What happened on this day in history: The Sodder children disappear in a mysterious fire in West Virginia, Laci Peterson vanishes in California, and more events from this day in history.1826: The Eggnog Riot Breaks Out The Eggnog Riot, or Grog Mutiny, takes place at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Late on Christmas Eve, a group of cadets made large amounts of eggnog with whiskey and other spirits they’d smuggled into the North Barracks and threw a party.

What happened on this day in history: English Sufrragist Emily Davison dies after being trampled by King George V's horse, the Tiananmen Square Massacre begins, and more.1783: The First Public Demonstration Of The Hot Air Balloon Takes Place Brothers Jacques-Étienne and Joseph-Michel Montgolfier display the first unmanned hot-air balloon before a crowd in Annonay, France. Their 500-pound balloon soared to 6,000 feet and remained aloft for 10 minutes. Other attempts quickly followed, including with animals and then humans.

5. Whiptail Lizard lonqueta/Flickr The whiptail lizard is New Mexico’s official state reptile, and its entire population happens to be female. While a fun bit of trivia, such a sex skew doesn’t typically bode well for most animal populations. Given the impossibility of exchanging genetic material, researchers say that these lizards are at a “major disadvantage” when it comes to adapting to a changing environment. After all, unless they can recombine their DNA, these lizards will produce an offspring with an identical set of chromosomes — chromosomes which, if weak or mutated, have no chance of being overridden by another mate’s.

Marilyn Manson played Paul on The Wonder Years The rib myth isn’t true, either. Source: Complex People are fascinated with the idea of a dorky, innocent kid turning into Marilyn Manson, the hardcore rocker and scourge of every parent throughout the 1990s. There is a slight resemblance between the two, which partially explains this myth’s origins. It’s also helped by the fact that Josh Saviano, the actor who actually played Paul, soon retired from acting to become a lawyer.

A Shooting Outside A New Jersey Mall Leaves One Person Dead Powhusku/FlickrEach year, more than 100 million shoppers hit stores across America on Black Friday. A shooting outside a New Jersey mall saw the death of one person in the wee hours of Black Friday. The shooting took place outside a Macy’s department store. Police arrived at the scene around 3:30 a.m. before the store had even opened its doors. The mall had reportedly closed at midnight on Thanksgiving day and was set to reopen at 6 a.