Pour water into this ancient pot, rock it gently, and it sings like a bird. No one even has to blow into it. More than 500 years ago, artisans of the Chimú culture on Peru's northern coast created remarkable ceramic vessels that could imitate birdsong using nothing but water and air. The secret was hidden inside. As water moved between two connected chambers, it pushed air through a small whistle concealed in the bird's beak, producing a surprisingly lifelike bird call. But why did they make these extraordinary objects? Their exact purpose remains a mystery. They may have been used in ceremonies or for entertainment, but no definitive explanation has been established. This example, dating to approximately 1000–1476 CE, is preserved at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which even provides a recording of the sound it makes. Centuries later, we can still hear the ingenuity of its makers.

Harry Kane has just won the 2026 Ballon d'Or, becoming the first English footballer to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001. But his wife, Katie Goodland, knew him long before the fame, trophies, and millions of fans. Harry and Katie met as children in East London, attended school together, and began dating as teenagers. They married in 2019 and now have four children. This photograph was taken in 2005, when Harry and Katie were just 11 years old, posing alongside David Beckham at the opening of his football academy in London. More than 20 years later, Harry is a Ballon d'Or winner, and the girl standing beside him in that photograph is still the woman sharing his life.

Cybill Shepherd, 1970s.

When hotels refused Bessie Stringfield a room because she was Black, she sometimes slept on her motorcycle at gas stations. In the 1930s and 1940s, Stringfield made eight long-distance solo motorcycle journeys across the United States, including through the segregated South. During World War II, she worked as a civilian motorcycle courier for the U.S. Army. Later known as the “Motorcycle Queen of Miami,” she continued riding into old age. In 2002, she was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.

What was something your grandparents never threw away, and what did they use it for?

Josephine Baker carried military secrets across borders, hidden in her sheet music during World War II. Already one of Paris’s biggest stars, Baker secretly worked for French intelligence. Her fame gave her access to gatherings attended by German, Italian, and Japanese officials, where she gathered valuable information. Intelligence about German troop movements and military plans was written in invisible ink on her sheet music, allowing her to transport it without attracting suspicion. For her wartime service, France awarded her the Croix de guerre. The sheet music pictured is an archival example, not a confirmed document containing secret messages. Source: International Spy Museum; CIA

What was the most expensive thing in your house growing up that nobody uses anymore?

A parachute saved his life in 1944. Three years later, his bride wore it down the aisle. In August 1944, American B-29 pilot Claude Hensinger was forced to parachute from his burning aircraft after a bombing mission over Japan. He survived the landing and spent the night using his parachute as a blanket and pillow. Three years later, he proposed to his girlfriend, Ruth, and gave her the very same parachute, suggesting she turn it into her wedding gown. Inspired by *Gone with the Wind*, Ruth designed the dress, made the skirt herself, and worked with a seamstress to complete it. The couple married on July 19, 1947, in Pennsylvania. The dress was later worn by their daughter and their son’s bride before being donated to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Source: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History.

This robot could serve you a drink in 1985. Made by Japanese toy company Tomy, the Omnibot 2000 featured motorized arms, a wireless remote control, a built-in cassette recorder, and a programmable clock. Owners could record sequences of movements and sounds onto cassette tapes, allowing the robot to repeat them later. Pictured: A vintage Japanese advertisement for the Tomy Omnibot 2000.

Janis Joplin sitting behind a drum kit backstage at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, July 1968. 📸 David Gahr

A woman working at an Atari computer in the 1980s. What catches your eye in this photo?

This 18th-century chess machine had a real player hiding inside. Introduced in 1770 by Wolfgang von Kempelen, “The Turk” appeared to play chess on its own, astonishing audiences across Europe and America. In reality, a skilled chess player was concealed inside the cabinet, controlling the automaton’s movements. This 1789 engraving by Joseph Friedrich von Racknitz illustrates an early theory of how the deception worked.

A sculptor made NEW FACES for soldiers wounded in battle during World War I. American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd created lifelike facial masks for soldiers who had suffered severe facial injuries. In 1918, she opened a studio in Paris with support from the American Red Cross. Each mask was crafted from thin copper, carefully painted to match the soldier’s skin tone, and sometimes fitted with real hair for mustaches or eyebrows. Many were held in place by eyeglasses. The upper photographs show a soldier before and after wearing his mask. Below, Ladd is pictured painting a mask for another soldier in her studio.

Michael Jackson’s *Thriller* leads the list of the best-selling albums of all time, with an estimated 72 million copies sold worldwide. The top 10 spans several decades of music history, from classic rock and disco to pop, and includes studio albums, soundtracks, and greatest hits collections. Ranking based on Media Traffic’s October 2026 estimates. Sales figures may vary by source.

"Beauty Parlor"