Amazing Places To See at Night

Forget nightclubs—instead, check out these after-dark hot spots delivering firefly spectaculars, midnight snacks, and stellar light shows. Here are destinations around the world that are worth staying up past your bedtime to explore.

Synchronous Fireflies, Near Gatlinburg, Tennessee

If you're looking for the firefly equivalent of sparklers, you may only need to head as far as your backyard. But for a real fireworks spectacular, you'll need to be in Elkmont, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, during the approximately two weeks each year the synchronous fireflies put on their show. Unlike other fireflies, these blinking beetles flash in unison—or sometimes in wave patterns that lucky visitors can see ripple across hillsides. It's a show you don't want to miss, but you'll need to time your visit during the peak mating season, which usually occurs sometime between June 3 and 21. From Gatlinburg, you'll need to catch the trolley ($1 round-trip) to see the show.

More synchronous fireflies: The only other place in the world where you can see synchronous fireflies is in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia, where fireflies cluster around mangrove trees on riverbanks.

Night safari in Singapore

If your travel motto begins "When in Rome…," take note: When in Singapore, head to the Night Safari. This wildly popular after-dark animal park isn't just for tourists; it's a favorite of locals as well. Offerings range from trails through rainforests teeming with animals to trams that escort visitors past the wildlife of eight geographical regions in Asia and Africa. Tribal performances and educational programs round out the things to do. The Night Safari is open nightly from 7:30 p.m. to midnight.

More nights among the animals: In California the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Safari West both offer sleepovers in well-appointed tents. An overnight offers more chances to see animals during their most active times.

Nighttime culture in Paris, France

Culture lights up the night throughout the year in Paris. The summer solstice brings the Fete de la Musique, when musicians and revelers fill the streets and places with song. During July and August at the Parc de la Villette (site in French), evening picnickers watch classic films from around the world on large outdoor screens. And in October the Nuit Blanche (site in French), or White Night, draws huge crowds with all-night access to galleries, museums, and cultural institutions.

More nighttime culture: St. Petersburg, Russia, hosts one of the most famous White Nights festivals, with six weeks of opera, singers, ballet, and music during the summer months, when the sky never grows completely dark. And San Antonio's annual Luminaria lights up a March night with free dance, art, music, theater, and street performances.

Desert after dark, near Scottsdale, Arizona

The desert comes alive after dark, but you need the right equipment to catch all the action. In the Sonoran Desert near Scottsdale, Arizona, Stellar Adventures leads three- to four-hour night-vision tours. The special goggles transform the dark desert into a veritable stage for nocturnal wildlife. Tours cost $150 and include hotel pick-up, snacks, and beverages.

More dark desert adventures: The Night Lights tour at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West in Scottsdale offers visitors the chance to appreciate the desert jewel in a softer light. Tours run on select nights throughout the year and cost $35 per person. And for a nighttime desert adventure on a budget, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center in Ft. Davis, Texas, offers $5 Guided Flashlight Discovery Hikes on select summer Saturdays.

Bioluminescence in Vieques, Puerto Rico

For an unforgettable night out in Puerto Rico, head to the island of Vieques' Puerto Mosquito at dusk to witness the glowing waters. The bioluminescent bay is one of the few places in the world where a large concentration of microscopic organisms actually light up the water as you pass through it. To protect the fragile ecosystem, swimming isn't allowed, but kayak and boat tours provide the perfect way to experience the rare natural wonder.

More glowing bays: Puerto Rico also has two other bioluminescent bays: La Parguera in the southwest and Laguna Grande in Fajardo.

Stargazing on Mauna Kea, Hawaii

Wishing upon a single star is nice, but a nighttime trip to an observatory—where, on clear nights, you'll have thousands of stars to choose from—offers much better odds. The Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station on Hawaii's Big Island is open to stargazers every night of the year from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The evening program includes a documentary screening, star tours of the brightest constellations, and plenty of chances for visitors to look through the telescopes.

More stargazing: Travelers who don't want to make the trip up the mountain on their own can join a tour such as Hawaii Forest & Trail's Mauna Kea Summit & Stars Adventure. The eight-hour tour includes transportation, a picnic dinner, all the cold-weather gear you'll need (temperatures on the mountain reach freezing at night), a telescope, and a knowledgeable guide for $192 per person.

WaterFire in Providence, Rhode Island

When fire meets water on warm nights in Providence, magic happens. Crowds begin gathering along the banks of Providence's three rivers before dusk to secure front-row seats to WaterFire, a spectacle of firetenders (torch bearers) slipping slowly downstream in boats, lighting each of more than 80 floating bonfires. Each performance has its own soundtrack that is selected by Barnaby Evans, the artist responsible for the event. WaterFire events usually occur on Saturday evenings between late May and early October.

More fire on water: Since 2007, Kansas City has held WaterFire on Brush Creek. And WaterFire Columbus brings music, fire, and food to downtown Columbus from June through October.

Night markets in Taiwan

Night markets may have gotten their start in small villages—where farmers would gather when traveling salesmen came to town—but these days the phenomenon has an authentically urban vibe. Taiwan has some of the world's most vibrant night markets—after-dark minicities where locals and tourists flock to eat and shop. Shihlin is one of the country's most famous and popular markets, and is the place to go for signature dishes like oyster omelets, stinky tofu, and pearl milk tea.

More night markets: Night markets in North America tend to be seasonal, running throughout summer and into fall. Find thriving night markets in Philadelphia (locations change), in Richmond (near Vancouver), and in Chinatown in San Francisco.

Moonlight Tour in Yosemite Valley, CA

The rise of the full moon signals the start of the Yosemite Valley Moonlight Tour, which is offered on five nights around the full moon during late spring, summer, and early fall each year. The two-hour tram tour reveals the softly lit side of Yosemite's most beloved landmarks, including Half Dome, El Capitan, and Yosemite Falls. Plus, it's a great way to outsmart the crowds that clog valley roads during the day.

More nights out in national parks: San Francisco's Alcatraz is a very different sort of national park, but it also offers night tours, which take place Thursday through Monday throughout the year. The evening includes a ferry ride, a guided tour, and special presentations exclusive to night visits.

Famous Latin American Vacations

If you can’t visit Europe, it doesn’t mean you have to stay local for your holidays!

For those of you enjoying summer vacations, and for those us making plans for our vacation when winter ends, here is a great list of places to visit in Latin America.

Machu Picchu, Peru

The Empire of the Inca once ruled supreme across the inhospitable mountains of Peru. Remarkably, they constructed entire stone cities without the need for cement, and built sprawling networks of roads along the spine of the Andes which are still passable today. The most famous is the Camino del Inca, or the Inca Trail. Hire a guide to take you on the four-day journey from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, once a great mountain stronghold of the Inca. If the altitude gets to you, chew on some coca leaves (yes, it’s legal – no, it’s not cocaine) while you take in some of the most breathtaking vistas the Western Hemisphere has to offer. Passing through the Sun Gate as the morning fog slowly fades over the spectral city, long before the tour buses arrive from Cuzco, you might feel as though Machu Picchu has been waiting hundreds of years just for you.

Jau National Park, Brazil

Amazonia. Vast beyond comprehension, remote, and tragically delicate. Spanning Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana, the Amazon is one of the last frontiers, and it’s disappearing at a staggering rate. There are many points of entry to the region, and one of the best is located near Manaus in Brazil’s Amazonas state. Follow a straight-line road 200 km to Jau National Park, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tropical, constantly wet (it IS a rain forest) and home to myriad species of dolphins, fish, birds, crocodiles, turtles, monkeys, jaguars, tapirs and insects, the park can be explored by boat for the adventurous or by foot for the suicidal. Fall asleep in a hammock to the calls of the wild, and be grateful to have glimpsed the splendor of this ecological treasure before it’s gone forever.

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The Galapagos archipelago was claimed by the newly-independent Republic of Ecuador in 1832. Three years later, some egghead named Darwin visited the islands and came up with some universally popular scientific theories. Come to the Galapagos and it’s easy to see why he chose this spot. Giant tortoises, sea lions, penguins, albatrosses and countless other species rarely seen anywhere else can all be witness in this relatively small 19-island chain. Arrange your trip early, as restrictions to the delicate biosphere are understandably tight. And make sure you spend a few days there to help the local economy.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tango, Madonna and escaped Nazis. That’s the extent of most people’s knowledge of this sprawling Argentine metropolis. Nevermind the quintessentially European feel of the place, it’s affordability, its world-class restaurants, its nightlife, its wine, its art. Nevermind the flourishing rock/hip-hop music scene, the internationally-renowned fashion industry or the cultural diversity born from being the capital of a nation of immigrants. Nevermind that you can fly there directly from the U.S., Europe and Australia for a reasonable price. Madonna? Who’s that?

Torres del Paine, Chile

At the southern tip of the New World lies Torres del Paine National Park, in Patagonian Chile. Visiting here might leave you with the impression that you have reached the end of the earth, and that you’d be crazy to go one step further for fear of falling into some infinite abyss. In other words, it be way down there. The park is home to lakes, vast glaciers and mountains massive and sheer. It’s certainly a must-do for the outdoorsman, but it offers something else, not easily explained in a travel brochure. Somewhere between the deafening silence in the air, the mighty rocks crowned with mist and snow, and the eternal and inexorable march of the glacial ice, you will feel as though you have borne witness to the dawn of creation itself, and it’s extraordinary.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Founded in the 16th Century as a fortification against French pirates stalking the Portuguese trade routes, Rio has become one of those places whose very name conjures images of steamy tropical nights, sensual Latin rhythms and beautiful, scantily-clad women. And that’s pretty accurate. Take in the Carnival atmosphere of the “cidade maravilhosa” along Impanema or Copacabana beach, or a panoramic flight around Sugarloaf Mountain in a helicopter (well worth it). Sadly, Rio does have a reputation for crime, and you should take certain precautions while visiting, but don’t let it keep you away.

Jalisco state, Mexico

If there is such thing as a perfect climate, you’ll likely find it in Jalisco. Most come to Jalisco for the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, and it is undoubtedly a beautiful place. But if that’s not your thing, stay in the historic center of Guadalajara for some great food, music and museums – Old Mexico at its finest. Or tour the Jose Cuervo distillery for some free samples. You can also find less-crowded beaches like Barra de Navidad, La Manzanilla or San Patricio. Jalisco has much to offer, and you could easily spend weeks wandering around without even leaving the state

Bocas del Toro, Panama

If you’re like me and passionately detest the hordes of tourists one associates with Costa Rica or other destinations, Panama might be a great alternative for you. Bocas del Toro is a small archipelago on the country’s western coast. Remote and difficult to access even today, the region’s indigenous and West African cultures have flourished over the centuries, and one usually hears more English or Creole than Spanish here. Check out nearby Red Frog beach for a quiet getaway, or take in some great snorkling in the reefs. Stay too long, and you’re likely to stay for good.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The world’s largest salt flat is located in Bolivia, and it offers one of the most unique landscapes on the planet. The Salar de Uyuni covers over 12,000 sq km, and the salt is over 10 meters thick in the center, creating in effect a salt tundra. In summer, the salt planes are a completely flat and bone-dry expanse, but in the wet season, it is covered with a thin sheet of water that is still drivable. Rent a land rover for a camping trip, or stay in a hotel that’s completely made of salt! Definitely for the more seasoned trekker, but a truly unforgettable experience. You’ll probably never walk on the moon, but in Uyuni, you’ll come pretty close.

Peten Region, Guatemala

Take one of the direct international flights into Flores to explore this wondrous region. From the cobblestone streets of colonial Flores to the imposing Mayan ruins of Tikal, Peten offers an affordable and safe alternative for visitors to Guatemala. On a steamy summer day, you can dip into the cool waters of Lake Peten Itza or tour the caves of Ak’tun Kan. And make sure you take away some of the great local habanero chile salsa, unless you’re just too afraid of it.

Weird Cat Tales

There are stories of cats crossing state borders to find their owners, cat survival tales and claims of talking cats.

Piano-Playing Cat

Nora, a gray tabby, who was adopted from an animal shelter by music teacher Betsy Alexander, became a media sensation after a video of her playing the piano went on to YouTube. Named after painter Leonora Carrington, she learned how to play by watching her owner’s students practice while she sits under the piano. Then one night, she went up the bench herself and started pawing the keys. With the encouragement of the owner, Nora’s playing became a daily routine, and her performances were soon posted on YouTube, and found its way to the media, where it called the attention of animal behaviorists, who find Nora an incredible case of animal intelligence. Her popularity made her an instant sensation, and she now has her own CD, DVD and website.

The Cat With Etiquette

When Faye Murrell’s children left home, dining time became a lonely affair. So to have company at the table, she began giving her cat Tessa some table manners. The cat, a very quick learner, soon learned how to use a fork in no time flat. Not only that, but when noodles are served, Tessa can eat them with chopsticks, and when ice cream’s on the table, she uses a spoon.

The Moscow Cats Theater

Yuri Kuklachev, a former member of the Moscow State Circus, is the founder of the Moscow Cats Theater, a performing troupe that has 120 feline members. The idea for the troupe came to Kuklachev in 1971, when he saw a stray cat that begs for food by standing on her hind legs. Realizing the potential of the cat, he adopted it and soon incorporated it in his act at the State Circus. 17 years later Kuklachev left the State Circus and started the Moscow Cats Theater 2 years after. The various acts that the troupe performs include tightrope walking, ball balancing and riding a rocking horse. Maruska, one of the troupe’s stars, can even do a handstand on Kuklachev’s palm.

Feline Cutaneous Asthenia

Feline Cutaneous Asthenia (FCA)is a rare hereditary disease found in cats. The disorder (which is like a feline equivalent to the human disease Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) affects the way an afflicted cat’s body produces collagen, an important component in skin tissue and tendons. The disorder has two forms: one caused by a dominant gene and another one caused by a recessive gene. Both produce similar symptoms: abnormally soft and velvety skin that can easily tear. One common result of this is the formation of wing-like folds or flaps on a cat’s shoulders or back. FCA is said to be the cause of ‘winged’ cats, like a cat owned by Granny Feng of Xianyang City, China, who has 4-inch long wing-like appendages sprouting in its back.

Glow-in-The-Dark Cats

In 2007, scientists at Gyeongsang National University in South Korea have successfully created cloned cats that glow in the dark. The three white Turkish Angora cats, weighing around 7 pounds each, were capable of glowing red under UV light. Here is a quotation from a report written by Alan Boyle, the science editor at msnbc.com explaining the procedure: ‘They took skin cells from Turkish Angora female cats and used a virus to insert the genetic instructions for making red fluorescent protein. Then they put the gene-altered nuclei into eggs for cloning. The cloned embryos were implanted back into the donor cats, which effectively became the surrogate mothers for their own clones. Four kittens were born by Caesarian section, but one of them died during the procedure, according to the Korea Times. The fact that the kittens’ skin cells glowed under ultraviolet light served as evidence that they were really gene-altered clones.’

Project Acoustic Kitty

Acoustic Kitty was a CIA project initiated by the Directorate of Science & Technology in the 1960’s. It attempted to use cats in spy missions, particularly to bug secret conversations. It involved inserting a microphone and transmitter with battery to the body of the cat, and wiring an antenna to its tail. The expenses used for the surgery and training were said to amount to 20 million dollars. However, when the project went on a trial run (a trial mission where the cat was assigned to listen on two men in a park in Washington, D.C.), the project came to a halt when the test cat was ran over by a taxi and killed. Due to the incident, not mentioning the various cons of the project, Acoustic Kitty was declared a failure.

The Meow Mix House

Meow Mix, a popular cat food brand, launched the Meow Mix House, a reality TV series that followed a ‘Survivor’ format. Ten cats chosen from various animal shelters across the country were pitted against each other in a battle of wits, brawn and brain in a luxurious mansion on Madison Avenue in New York City. What’s the first prize? A job as the feline Vice president of Research and Development in the Meow Mix Company. The reality series were shown on Animal Planet for ten straight weeks beginning June 16, 2006. Aside from the top prize, a second position in the company was awarded to the cat voted most popular by the viewers. The losers, however, gets a year’s supply of cat food, plus a new home and family, just like the two top winners. Oh, the top prize was given to Cisco from Miami, while Ellis from Portland won the popular vote.

Brumas, The Pink Cat

Brumas, a 9-yr. old cat from Devon, England, was taking her usual stroll on Sept. 3, 2005, but when he returned later, his owners were surprised to see their pet’s usual snow-white coat has turned a bright pink. “He was pink – Barbie pink. His head, ears and right down his body, although not underneath, had gone a quite brilliant pink,” said Joan Worth, the cat’s owner. Worried, Joan and her husband Philip immediately went to the vet to examine Brumas. The vet said that Brumas is in good health, but they couldn’t find an explanation for the cat’s strange color. “They couldn’t find any reason for it, although they decided it wasn’t toxic, which was what I was worried about,” said Mrs. Worth. Mr Worth added, “We have thought about everything as to how this happened, from him being covered in some form of cow treatment to children’s poster paints. We have no clue where he was that could have caused this to happen.” However, paint is not believed to be the reason because Brumas’ fur was not matted. As for Brumas, he seemed to be unaffected by the color change.

Radio Station for Felines

Nohl Rosen of Scottsdale, Arizona, is the proud owner of Cat Galaxy, an Internet radio and TV station catered specially for cats (and their owners too). Running for a strong nine years, the station has radio shows like Morning Meows, Meow Mixing Monday and Friday Night Feline Frenzy. Most of the music from this station is ‘feline-approved’, ranging from Jazz to R’n’B .Plus, the station features interviews with various veterinarians and pet-owners as well. Oh, and the station’s manager is none other than Rosen’s own pet cat, Isis. Even the assistant manager and the program director are cats.

The Litter Kwitter

Cleaning kitty litter is no walk in the park. According to statistics, it represents half of the expenses of keeping a cat. An interesting solution would be to train your cat to use the toilet. But how do you train your cat to do this? Enter the Litter Kwitter, a cat-friendly training system that teaches cats how to use a human toilet. The system consists of a special universal toilet seat (meaning it fits all toilets) and three toilet rings. The training is done in three stages. The first is the red stage, where your cat is trained to associate the toilet with the litter box using a red ring fitted above the toilet, filled with kitty litter. The amber stage follows, where your cat is trained to balance him/herself on the toilet seat while using it, using this time an amber ring with a small hole, surrounded with a little kitty litter. The final stage is the green stage, where your cat learns to use the toilet by balancing him/herself on the green ring, which has a larger hole this time. Voila! A potty-trained cat!

Truly Successful Thieves

Being a successful criminal is almost impossible. Because of the over-glamorous heists portrayed by Hollywood, most people assume that, in reality, crimes are almost impossible to get away with it. However lots of high-value robberies or burglaries have been attempted in recent times, and many criminals do get away with it.

Albert Spaggiari

Albert Spaggiari was a French career criminal who is best known for masterminding the Societe Generale bank robbery in France, 1976. As a young man he committed his first robbery in order to impress his girlfriend, but was soon captured and imprisoned. After his release and having served in the French military, Spaggiari became the owner of a photographic studio and was making a reasonable living as a law-abiding citizen. However, he apparently became bored with his middle-class life and sought to return to a life of crime.

He began to plan a break-in at the Societe Generale Bank, in Nice. He decided that, since the bank vault was located in the basement, the break-in would best be achieved by digging underneath from a nearby sewer system. He opened a box for himself and placed a loud alarm clock inside, setting it to go off at midnight in order to check for the existence any acoustic or seismic detectors that might foil his plan. In fact, the bank vault had no interior alarm or security systems, as it was considered utterly impenetrable.

Spaggiari then recruited a group of professional gangsters from Marseille to help him dig the tunnel. He instructed them to never drink coffee or alcohol, and always to get at least 10 hours sleep every day to avoid danger to the mission. After two months of digging, the tunnel was finished, and, during a Bastille Day festival when the bank was closed for a long weekend, the gang broke into the vault, itself. They opened up over 400 safety deposit boxes, stealing over 60million francs worth of money, securities and other valuables.

When the robbery was discovered, the following message was found on the vault wall: “sans armes, ni maine, ni violence” which is translated as: “without weapons, nor hatred, nor violence”. At first police were baffled, however, in the following months they arrested one suspect on a tip from a former girlfriend. The man later admitted being a part of the robbery and ratted out the entire gang, including Spaggiari. During his trial, however, Spaggiari managed to escape by distracting the judge, by handing him a fake piece of encoded evidence. He jumped out of the window, where a motorcycle was waiting for him and made his getaway.

He was never caught and the loot from the heist was never found. He died at the age of 52 of throat cancer, and his body was found dumped outside his mother’s house, presumably by unknown friends.

The Pink Panthers

The Pink Panthers are a Serbian gang of jewel thieves, who Interpol believe are responsible for some of the most glamorous armed robberies in history. Their bold style and intricate planning is thought of as artistry, even by criminologists. They have targeted many different countries, and have Japan’s most successful robbery among their thefts.

In 1993, the gang came to attention with their first robbery, when they stole a £500,000 diamond from a jeweler in London. The thieves hid the diamond in a jar of face cream resembling an act from the film: “Return of the Pink Panther” which earned them their nickname. Since then, the group have successfully robbed over one hundred and twenty different stores, in twenty different countries. Their attention to detail is the reason behind their high success rate. For example, before a heist in Biarritz, the gang coated a bench adjacent to the jewelry store in fresh paint to deter people sitting on it and seeing them in action.

The Pink Panthers are also known for their daring escapes and creative break-ins. In St Tropez, they robbed a store dressed in flowery shirts and then escaped on a speed boat. In another high-profile heist, the gang drove a pair of stolen limousines through a window into a Dubai mall, taking watches and other valuables worth over £8million. In yet another robbery, they dressed up as women and stole over $100million (£60million) worth of jewelry from a Harry Winston store in Paris, using Mission Impossible-style prosthetic make-up as a disguise.

Several gang members have been imprisoned. However, their group is thought to consist of over two hundred members, therefore, most have simply gotten away with their crimes. Their total haul is now believed to be in the billions of dollars. The alleged leader of the gang, Dragan Mikic, escaped from prison using a rope ladder, in 2005, whilst Pink Panthers fired machine guns at the prison wall. He has been on the run ever since.

Baker Street Burglary

The Baker Street burglary took place in London, in 1971, when a team of well-equipped thieves tunneled into the Lloyds Baker Street Bank Vault and stole £3million (2011: £31.7million) worth of cash and valuables from safety deposit boxes.

The criminals used a combination of metal cutting tools, such as a thermal lance and explosives, to tunnel into the vault from a nearby shop, and even had a lookout positioned on a rooftop. Near the end of the heist, a ham radio operator overheard some of the lookout’s walkie-talkie radio transmissions and contacted the police, who frantically searched over seven hundred banks within the area, in hopes of honing in on the location of the transmission.

Policemen even searched the bank whilst the burglars were inside the vault, however, since no damage was visible on the vault door, police assumed they had the wrong bank and left. They were unable to catch the robbers at the time, but nearly two years later a number of men were charged in connection with the burglary. However, the true mastermind was a London car dealer, who was never apprehended. The story of the burglary has been immortalized in the semi-fictional movie “The Bank Job” starring Jason Statham.

The School of Turin

At approximately 7pm local time, on Friday the 14th of February, 2003, the School of Turin were about to perform the largest diamond heist the world has ever seen. Leonardo Notarbartolo, the leader of the gang, had reportedly remained in the vault that Friday night when the security doors closed automatically, at 7:00 pm. Several hours later, the elevator leading down to the vault was purportedly used by three other members of the School. The motion detector at the foot of the elevator had already been disabled by an application of spray silicone, and the vault’s light detector had been rendered useless with a simple piece of tape. With all of the prep work done, the School of Turin found themselves alone with the vault of the Antwerp Diamond Center.

Gaining access to the vault was not the same, however, as gaining entrance. The vault itself was protected by a dual lock system: a combination and a key lock, and two feet of reinforced steel. The key part was easy, as duplicates of the key had been made in advance. The combination lock was a bit more difficult, and the police have yet to release information pertaining to exactly how this was cracked.

Buried behind those two locks was something else; a fail-safe alarm that consisted of magnets that would notify the police as soon as the vault was opened, and the magnets were no longer touching. The alarm was automatic and could not be turned off. The fail safe was defeated with the most minimalist of moves. The crack team of burglars snipped the magnets out of their resting places and taped them together, allowing the vault door to be opened without ever separating the magnets.

The taping of the magnets was the final step. There, in the vault, the School of Turin pried open that heavy door, knowing that they would be undisturbed as they gazed upon their jackpot, the largest diamond heist in history. For the remainder of the weekend, they set to breaking into safety deposit boxes. Out of the 160 security boxes, the highly skilled crew worked through 123, popping the locks with a tool they created specifically for the job. But these professionals didn’t merely grab diamonds, of which the trade is much more restricted than most would have you believe, no, they grabbed the paperwork necessary to sell the diamonds as legitimate. That which couldn’t easily be resold, and even currency, items with combined values totaling in the millions of dollars, were left carelessly on vault floor.

By the time the heist had been discovered the thieves were long gone. However, the alleged leader of the gang, Leonardo Notarbartolo, was convicted on the basis of DNA found on a half-eaten sandwich found near the crime-scene. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The other School members were never apprehended and it is unlikely they will be, as the statute of limitations has, or will soon, run out.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Robbers

On the night of March 18th, 1990, two men, disguised as Boston police officers, entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum and stole an estimated $500,000,000 worth of artworks, including works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet and Degas. They gained entry by impersonating Boston Police officers, and telling guards that they were responding to a call. Once inside, they rounded up the guards and handcuffed them, placing them in the basement whilst they raided the second floor of the museum. The next morning security arrived to relieve the guards, but instead found the museum ransacked.

The museum still has the empty frames hanging in place (see picture), as an homage to the stolen art, and to show their hope that they may one day see them returned to their rightful place. The criminals have never demanded a ransom, and they will never serve any time, even if they are caught, as the statute of limitations has run out. The museum has offered a $5million reward for information leading to the recovery of the artwork, and has also said they will: “ensure complete confidentiality”, implying they are willing to pay a ransom.

Derek “Bertie” Smalls

Bertie Smalls was an English armed robber who was active in the 1960s and 70s; a time considered the golden age of British armed robbery. Smalls committed his first robbery when he was 15, and, after being imprisoned for a short while, committed his life to crime. Before 1970, Smalls already had a string of high-profile robberies to his name, and was a respected figure in the London Underworld.

On the 9th February, 1970, Smalls led a gang from the Wembley Mob, in the East End of London, to rob a Barclays Bank branch in Ilford. The gang successfully got away with £237,736, a record at the time. Most of the team left England on various routes. Smalls, himself, boarded a train to Paris and from there went on to the Costa del Sol, where he read English newspapers looking for police updates about the robbery. The police made an early breakthrough, with an informant naming Smalls as the leader of the gang.

Smalls returned to England and gave himself up in Northampton, where he spent the Christmas period in jail. On June 2nd, Smalls asked for a meeting with the chief inspector. Smalls had been informed by his solicitor that he would be spending at least 25 years in prison. In an attempt to reduce his lengthy sentence, he offered the police a deal to turn over every person connected with any criminal activity he had ever been involved with.

Smalls was given immunity from prosecution in return for his help. At the Old Bailey, the trial of the Barclays Bank raid commenced, and Smalls testified against every one of his co-conspirators. As he finished giving evidence against his former friends, they reportedly sang to him: “We’ll meet again” by Vera Lynn. The trial ended with a jail time for the gang totaling over 100 years in prison. In the months after the trial, Smalls helped convict 21 more associates, for a total of over 300 years in prison.

As a result, Bertie Smalls received no jail-time for his part in the Barclays raid, although there was rumored to be a £1million bounty on his head, instigated by powerful underworld figures such as the Kray twins. Despite this, he lived under police protection for the rest of his life. Even today, criminals who grass on their friends are said to be a “Bertie Smalls”. Pictured above is Harry Shearer portraying Bertie Smalls).

Paris Modern Art Museum Burglar

In May, 2010, a lone thief broke into the Paris Museum of Modern Art and stole masterpieces by artists such as Picasso and Matisse, valued at just under £100million. Unbelievably, the museum didn’t have a functioning burglar alarm, and the thief was able to simply smash a window and remove the pictures from their frames, without incident. The burglary was discovered at 7am the following morning. Although security guards were in the building at the time of the heist, they didn’t hear anyone enter, or notice the missing paintings or smashed window.

The crime was initially believed to be worth around £430million; however, this figure soon came down to just under £100million. Police have speculated that the paintings may have been “ordered” by a private collector, as this has been the case with previous art thefts in the city. As of 2011, no one has been arrested for the burglary and police believe that the painting is no longer in the possession of the thief. This theft is an example of very poor security around objects with extremely high value.

Carl Gugasian

This particular criminal was successful in baffling police during a bank robbing career that spanned thirty years, and netted him over $2million. The reason he isn’t higher in the list is because of his eventual arrest. When Carl Gugasian was 15 years old, he was shot while attempting to rob a candy store and was sent to a State Youth Facility. After his release he took deliberate steps, not only to avoid a normal life, but to excel in a life of crime. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, earning a master’s degree in systems analysis. He also went out of his way to receive military weapons training.

Immediately after his graduation, Gugasian began to plan out mock robberies involving stolen cars. On eight separate occasions he was planning to commit his first bank robbery; however he repeatedly backed down before entering the bank. Eventually, he committed his first offense, using a stolen car for his getaway.

It was after this that he began to develop his unique bank robbery modus operandi, with such meticulous planning that police were powerless to stop him. He would first look for banks in small towns, that provide easy access to a freeway. He then narrowed the search further by looking for a bank that had late closing times, in August or winter months, so darkness could hide his escape. He only robbed banks on a Friday, which earned him the nickname: Friday Night Robber. He then created a cache to store any evidence that connected him to the crime (including the money), immediately after the robbery. He would return later to retrieve the stuff, when the heat had died down in the following weeks.

As for the robbery itself, Gugasian would burst into the bank five minutes before closing time, when customers weren’t likely to be there. Donning a gruesome face mask from a horror movie (Freddy Krueger was a favorite), he would vault the counter in a standing jump, landing with a crash on the other side, which terrified staff. He then grabbed everything he could from the cash tills, and left in less than two minutes. Immediately afterwards he would disappear into the well-scouted woods and run for several minutes to a dirt-bike. Then he would bike for a further few miles through the woods to an anonymous looking panel van, waiting on the other side, where he’d load the bike into the van and drive away to complete his escape.

In the end, despite his meticulous planning and execution, it was a simple case of bad luck that led to his arrest. Two young teenage boys found one of his caches whilst playing in the woods. It was full of weapons, ammunition and face masks which had his fingerprints. Only enough evidence existed to convict Gugasian of 5 bank robberies, resulting in a 17-year sentence, which he is currently still serving. Despite this, he has still gotten away with over 45 armed bank robberies; an amazing feat considering that, statistically, over 65% of armed bank robbery cases in the US are solved.

2010 Credit Lyonnais Paris Burglars

On March 30th, 2010, burglars got into a Credit Lyonnais bank, in central Paris, and emptied over a hundred safety deposit boxes, getting away with millions of Euros in cash and valuables. The gang tunneled into the bank’s basement from a neighboring cellar, and entered the vault through a small hole they cut using a thermal lance.

The branch itself was closed for renovations, however, a security guard who heard noises from the basement confronted the robbers, who lashed him to a chair and told him not to move. Meanwhile, the gang ransacked 125 safe deposit boxes over the course of a few hours. They then set fire to the premises to eliminate any evidence. The fire set off the sprinklers, which alerted the tied-up guard, who assumed the robbers had left, so he raised the alarm. The full operation took around nine hours.

As of 2011, the thieves are still at large, and because of the lack of evidence it is unlikely they will ever be brought to justice. This raid bears similarities to the 1971 Baker Street burglary, and shows that security hasn’t improved over time as much as it should have.

French “Vacuum Gang”

Since 2006, in France, an unknown gang of thieves have been emptying supermarket safes, using nothing more than a drill and a modified vacuum cleaner. The innovative group of bandits found a weakness in French supermarket Monoprix’s system of storing cash, and have been exploiting it ever since. Envelopes of cash are funneled into the safe via pneumatic suction tubes. Whereas breaching the safe itself might be considerably difficult, requiring explosives or safecracking, the thieves realized that if they just drilled into the delivery tubes near the safe and hooked up a powerful vacuum, they could suck the money out and get at it much more easily.

This mode of robbery is very unique as most thieves would resort to safecracking methods, which leave more evidence. Techniques such as using explosives, or tools like a thermal lance or plasma cutter, are the common choice of career burglars. As of 2011, the vacuum gang have successfully stolen almost $800,000, in fifteen night-time heists, leaving only a few CCTV tapes of masked men for evidence.

Amazing True Life Giants

A true giant was so slim that they have always been a part of folklore. But, thanks to modern record keeping and photography, we can now all see first hand, true living giants.

Robert Wadlow
8′ 11.1″

Robert Wadlow is the tallest man in history whose height is verified by indisputable evidence. He is often referred to as the Alton giant because he came from Alton, Illinois. At the time of his death he weighed 440 pounds and showed no signs of stopping growing. He was born in 1918, the oldest of five children. He died at the age of 22 from an infection caused by a blister on his ankle, which he got while making a professional appearance at the National Forest Festival. His coffin weighed half a ton and required 12 pallbearers to carry. He was buried in a vault of solid concrete as his family had fears that his body would be interfered with by curiosity seekers.

Johan Aason
8′ 9-1/4″

Johan was born in America the year that his mother moved there from Norway. He beats John Rogan to the second spot on this list by a mere 1/4 of an inch. Interestingly his mother was also a giant, at 7’2″. According to his death certificate from Mendocino State Hospital, at the time of death he was 9’2″ – if this is true then he is the tallest recorded human – beating our number 1 spot by 3 inches. He is buried in Montana.

John Rogan
8’9″

John Rogan was born in 1868 and he grew normally until the age of 13. His height was not officially recorded until his death at which point he was 8’9″ tall. Due to illness he weighed only 175 pounds. He is the tallest African American ever. He died in 1905 due to complications from his illness.

John F Carroll
8’7″

John Carroll (born in 1932) was born in Buffalo, New York and was known as the Buffalo giant. Despite a large number of medical treatments, he grew at a very rapid rate. He grew seven inches in a matter of a few months. He died in 1969 and while his height was not recorded at the time, it is believed that he was very close to nine feet.

Leonid Stadnyk
8’5″

Leonid Stadnyk was born in 1971 in the Ukraine. He is a registered veterinary surgeon and lives with his mother. He is currently the world’s tallest human according to the Guinness Book of Records. According to Pravda, his health is slowly failing in that he needs to hold on to limbs of trees and the side of his house to walk about. A group of Ukrainian business people donated a satellite dish and a computer to Stadnyk and now he has Internet access.

Al Tomaini
8’4.5″

Al Tomaini was a giant who claimed a height of 8’4″ (though the Guiness Book of Records stated that he was 7’4″). Weighing 356 pounds (162 kg) and wearing size 27 shoes, Al spent most of his life as a circus giant. He was working with a circus at the Great Lakes Exposition in Chicago, in 1936, when he met his future wife, Jeanie Tomaini. Jeanie was born without legs and was only 2 ft 6 in (76 cm) tall. After retiring from the circus life, he and Jeanie settled in the circus community of Giant’s Camp, Gibsonton, Florida.

Ella Ewing
8’4″

Ella Ewing was born in Missouri in 1872. She is known as the ‘Missouri Giant’. She grew normally until the age of 7, at which time she began to grow rapidly. Her maximum height is disputed and due to the lack of records she is not listed in the Guinness book of Records. She toured as a side-show freak until she died of tuberculosis in 1913.

Edouard Beaupré
8’3″

Edouard Beaupré, born in 1881, was a circus sideshow freak, a strong man, and a star in Barnum and Baileys. He was the eldest of 20 children and was born in Canada. While he was of normal height during his first few years of life, by the age of nine he was 6 feet tall. His death certificate showed him as being 8’3″ and still growing. As a strongman, his feature stunt was crouching down and lifting a horse to his shoulders. He reportedly lifted horses as heavy as 900 pounds. He died in 1904 of tuberculosis.

Väinö Myllyrinne
8’3″

Myllyrinne was born in Finland in 1909. At one point he was officially the world’s tallest man. At the age of 21 he was 7 feet 3.5 inches tall, and weighed 31 stone. He experienced another growth spurt after that which took him to his final height of 8 feet 3 inches. He is considered to be the tallest soldier in history as he was in the Finnish army. He died in 1963.

Bernard Coyne
8’2″

Coyne was born in 1897 in Iowa, USA. His 1918 World War I draft card listed his height as 8 feet. His Guinness book of records entry states that he was refused entry to the war due to his height. At the time of his death it was possible that he had reached the height of 8 foot 4 inches. He died in 1921 of hardening of the liver and a glandular condition. He is buried in his place of birth in a specially made extra-large coffin.

Identity Theft Bizarre Cases

Identity theft is not a new problem, and like any crime, there are always some cases that make you scratch your head in astonishment, and ask the obvious questions: “Why would someone even try this? How did they think they were going to get away with it?” And sometimes simply, “What the heck?”

Catch Him if You Can

Arguably the most famous story of identity theft is that of Frank Abagnale, who was depicted by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2002 movie, “Catch Me if You Can.” In the 1960′s, Abagnale eluded authorities by posing as characters such as an airline pilot, doctor, assistant attorney general, and history professor, all the while racking up $4 million in bad checks. Eventually, Abagnale was caught and convicted, but now serves as one of the preeminent authorities on privacy law and owns a business fighting the same crimes that made him famous.

Stealing from... Himself

It’s usually safe to assume that anyone who steals another person’s identity to obtain money or services is a pretty desperate individual. But how desperate do you have to be to steal your own identity? That’s exactly what Li Ming, a graduate student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania did. Li, feeling he had no way out from under staggering credit card debt, faked his own death, complete with a forged obituary in his local paper. Nine months later, Li attempted to obtain a new driver’s license with the intention of applying for new credit cards eventually. However, the DMV he visited, unaccustomed to issuing driving privileges to dead people, called authorities. Subsequently, Li was arrested for stealing the identity of.. Ming Li.

Brooklyn Busboy

It’s easy to imagine: A young man in Brooklyn New York borrows a much-needed ten bucks from his father, and then heads off to his demeaning job as a restaurant busboy, all the while dreaming of having the financial stability of famous figures like Ross Perot and Warren Buffett. In this story, however, the busboy is Abraham Abdallah, who decided to take this dream into his own hands. In this massive case of identity theft, Abdallah used the Internet to obtain access to the private finances of hundreds the richest people in America. Armed with Steven Spielberg’s credit card and Oprah Winfrey’s financial information, Abdallah was finally caught after trying to make a $10 million transfer on behalf of a software giant. So, for now, Oprah’s identity is safe.. Or is it?

You’re How Old?

A woman in the Czech Republic is imprisoned now for stealing the identities of several 13-year-old children, both male and female. In this strange case, Barbora Skrlova went the full mile and even attended school as a young boy, duping teachers and administrators with a shaved head and taped breasts. Other children impersonated by Skrlova included a missing girl named Anna and a sickly boy named Adam. Although Skrlova’s motives for identity theft are unclear, authorities speculate that she may have a mental disorder.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Generally, when you think of identity theft, you assume the thief has committed the crime for monetary gain. However, Raphael Golb had more familial motives in mind when he embarked on his holy quest. Golb’s father, a professor at the University of Chicago, had come up with a controversial theory regarding the long-studied Dead Sea Scrolls. His idea was not widely accepted by fellow scholars, but his son sought to change that. Golb took on the identities of several colleagues to forge online statements in support of his father’s theories, particularly from researchers that publicly opposed them. Unfortunately for Golb, those scholars did not appreciate Golb’s family loyalty, and have had him arrested on charges of identity theft, criminal impersonation, and aggravated harassment.

Dr. No

Gerald Barnes was incredibly passionate about becoming a doctor, and was willing to do anything he could to practice medicine. Everything, of course, except going to medical school. Instead, Barnes made a career of stealing the identities of actual MD’s, and establishing himself based on their hard work. He has been convicted several times through this sham, but every time he was released, Barnes would do it again. As a “doctor,” Barnes would paint a picture of goodwill through community clinic work and volunteer medical missions, all the while swindling his identity theft victims through mail fraud, grand theft and even involuntary manslaughter. With his authentic-looking diplomas on the wall and gentle bedside manner, his patients trusted that he was a trained practitioner. Wouldn’t you?

Ivy League Imposter

High school seniors all of the country would do anything to attend a school like Harvard or Columbia. The application process is intense, and every answer to every question is heavily scrutinized. However, Elizabeth Esther Reed was able to get into both schools by providing the wrong answer on the very first line: “Please fill in your name.” Better known as Brooke Henson to her classmates, Reed used the identity of a missing woman from South Carolina to take classes and eventually obtain employment. Reed was featured on America’s Most Wanted and most recently plead guilty to charges of fraud and identity theft.

Neighbors from Hell

Characterized by a judge as the “neighbors from hell,” a California couple was recently convicted for victimizing dozens of their friends and neighbors in a massive identity theft operation. Lara Love and David Jackson took up residence in a close-knit community, and quickly worked their way into the hearts – and homes – of their trusting neighbors. By hacking into non-secured Internet connections, pirating mail, and even lifting wallets out of cars, Love and Jackson obtained and utilized the personal information of 30 different people. Unfortunately, the “Neighbors from Hell” story, a form of “friendly theft,” is probably the least bizarre story on this list. All too often, it’s the people we love that take advantage of us. According to a Javelin Strategy and Research study released in 2009, 13% of victims had their identities stolen from someone they knew.

Todd Davis

As the CEO of an identity theft protection company, Lifelock, Todd Davis was 100% confident in the services provided by his company. So confident, in fact, that he starred in an advertising campaign based on sharing his actual social security number with the world. In this high-budget marketing ploy, Davis plastered his most important identifying number on billboards, the sides of trucks, all over the Internet and on television commercials. Davis dared the world to just try and steal his identity. And guess what? They did. As exposed by Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show, Davis’ identity was used to obtain a $500 cash advance loan, and 87 other people have used Davis’ SSN under names like Joe Blow and Jabba T. Hutt. Davis is still paying the price for breaking the cardinal rule of personal identity protection: Do not share your social security number unless absolutely necessary. Sharing it with the whole world? Now, that’s just bizarre.

The Cheerleader

A 33-year-old woman stole her daughter’s identity to attend high school and join the cheerleading squad, according to a criminal complaint filed against the woman. Wendy Brown, of Green Bay, faces a felony identity theft charge after enrolling in Ashwaubenon High School as her 15-year-old daughter, who lives in Nevada with Brown’s mother. According to the complaint, Brown wanted to get her high school degree and become a cheerleader because she didn’t have a childhood and wanted to regain a part of her life that she’d missed. Brown allegedly attended cheerleading practices before school started, received a cheerleader’s locker and went to a pool party at the cheerleading coach’s house.