatorama helped, but a lot of it was the Bathroom Reader's Institute's work with price clubs. Read about the rise of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader at Tedium.

(Image credit: Flickr user Britt Reints)

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is the longest-serving woman justice on the US Supreme Court, and only the second woman ever appoint to the Court. But she had quite a distinguished career even before that. She was already a wife and mother when she graduated, tied for first in her class, from Columbia Law School in 1959, and spent the next several decades having to prove she was as good as any male lawyer. Ginsberg worked for the ACLU and took on gender discrimination cases all over the country. She was appointed to the US Court of Appeals in 1976, and to the Supreme Court in 1993.     

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Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a real-life superhero. And now the notorious RBG has her own superhero movie, titled simply RBG, a documentary set for limited release on May 4. May the fourth be with her. -via Uproxx