Andrew KrehbielAndrew Krehbiel

Cubs World Series Celebration Was 7th Largest Gathering In History

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series after an epic Game 7 on Nov. 2. It was their first championship win in 108 years.

Given the devotion of Cubs fans and the very long wait for another World Series win, you knew the celebration two days later would be as epic as that Game 7. Well, it was epic, because 5 million people decided to show up and celebrate with the Cubs during their parade and rally. That makes it the seventh largest gathering of humans in the history of Homo sapiens.

But where were the other six gatherings that beat the Chicago Cubs World Series celebration? Listed below are those six gatherings, along with a few more, to create a top 10 list of the biggest human mosh pits of all time.

1. Kumbh Mela pilgrimage, India, 2013

30 million

This Hindu pilgrimage happens once every 12 years, so just imagine how many people will gather for the next Kumbh Mela pilgrimage in 2025.

2. Arbaeen festival, Iraq, 2014

17 million

Millions of Shia Muslins participating in the Arbaeen festival—which honors the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who died in battle in Karbala, Iraq, in the 7th century—gathered in the city to commemorate the end of the annual 40-day mourning period.

3. Funeral of CN Annadurai, India, 1969

15 million

This man was a revolutionary figure in India and a prolific speaker as well.

4. Funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran, 1989

10 million

This massive gathering after the Iranian Ayatollah died saw 8 people trampled to death, and the 86-year-old’s body even fell out of the coffin as it was mobbed by mourners.

5. Papal gathering, Philippines, 2015

6 million

When Pope Francis visited Manila, more than six million showed up to hear him speak.

6. World Youth Day, Philippines, 1995

5 million

Until the 2015 Papal visit, the 1995 Catholic gathering held the record for the most people to attend a Catholic mass.

Here are the rest of the top 10 largest human gatherings in history:

7. Chicago Cubs World Series celebration, Chicago, 2016: 5 million

8. Funeral of Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1970: 5 million

9. Rod Stewart concert, Brazil, 1994: 3.5 million

10. Hajj pilgrimage, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 2012: 3 million

11. Anti-war march, Rome, 2003: 3 million

This also makes the Cubs celebration the largest human gathering in United States history. Until Rod Stewart hosts a concert somewhere in the U.S., that is…

10 Things You Need To Know About Stink Bugs, Including How To Get Rid Of Them

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What’s that smell? Is it a skunk? Dirty diapers? Dirty socks? Dirty socks inside of dirty diapers?

If you don’t find dirty socks or dirty diapers lying on the floor, then your nose may be picking up the scent of the brown marmorated stink bug you just accidentally squashed.

Just like you squashed that stink bug (and therefore stunk up the whole house), let’s squash some of your concerns about the brown marmorated stink bug with answers to these frequently asked questions:

1. What are brown marmorated stink bugs?

Brown marmorated stink bugs, or BMSB, are critters that are less than an inch long and are shaped like a shield or a guitar pick. One of the over 250 different species of stink bugs in the U.S., the BMSB made its way from Asia. They get their “stink bug” moniker from the foul odor they give off when they feel threatened, which is part of what makes them such a nuisance. You can’t just squish them and move on without encountering their pungent scent, which has been described as similar to coriander or, worse, the aforementioned dirty socks.

2. Why do we care about this specific kind of stink bug?

In addition to being a nuisance in a growing number of homes across the U.S., stink bugs destroy agriculture. The USDA has put together a list of “high-risk” crops these bugs can destroy. Check out this helpful chart to see which crops are most at risk:

crops-at-risk-lg
USDA

3. If they harm plants, can they harm humans and pets?

Generally, no. They don’t bite, suck blood, carry poison or transmit disease. Stink bugs are just a stinky nuisance for most homeowners. Some people have had allergic reactions to their odor, especially if they’re allergic to cockroaches, but this is a rare occurrence. The people who need to worry most about these stink bugs are farmers.

4. Where can I find these stink bugs?

As of this year, there have been sightings in 43 states in the U.S., with most of the crop damage happening in the mid-Atlantic region.

5. How do they travel?

BMSBs prefer to hitchhike. They can attach to your personal belongings, cars, RVs or cargo ships, like the stink-bug pilgrims that came over to Pennsylvania in the mid-1990s. They also have wings; they can fly decently far if they’re picked up by a great gust of wind.

brown marmorated stink bug photo

6. When do stink bugs come out to play?

These critters like to stay warm, especially during the winter months. They mate in the spring and deposit their eggs from May to August. Then, they try to find places to stay warm (like in our homes) in September and October to get ready for winter.

7. Do they have any natural predators?

Actually, yes. Researchers have recently found the Trissolcus japonicus wasp in the U.S., which is big news for biologists because this wasp is a natural predator of stink bugs in Asia. Spiders, mice and centipedes have also been effective against stink bugs (hopefully outside of your house, of course).

8. What can I do to stop them from coming into my home?

Prevention is key, especially during the fall months. Stink bugs like to come through any tiny cracks in your windows, doors, siding, pipes and chimneys. They can also fly in through open windows or broken screens. Here are some preventive tips:

  • Replace or repair your broken screens. WikiHow also recommends rubbing your screens with a strong-smelling dryer sheet, as (ironically) pungent odors can help to deter them.
  • Caulk any openings that you may find outside and inside your home.
  • If you are wearing beat-up shoes and happen to find a stink bug or two outside of your house, WikiHow gives the green light to squash them. The scent will alert others to danger and may deter them from coming back into the area. And if your shoes are the beat-around kind, you won’t mind the potential scent being attached to them.
  • Try setting up sticky flytape around the entrances to your home in order to catch any airborne stink bugs that may otherwise make it inside.

9. Uh-oh. They’re already inside. What now?

If you find stink bugs in your home, try to locate their point of entry. Sometimes they come through cracks in your baseboard, windows, exhaust fans and ceiling lights. Just caulk them up, and they’ll die out shortly afterwards.

You can also put a desk lamp over a tub of soapy water. The bugs will be attracted to the light, and the water will drown the bugs without your entire house smelling of stink bugs.

Or you may want to create this DIY trap out of an empty soda bottle, as shown in this video:

[youtube id=”VwUuHhWYvDA”]

10. Should I use my vacuum to suck up these suckers?

Yes, but make sure you clean the filter and replace the bag immediately. The smell could stay around for weeks if you’re not careful.

If all else fails, call an exterminator. Let a professional deal with the problem, and you can go back to dealing with all those actual dirty socks lying around your home.

Here’s some more info on stink bugs and how you can get rid of them:

10 Awesome Novelties That You May Have Forgotten About

With each generation comes more sophisticated items on the market, which makes the products from our childhood seem so simple by comparison. To remind you of the good times (or the bad times, if your Pet Rock died), here are 10 brands from your childhood that you may have forgotten about.

1. Precious Moments

Their eyes tell the story. Every single one of these figurines has puppy-dog eyes, waiting for a home. And yes, they were precious, weren’t they?

EBTH

2. Garbage Pail Kids

The exact opposite of the Cabbage Patch Kids, these trading cards were all the rage. Today, they’re making a comeback, with cards like Dueling Donald and Chuckling Clinton.

EBTH

3. Bazooka Bubble Gum

Before Garbage Pail Kids (or even Pokémon), Bazooka Bubble Gum had some pretty cool baseball trading cards to collect, in addition to the gum’s iconic in-wrapper comics.

EBTH

4. Laurel Burch Jewelry

Not only was the jewelry beautiful, but Laurel Burch’s story was just as beautiful. She made her first earrings from bones and old coins, all while in bed with osteoporosis.

EBTH

5. Kool-Aid

Kool-Aid’s still around these days, but it’s not as ubiquitous as it was when we were kids. While there haven’t been many recent sightings of the Kool-Aid Man bursting through the walls, there have been millions of people entering a room, mimicking the Kool-Aid Man’s famous phrase: “Oh, yeah!”

EBTH

6. Pet Rock

Millions of kids had pet rocks, complete with a little nest and a carrying box. I can imagine one eulogy going something like this:

“RIP, Jeff. You were my rock when I needed you most.”

EBTH

7. Fraggle Rock

This TV series about underground Muppets was created by Jim Henson and ran for five seasons, from 1983-1987.

EBTH

8. Atari

Before Nintendo, Playstations and Xboxes, there was the mother of all video game systems. That one joystick and “Pong” was all that was needed to have a good time.

EBTH

9. Pac-Man

Sometimes the simple games about a yellow circle eating fruit and dots are the best—and timeless. Who remembers this joystick that was specifically designed for the Pac-Man game?

EBTH

10. Swatch Watches

These colorful watches were all the rage back in the 1980s.

EBTH

Want to make one of your favorite childhood products your very own again? Visit Everything But The House (EBTH), the premier estate sale marketplace, to buy (or sell!) a little piece of nostalgia.

This Is Why You’ll Be Seeing Teal Pumpkins This Halloween

Every Halloween, kids dressed like black cats and SpongeBob Squarepants flood the streets, going door-to-door to find candy at people’s houses. For most, this is a special time to eat fun-sized candy as part of a fun-filled night.

For other kids, their food allergies keep them away from trick-or-treating because so many candies contain soy, wheat, chocolate, peanuts or gluten. But now these kids don’t have to worry about food allergies spoiling their Halloween fun.

FARE

The Teal Pumpkin Project, started in 2014 by the nonprofit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), helps these kids with food allergies have fun during Halloween rather than worry about the amount of candy in their bags. Participants in the Teal Pumpkin Project place teal pumpkins in front of their homes, which lets kids know that the house is safe for trick-or-treaters with food allergies.

“The Teal Pumpkin Project promotes safety, inclusion and respect for all those managing food allergies,” FARE Director of Communications Nancy Gregory told The Huffington Post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKli9OtDCSN/?taken-by=foodallergy

FARE has partnered with Michaels Craft Stores to spread food allergy awareness in their stores along with ideas for participants in the Teal Pumpkin Project.

The Project’s goal this year is to have at least one teal pumpkin on every residential block in the U.S. According to the FARE website, one in 13 children in the U.S. has a food allergy, and someone is admitted to the emergency room because of food allergies once every three minutes. Economically, food allergies cost $25 billion a year to treat.

epi pen photo
Getty Images | Drew Angerer

How To Participate

To combat this problem, you can help keep hospital visits to a minimum this Halloween by participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project.

You can either paint your own teal pumpkins, buy them online (or at your local Michaels Craft store), or print out a free sign from the FARE website.

https://www.instagram.com/p/9gi0OmFIuZ/?taken-by=foodallergy

On the day of trick-or-treating, you can put out one bowl of candy and another bowl filled with non-candy treats for those with food allergies. Some ideas for items you can put inside this bowl are bubbles, erasers, bouncy balls, Mini Slinkies and plastic spider rings.

bouncy balls photo
Flickr | Jeff Kubina

RELATED: 21 Non-candy Alternatives To Pass Out This Halloween

If you have more questions, like why the color teal (answer: it’s the color of food allergy awareness), check out the Teal Pumpkin Project FAQ page, and spread the word!