Mansfield University professor Andrew Shears has developed a map showing how the USA would look if the secessionist movements throughout history would have been successful, resulting in 124 states.

Aura Garcia (bottom left) was crossing the Meridian Street Bridge in East Boston (main) when she was crushed to death on New Years Eve as she clung to one of the two plates of the lift bridge, which then closed on top of her. Police said the bridge operator was not aware the 43-year-old mother was on the drawbridge when it was raised to allow a boat to pass below. The bridge operator heard a scream and immediately lowered the bridge, but Garcia - who has a three-year-old and 15-year-old - then became trapped. She suffered 'major trauma' in the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A woman became the biggest winner in 'Price is Right' daytime history this week when she won a car worth almost $160,000 - and lost her mind celebrating. Sheree Heil, of Tacoma, Washington, won a $157,300 Audi R8 V8 Spyder Quattro S Tronic while playing the game Gas Money. She also won a pair of Prada shoes and $10,000 cash before she was finished.

A tragic groom could now face charges for the car crash that killed his wife as they left their own reception - just hours after they were married. Kali Dobson, 25, and Ryan Quinton, 27, both of Jasper, Georgia, careered off the road on Sunday evening when the groom lost control of the Pontiac Firebird he was driving when he swerved to avoid a stray dog.

The video has gone viral since being posted on Vine by Mexican Paglo Barroeta. The arachnids are thought to be opiliones — more commonly called harvestmen or, in the U.S., daddy longlegs — which are known to congregate en masse.

The world's biggest party is underway as bursts of fireworks erupt over cities across the globe as midnight strikes and nations hail the start of 2014. The annual crackles of fireworks and chimes of Big Ben rang in the new year in London, after a day of celebrations around the globe.

Meghan Calavan, left, owner of the self-styled 'sexy sailor coffee shop' Sips Ahoy in Anacortes, Washington, has angered local residents after she posted cruel comments on the business' Facebook page about a customer's size. Jesseka Cladek has accused Meghan of posting a series of vulgar and hateful comments criticizing her appearance, calling her 'fat,' advising her to 'save world hunger by shooting yourself' and telling another commenter that 'the world would be a better place if [Cladek] died'. The Sips Ahoy Facebook page has since been taken down, but another Facebook page, Boycott Sips Ahoy, has launched and quickly amassed 4,700 followers.

Melissa Harris-Perry (bottom right) has been forced to apologize Tuesday, two days after her MSNBC political commentary show turned Mitt Romney's adopted black grandson into the butt of a political joke. Harris-Perry stirred the pot on the segment Sunday by displaying a giant photo of Romney's extended family Christmas photo to a panel of liberal pundits and comedians. 'It really sums up the diversity of the Republican party, the RNC. At the convention, they find the one black person,' joked Dean Obeidallah, just one of the digs the group made at the expense of Kieran Romney.

The first night of a new life in the U.S. for refugees fleeing wars and political or religious persecution has been captured in a series of emotive images. Families who have traveled thousands of miles to find a safe place to call home, leaving behind great hardships as well as family and friends, are pictured settling down for their first night, often in airport hotels in large American cities. For six years photographer Gabriele Stabile has worked with the International Organization for Mirgration, and other resettlement groups, to capture the overwhelming experiences of refugees arriving from Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

In a nasty lesson learned about second-hand furniture, Holly Wright has been using her lounge for two months before a big yellow boa constrictor came slithering out of it this week. The Grand Rapids woman found the couch outside a house with a 'For Free' sign on it and had 'read a few novels on it' and 'always sat there to check my emails' before the animal finally materialized. Ms Wright said the snake was not menacing and seemed 'lethargic', dying not long after getting out of the couch, most likely from starvation.

Outgoing NYC Mayor Mayor Bloomberg walked out of City Hall for the last time just after 5pm and took the subway home to the Upper East Side to ring in the New Year with family and friends.

Police were looking for Heather Elvis (right) and Jamie Lynn Cross (middle), both of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina when they came across the remains which had been in thick woodlands for some time. Brittanee Drexel, 17, (left) was last seen three years ago just 25 miles from where the remains were found.

Looking to the past for one's calendar might seem counterproductive. But while vintage images may seem dated, the dates themselves aren't always out of sync with the year to come. In fact, the year 1986 perfectly aligns with the dates of 2014. So those inclined towards the retro could actually use 27-year-old vintage calendars instead of brand new ones.

Fox, 38, has fought four professional mixed martial arts fights and won three of them but a big October loss may be blamed on her total lack of testosterone. While biological females produce a small amount of testosterone but Fox produces none and takes 16mg of estrogen every day, which means she may have less of the endurance-enhancing hormone than some of her female competitors.

Award-winning Canadian dancer Spandy Andy was ecstatic when a little boy emerged from the rainy streets of Edinburgh to perform a high-energy duet. After feigning reluctance for just a second, the boy drops the act and marches in. Andy plays to the audience, but the boy is consumed by concentration, criss-crossing his feet and flailing his arms.

Laura Dimon, 26, the daughter of Jamie Dimon, penned the piece for PolicyMic and detailed the town's crime and unemployment stats, sweeping over the number of residents her father's bank foreclosed on. But after the article - 'This is America's Most Apocalyptic, Violent City - And You've Probably Never Heard Of It' - was published, it emerged that some of the photos of Flint were actually of other places. One image (pictured) was actually taken in Israel, while another showed Detroit. The article also came under attack for the claim that no one knew the city of Flint - the birthplace of General Motors.

The photographs were taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station over the course of 2013 and capture everything from erupting volcanoes to the breathtaking glaciers of Chile. The astronauts captured natural disasters that occurred throughout the year as well as images showcasing the earth's natural beauty.

Sam and Jennika Anderson, who attended Utah State University together and have been married for three years, made a video to share with friends and family. But their loved ones received a happy surprise when what started as a graduation video took an unexpected turn as the couple revealed they're expecting a baby in June.

Relentless rains pounding Hawaii's 'Big Island' led to a truck being swallowed Monday in a sinkhole. Velma Deluz was driving to work around 5:30am when the road opened up and swallowed her truck whole - she fortunately escaped without any serious injury. The island received almost half a foot of rain from the storm, and snow was even observed on the summit of Mauna Kea (inset).

Mrs Schumacher has also surrounded her dangerously ill husband with keepsakes from their children and candles as she prays for his recovery. The news comes as doctors yesterday revealed the seven-time F1 champion was showing slight signs of improvement and had had a second operation. But they said he remains in a critical condition. Photographs also emerged of the dramatic moment when he was airlifted from a ski run in the French Alps by a rescue helicopter.

The 2,500 square foot East Midtown Manhattan stunner has three bedrooms and sits on the 31st floor. The penthouse played backdrop in several scenes in the Leonardo DiCaprio film.

Sketches from Lagerfeld's time at Tiziani have gone up for auction in Palm Beach, Florida. In the 1960s, the Rome-based Tiziani designed movie costumes and clothing for Elizabeth Taylor and other celebrities. It also was one of the European fashion houses where Lagerfeld freelanced, early in his career as a designer.

A YouTube video claims to show the pre-dawn discovery of a crop circle in a field in Salinas Valley, California, on Monday. But how the intricate markings, which resemble a computer chip, appeared is still unexplained.

An alleged shark in a wave, which was snapped in a picture on Friday swimming dangerously close to two children playing in the water, was a dolphin, according to experts who have examined the image taken at Manhattan Beach, California. The photograph went viral on the internet and through media outlets.

They were among the most poignant symbols of the recession, hundreds of unfinished Irish housing estates that had to be abandoned following the credit crunch of the late 2000s. Between the mid-1990s and 2007, developers raced to build homes spurred on by the easy availability of credit, cheap labour from Easter Europe and a vibrant Dublin property market.